Kool DJ Red Alert (born Fred Crute in November 27, 1956) is an American disc jockey who rose to fame on 98.7 Kiss-FM in New York City, and has been recognized as a hip hop pioneer. Red Alert has been noted for breaking in such acts and artists as A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, and Black Sheep. He grew up in Harlem, New York. Red, who is of Antiguan heritage, also had a small hip hop management company in the late 1980s called Red Alert Productions, which managed the careers of Native Tongues acts such as the Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and Monie Love. Besides Chris "Baby Chris" Lighty's Violator, in the late 1980s through 1990s, Red Alert Productions was the only major hip-hop management alternative to Russell Simmons' Rush Artist Management (which he despised) and Cold Chillin' Records' management division. Kool DJ Red Alert appeared on New York City radio stations such as 98.7 Kiss-FM for over 11 years and worked for Hot 97 for seven years. After the demise of WRKS as "98.7 Kiss FM", he became one of the DJs in rotation on the Afterwork Mastermix Dance Party at 6 P.M. (Monday - Thursday), and performed during the holiday mix segments on WBLS. He now has a regular time slot on Saturday nights on WBLS at 11 PM EST. He also hosts the mix show Article One on Youth Radio 92.5 in the Virgin Islands and has a show on the Sirius Satellite Network station Backspin. Red's nephew is rapper Mike Gee of the hip hop group Jungle Brothers. His cousin Jazzy Jay is also a famed hip hop DJ. Kool DJ Red Alert was recognized with a location on the Bronx Walk of Fame, a series of street signs recognizing people of note from the borough, alongside other notables such as Colin Powell, who have originated from the Bronx.

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