Cool C | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Christopher Douglass Roney |
Born | December 15, 1969 |
Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Rapper |
Years active | 1987–1996 |
Labels | Hilltop, City Beat, Atlantic, Philadelphia International, Ruffhouse/Columbia/SME |
Christopher Douglass Roney (born December 15, 1969), known by the stage name Cool C, is an American former rapper active in the late 1980s. He is also known for his involvement in the murder of Philadelphia Police officer Lauretha Vaird during a bank robbery in January 1996, for which he was sentenced to death. He is currently on death row.
In the mid-1980s, Roney was an original member of the Philadelphia-based Hilltop Hustlers hip hop crew. His 1987 debut single, "Juice Crew Dis", which took aim at the New York-based hip hop crew run by influential rap producer Marley Marl (a group that included Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane), gained Roney a good amount of attention. [1]
A pair of 1988 singles for Hilltop and City Beat Records landed Roney a contract with Atlantic Records, where he released two full-length solo albums: his debut I Gotta Habit in 1989 and Life in the Ghetto in 1990. Both albums stayed on the Billboard 200 for numerous weeks. [2]
In 1991, Roney put his solo career aside to join hardcore hip hop group C.E.B. (which stood for "Countin' Endless Bank") with fellow Philadelphia rappers Warren McGlone (Steady B) and Ultimate Eaze. To disappointing sales and reviews, the trio released their only album, Countin' Endless Bank, on Ruffhouse Records in 1993. The single "Get the Point" reached number 5 on Billboard 's Hot Rap Singles. [3]
In 1992, an independent label, Rags to Riches Records, released the single "Get the Point." After extraordinary success with the single, Rags to Riches Records founders, Malik Abd-hadi and Bilal "bilally b" Salaam signed the trio Cool C, Steady B and Ultimate Eaze (C.E.B.) to Ruffhouse Records. At that point, Abd-hadi and Salaam became their managers. The project was short-lived mainly because Ultimate Eaze had legal troubles and never showed up for a promotional tour to promote the release of the first album on Ruffhouse. The group was dropped before Steady B, and Cool C got back off tour. [ citation needed ]
Christopher Roney | |
---|---|
Born | December 15, 1969 |
Other names | Cool C |
Criminal status | In custody on death row |
Conviction(s) | Guilty on all counts, October 30, 1996; sentenced to death on December 13, 1996 |
Criminal charge | First-degree murder, bank robbery, grand larceny |
Penalty | Death (Granted stay of execution as of January 8, 2015) |
On January 2, 1996, during the same time period that he was recording a comeback EP, [4] Roney, along with C.E.B. bandmate McGlone (a.k.a. Steady B), and another local Philadelphia rapper, Mark Canty, attempted a bank robbery at a PNC bank branch in Feltonville. During the botched heist, Roney shot and killed Philadelphia Police officer Lauretha Vaird, who responded to the bank's silent alarm. [5] [6] As he exited the bank, Roney exchanged fire with another police officer, before he and Canty dropped their weapons at the scene and fled in a stolen minivan driven by McGlone. [7] [8]
Roney was arrested on October 30, 1996, and convicted of first-degree murder. [5] At his subsequent sentencing hearing, Roney was sentenced to death by lethal injection. On January 10, 2006, his death warrant was signed by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and his execution date was set for March 9, 2006. [9] He was granted a stay of execution from Pennsylvania Judge Gary Glazer on February 1, 2006, until all post-conviction litigation is resolved. [10] His execution was set for January 8, 2015, [11] but Roney was once again granted a stay of execution from Pennsylvania Judge L. Felipe Restrepo on December 5, 2014. [12]
Roney has maintained his innocence throughout the trial and appeals process, despite the testimony of three eyewitnesses who placed him at the scene of the robbery, as well as ballistic and forensic evidence and surveillance video that linked him to the murder. [4] [7] He is currently an inmate at the State Correctional Institution – Phoenix. [9] His inmate ID number is DF1973. [13]
In prison, Cool C converted and accepted Islam as his religion. The exact period he converted is not clear. [14]
Album information |
---|
I Gotta Habit
|
Life in the Ghetto
|
Album information |
---|
C.E.B. - Countin' Endless Bank
|
Year | Single | US Rap | Album |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | "Glamorous Life" [15] | 11 | I Gotta Habit |
"I Gotta Habit" | — | ||
1990 | "Life in the Ghetto" | — | Life in the Ghetto |
"If You Really Love Me" [16] | — | ||
1993 | "Get The Point" (with C.E.B.) [17] | 5 | Countin' Endless Bank |
Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. is an American music executive and convicted felon who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in the 1990s. This feat is attributed to the record label's first two album releases: Dr. Dre's The Chronic in 1992 and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in 1993. Knight is serving a 28-year sentence in prison for a fatal hit-and-run in 2015.
Earl Simmons, known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures of 2000s hip hop. His music is characterized by his "aggressive" rapping style, with his lyrical content varying from hardcore themes to prayers.
James Todd Smith, known professionally as LL Cool J, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.
LaRon Louis James, better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of East Coast hip hop group The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is best known for his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma", which peaked at numbers 4 and 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively, as well as Chris Brown's 2005 triple-platinum single, "Run It!", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks.
Three Times Dope was an American hip hop/rap group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania consisting of EST, Chuck Nice and Woody Wood. 3xD, as they were called for short, were a part of the Hilltop Hustlers Crew. At first, they recorded under the name 3-D.
Barry Adrian Reese, better known by his stage name Cassidy, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is perhaps best known for his singles "Hotel", "Get No Better", "I'm a Hustla", "B-Boy Stance", and "My Drink n My 2 Step".
Chad Lamont Butler, better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK).
Yeah, It's That Easy is the third album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 1997. Dr. John contributed to the album. "Stepping Stones" was a minor modern rock radio hit.
Dwight Equan Grant, better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first became known for his association with Jay-Z, as he became a flagship artist for his now-defunct label imprint, Roc-A-Fella Records. Through the label, Grant released his debut studio album, The Truth in February 2000 to critical and commercial success.
Warren Sabir McGlone, known by the stage name Steady B, is an American hip hop emcee who, along with Schoolly D, the Fresh Prince, and Three Times Dope, was one of the first wave of Philadelphia-area emcees to gain notoriety in the mid-to-late 1980s. Steady B was a member of Philadelphia's Hilltop Hustlers crew. His musical career was relatively short-lived, and he is currently serving a life sentence in a Pennsylvania state prison for his role in the murder of Philadelphia Police officer Lauretha Vaird during a botched bank robbery in 1996.
The Goats were an American alternative hip hop trio from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as her solo debut and lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27.
I Gotta Habit is the debut album by Philadelphia-based, old school rapper Cool C, released in 1989. The album reached No. 51 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart in 1989, and the single, "Glamorous Life," peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Rap Singles chart that same year.
The 1982 Wilkes-Barre shootings was a spree shooting which occurred in the United States on September 25, 1982, carried out by George Emil Banks, a former Camp Hill prison guard. Banks fatally shot 13 people in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Jenkins Township. The victims included seven children – five being his own – their mothers, some of their relatives, and one bystander.
The State Correctional Institution – Greene is a maximum security prison, classified as a Supermax, located in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, near Waynesburg, off Interstate 79 and Pennsylvania Route 21. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections operates the prison, which houses most of Pennsylvania's capital case inmates.
We Are Young Money is the first compilation album by American hip hop record label Young Money Entertainment, and released on December 21, 2009 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records. The album garnered a positive reception but critics were divided on the quality of the label's choice of artists. We Are Young Money debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three singles: "Every Girl", "BedRock" and "Roger That". The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 1,000,000 copies in the United States.
State Correctional Institution – Houtzdale is a 1500-bed correctional facility located outside Houtzdale in southern Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, along Pennsylvania Route 153.
Lauretha A. Vaird was a Philadelphia Police Department officer who was shot dead by the rapper Christopher Roney aka "Cool C" during a botched armed bank robbery in January 1996. Roney attempted to rob the bank with another rapper, Warren McGlone aka "Steady B", and another man, Mark Canty. During the robbery, Vaird was mortally wounded by a gunshot wound in the abdomen and died soon after. Vaird was Philadelphia's first female police officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty.
Lawrence Hill, better known by his stage name Larry Larr, is an American rapper. He first came in the music wave with other Philadelphia rappers such as Schooly D, Steady B and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince in the mid eighties. He first signed his deal with Ruffhouse Records and released his debut album entitled "Da Wizzard Of Odds" in 1991 with the lead single "Larry, That’s What They Call Me" which only charted on the Hot Rap Songs at the position 7 and his second single "Confused" only made it at 10 on the Hot Rap Songs as well. However the album didn't sell well only making 67 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
2 Alive is the second studio album by American rapper Yeat. It was released on February 18, 2022, by Geffen Records, Interscope Records, Field Trip Recordings, Listen To The Kids and Twizzy Rich. The album features guest appearances from Young Thug, Gunna, Yung Kayo, Ken Carson, and SeptembersRich. The album was supported by one single, "Still Countin", which was released on February 11, 2022. The deluxe edition, titled 2 Alive , was released on April 1, 2022, with additional guest appearances by Lil Uzi Vert and Lancey Foux.