Cool C

Chris Roney (born December 15, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), known by the stage name Cool C, is an American rapper whose musical career peaked in the late 1980's. He is perhaps best known today for the notoriety surrounding his involvement in the murder of a Philadelphia Police officer in a bank robbery in January 1996. He is currently incarcerated in a Pennsylvania state prison awaiting execution. Early career 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 heavyweights Kool G. Rap and Big Daddy Kane), gained Roney a good amount of attention and caught a lot of ears. 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 (which included the hits "I Gotta Habit" and "Glamourous Life") and Life in the Ghetto, in 1990. With the Hustlers, Roney's laid-back vocal stylings are best heard on the 1989 singles "I Gotta Habit" and "Glamorous Life" - the latter of which liberally sampled Sheila E.'s song of the same title. As of 2007, he is currently working on a new album due in july. C.E.B. In 1991, Cool C put his solo career aside to join hardcore rap group C.E.B. (which stood for "Countin' Endless Bank"), with fellow, local Philadelphia rappers Warren McGlone (Steady B) and Ultimate Eaze. The trio released their only album Countin' Endless Bank on Ruffhouse Records in 1993, to disappointing sales and reviews. Legal issues On January 2, 1996, during the same time period that he was recording a comeback EP, Roney, along with C.E.B. band mate McGlone, and another local Philadelphia rapper, Mark Canty, attempted a bank robbery at a PNC bank branch in Philadelphia. During the botched heist, Philadelphia Police Officer Lauretha Vaird, who responded to the bank's silent alarm, was shot and killed by Roney. As he exited the bank, Roney exchanged fire with another police officer who had also responded to the bank's alarm, before he and Canty dropped their weapons at the scene and fled in a stolen minivan driven by McGlone. Officer Vaird, an African-American woman and the single mother of two children, was the first female Philadelphia Police officer killed in the line of duty. Roney was arrested and on October 30, 1996, convicted of the first degree murder of Officer Vaird. At his subsequent sentencing hearing, Cool C 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. He was granted a stay of execution from Pennsylvania Judge Gary Glazer on February 1, 2006 until all post-conviction litigation is resolved. Roney has steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout the trial and appeals process, despite the trial testimony of three eyewitnesses who placed him at the scene of the robbery, as well as ballistic and forensic evidence that linked him to the murder of Officer Vaird. He is currently an inmate at Pennsylvania’s State Correctional Institution at Greene. “The 44-year-old rapper has been on death row for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer on January 2, 1996. C along with another legendary rapper Steady B, and another local rapper, Mark Canty, attempted a bank robbery that left Lauretha Vaird dead. Vaird represented the first Black female officer killed in the line of duty. “Cool C’s date of execution is January 8th, AllHipHop has confirmed. Gov. Corbett signed the execution warrant on Friday.” Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.