Cool C

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.

Cool C
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Douglass Roney
Born (1969-12-15) December 15, 1969
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active1987–1996
LabelsHilltop, City Beat, Atlantic, Philadelphia International, Ruffhouse/Columbia/SME

Career

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 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]

C.E.B.

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.

Murder conviction
Main article: Murder of Lauretha Vaird
Christopher Roney
Born (1969-12-15) December 15, 1969
Other namesCool C
Criminal statusIn custody on death row
Conviction(s)Guilty on all counts, October 30, 1996; sentenced to death on December 13, 1996
Criminal chargeFirst-degree murder, bank robbery, grand larceny
PenaltyDeath
(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]

Religion

In prison, Cool C converted and accepted Islam as his religion. The exact period he converted is not clear.[14]

Discography

Solo albums
Album information
I Gotta Habit
  • Released: August 8, 1989
  • Chart positions: #51 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Life in the Ghetto
  • Released: August 30, 1990
  • Chart positions: #72 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

Group album
Album information
C.E.B. - Countin' Endless Bank
  • Released: January 19, 1993
  • Chart positions:

Singles
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

References
  1. "Cool C – Biography Billboard.com". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  2. "Cool C – Chart History Billboard.com". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  3. "Hot Rap Singles: Get The Point". Billboard. April 3, 1993. Archived from the original on May 24, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  4. "Philly MC Cool C awaits his fate on death row". XXL Magazine. March 24, 2006. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
  5. "Law Enforcement News: Around the Nation – Pennsylvania". John Jay College of Criminal Justice. December 15, 1996. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
  6. Volk, Steve (September 24, 2003). "Shoot the Messenger?". Philadelphia Weekly. Archived from the original on December 27, 2005. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
  7. Newman, Hon. Sandra Schultz (January 20, 2005). "Pennsylvania v. Roney" (PDF). Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. J-199-202: 2–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2006.
  8. "Philadelphia police charge rappers with female officer's murder; suspect still at large – alleged accomplice of Warren McGlone and Christopher Roney sought in shooting of city's first Black woman police officer, Lauretha Vaird". Jet Magazine. January 29, 1996. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
  9. Sims, Seandra (January 11, 2006). "Rapper Cool C's Execution Warrant Signed by PA Governor Ed Rendell". AllHipHop.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
  10. Strong, Nolan (February 4, 2006). "Philadelphia Rapper Cool C Granted Temporary Stay Of Execution". AllHipHop.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
  11. "Philadelphia Rap Icon Cool C To Be Executed In January". Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  12. Middleton, Josh (January 7, 2015). "Philly Rapper Cool C Granted Stay of Execution". Philly Mag. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  13. "PA Inmate Locator". Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  14. "How Cool C and Steady B Robbed a Bank, Killed a Cop and Lost Their Souls". December 4, 2015.
  15. "Hot Rap Songs - Billboard (11/25/89)". Billboard.
  16. "Cool C - If You Really Love Me (1990, Vinyl) - Discogs". Discogs. 1990.
  17. "Hot Rap Songs - Billboard (11/25/89)". Billboard.
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