This Hardcore Rapper is in BIG Trouble // The Cool C Murder Story
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Who was Cool C and how did he rise in Philadelphia’s late‑80s rap scene?
So this 90s hardcore rapper, he tries the gangster life for real and guess how it goes. Now the guy goes by the name Cool C and Cool C is 17 when the story starts and he's living in Philadelphia and he's a locally known rapper. He's part of a hip hop group called the Hilltop Hustlers. I don't know if you've ever heard of them, but all Cool C wants is to be a famous successful rapper and he'll do whatever it takes to get there. Then one day in 1987, he finally starts getting traction. Because he decides he wants to release solo music on the side and he releases a song called Juice Crew Dis. And this song blows up and it puts him on the map. And after releasing a few more songs, he signs a record deal with Atlantic Records, and in the next two years, he puts out two albums, and both albums do okay.
I mean, they both make it onto the Billboard 200, and they don't stay there long, but, you know, it's cool that they made it there. So now, Cool C is enjoying a medium level of success. You might call him underground famous. He's not rich, like he likes to portray himself in his music videos, but he's doing okay. His bills are paid, you might say. And a few years go by, and it's now the early to mid 90s, and the worst thing happens to him. Around this time, a new subgenre of hip hop starts taking over. Gangster rap. And artists like NWA and Dr. Dre have started dominating the charts. And slowly, fans begin losing interest in Cool C's style of music, which is more party rap, like bragging about having money and picking up women and stuff.
So he pivots, and he tries to reinvent himself. I mean, he wants to be more hardcore. So he starts up a hardcore rap group called CEB, or Countin' Endless Bank. And CEB starts releasing some harder music. But, ultimately, that kind of flops. I mean, their album only sells around 15,000 copies. Womp womp. And Cool C, he doesn't know what he's gonna do. I mean, his music career is basically dead. He's got bills to pay.
What early successes and record deals did Cool C achieve and how did his sound perform commercially?
And that is when he runs into a situation that's gonna change his life forever. So it's 1996, and Cool C is 26 now. And one day he's approached by his buddy from his hardcore rap group. This guy, Steady B. So Steady B approaches him and suggests that they rob a bank. You know, like real gangsters. Now, this would be the first real crime Cool C has ever committed. Despite what he rapped about in his hardcore rap group, he has no criminal record. But he's also really broke. So he's like, alright, I'm in. Then Steady B recruits this other goon to help them. And together, the three of them plan out this bank heist. And once they got it all planned out, they go and they steal a green minivan. Because, of course, they're gonna need a getaway vehicle.
So the big day comes, the day of the bank heist, and it's morning, and Cool C and the guys, they park the green minivan directly outside the bank, because, you know, the bank hasn't opened yet. And so Steady B waits in the car, as he's the getaway driver, while Cool C and the other goon, they're disguised as construction workers, and they wait at a bus stop right near the bank entrance, scoping the place out. They're waiting for bank employees to arrive and open the place up. Specifically, they're waiting for the branch manager. Now, this specific bank has no security guard during this time. That's actually why they chose it. Anyway, soon enough, the branch manager and some employees arrive to open the building.
And once they unlock the doors, boom, Cool C and the goon pull out their guns, and they grab the managers right at the entrance, and they shove them inside the building. Then the goon grabs an employee, and he marches him toward the vault. He's gonna force them to let them into the vault, but opening the vault is gonna take a minute. And Cool C, he stays closer to the front door, standing guard. Now, while they're fumbling around with all that, one of the employees is quietly able to activate the silent alarm, which alerts the local police. But Cool C and his partner, they have no idea that this just happened.
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Chapters
2 chaptersSpeakers
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