A member of Philadelphia's Hilltop Hustlers crew, Cool C's laid-back rhymes are best heard on the 1989 singles "I Gotta Habit" and "Glamorous Life." He made his solo debut in 1987 with "Juice Crew Dis," a track that gained attention for its shots taken at the New York-based crew run by influential producer Marley Marl (which included heavyweights Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane). A pair of 1988 singles for Hilltop and City Beat landed Cool C a contract with Atlantic, where he released his two full-length solo albums, I Gotta Habit (1989) and Life in the Ghetto (1990). A couple years later, he put his solo career aside to join C.E.B. with Ultimate Eaze and Steady B. The trio released Countin' Endless Bank on Ruffhouse in 1993. His life took a drastic downward slide a few years later, when he was found guilty of murdering a Philadelphia police officer during a bank robbery attempt. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection but was granted multiple stays of execution. ~ Andy Kellman