A member of Philadelphia’s Hilltop Hustlers crew, Cool C’s (Christopher Roney) laid-back and stoned rhymes 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. His 1987 debut single gained him a good amount of attention and caught a lot of ears: “Juice Crew Dis” took aim at the New York-based crew run by influential producer Marley Marl (a group that included heavyweights Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane). A pair of 1988 singles for Hilltop and City Beat landed him a contract with Atlantic, where he released his two full-length solo records, 1989′s I Gotta Habit and 1990′s Life in the Ghetto. A couple years later, he put his solo career aside to join C.E.B. with Ultimate Eaze and Steady B. The trio released 1993′s Countin’ Endless Bank on Ruffhouse. His life took a drastic downward slide when he was found guilty of murdering a Philadelphia police officer during a bank robbery attempt in 1996. Ten years later, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection.