What happened to the hip/hop stars of “yesteryear”
Three Times Dope is a hip hop trio from Philadelphia consisting of EST (Robert Waller), Chuck Nice (Walter Griggs) and Woody Wood (Duerwood Beale). 3xD, as they were called for short, were a part of the Hilltop Hustlers Crew (which also included Steady B, Cool C, Da Youngstas, Mentally Gifted, and others). At first, they recorded under the name 3-D.
Their debut LP, Original Stylin’ was well-received, peaking at #122 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and the group became well-known for the terminology they created such as “Acknickulous” and “The Giddy Up”. The album’s lyrics centered around comedic material and boasting.
3xD’s follow-up album Live from Acknickulous Land was an attempt at a more serious work. Despite spawning two minor hits, it failed to chart on the Billboard 200. It did, however, peak at #30 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart.
Eventually, the group had a falling out with their executive producer/manager Lawrence “LG the teacher” Goodman over compensating his acts properly.[citation needed]
3xD later became closely associated with rapper/producer Kwamé. Their third album, Da Sequel, was not released until 1998.
EST would eventually go on to become an award winning Songwriter for top tier acts, most notably a Grammy nomination in 2005 for Destiny’s Child‘s “Cater 2 U”. ”Funky Dividends” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUsaSCRdtYI
STEADY B
Warren McGlone (born September 17, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), known by the stage name Steady B, was an American rapper and emcee who, along with Schoolly D, the Fresh Prince, and Three Times Dope, was one of the first wave of Philadelphia-area rappers to gain notoriety in the mid to late 1980s. Steady B was a member (and de facto leader) of Philadelphia’s Hilltop Hustlers crew. Steady B’s musical career was relatively short-lived, and he is currently serving a life sentence in a Pennsylvania state prison for his role in the murder of a Philadelphia Police officer during a botched bank robbery in January, 1996.
With an appealing blend of battle raps (most notably against LL Cool J, and local Philadelphia rap rivals Three Times Dope and the Fresh Prince) and freestyle lyrics, Steady B’s style reflected the post-Run-D.M.C./pre-Public Enemy era of hip-hop. His original DJ was Grand Dragon K.D., who was later replaced by DJ Tat Money, who later became the DJ for Kwamé and A New Beginning. At his best, Steady mixed well-written metaphors and wordplay with sparse, yet catchy, drum tracks. Steady B released five albums over the course of his career, with mixed success.
In 1991, Steady B formed the hardcore rap group C.E.B., with fellow, local Philadelphia rappers Cool C and Ultimate Eaze, in an effort to update his style, and record sales. C.E.B.’s name was a backronym for “Countin’ Endless Bank”, but was also an acronym for the names of the group’s three members. The trio released their only album Countin’ Endless Bank on Ruffhouse Records in 1992. The single “Get the Point” reached #5 on Billboard‘s Hot Rap Singles. The album was poorly received, and Steady B faded into musical obscurity.
On January 2, 1996, Steady B, along with C.E.B. band mate Cool C, and another local Philadelphia rapper, Mark Canty, attempted a bank robbery at a PNC bank branch in Philadelphia. During the botched heist, where Steady B served as the getaway driver in a stolen minivan, Philadelphia Police Officer Lauretha Vaird, who responded to the bank’s silent alarm, was shot and killed by Cool C. Officer Vaird, an African-American woman and the single mother of two children, was the first female Philadelphia Police officer slain in the line of duty. The incident inspired the song “Slipped Away (The Ballad of Lauretha Vaird)”, which appeared on Philadelphia trio G. Love and Special Sauce’s album Yeah, It’s That Easy.
Steady B was arrested at his apartment shortly after the bank robbery. Two handguns left at the scene by Cool C and Canty, including the murder weapon, were traced back to Steady, and he eventually confessed his role in the crimes to police during interrogation.
At his trial, the State presented evidence, including testimony from Steady’s wife, that Steady B, Cool C, and Canty met at Steady’s apartment shortly after the robbery, where they watched media coverage of the event on television, and discussed their escape. Incriminating statements by Canty were also admitted into evidence at Steady’s trial.
On October 30, 1996, Steady was convicted of the second degree murder of Officer Vaird. On December 13, 1996, Steady B was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. “Take Your Radio” ((LL cool J Diss)) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQCQfK8ycNY
