Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee Rosco P. Coldchain spent the mid 2000s signed to Star Trak Records without releasing album. The onetime Clipse protege was under both the Arista Records wing and later Interscope as Star Trak and The Clipse transitioned. Despite a project featuring production by The Neptunes, DJ Premier and others, Hazardous Life remained shelved. To make matters worse, after a previous gun charge, in late 2008, the Philly emcee first heard on Lord Willin’was arrested for a double-murder. Rosco remains incarcerated today.
Over three years later, a full project will finally be heard from the lyrical-gangsta rapper. Recorded in some cases almost a decade ago, producer Fatin “10” Horton of 9th Wonder’s Soul Council collective worked extensively with Rosco. Through digital distribution by Soulspazm Records, a nine-track collection called Almost Famous will release on June 12.
In a statement, Fatin, who has produced for Lloyd Banks, Phonte and Pharaohe Monch recalled, “After being one of the most anticipated artists of the mid 2000s, Rosco [P. Coldchain] seemingly vanished into thin air. Because of that, there was so much music that the world missed out on and ran the risk of never getting a chance to hear. I was privileged enough to record about 15 songs with ‘Sco between 2003 and 2007. One day I was listening to the songs on my laptop and still marveled at his brilliance, almost nine years after our initial recordings. The music that Rosco made and his lyrical content is better than almost all of the music being released by this next generation of emcees, and he hasn’t recorded since 2008. That proves that he was at least three years ahead of his time. The songs that we’re releasing are out of a vault of lost music; the Pro Tools sessions for these records don’t even exist anymore, hence the raw (and in some cases, non-existent) mix. Even still, the dopeness of ‘Sco is undeniable. His witty, vivid, animated, and honest delivery are any producer’s dream to have access to. Here’s hoping you enjoy witnessing some of the magic we were able to create.”
Almost Famous features Jean Grae and MeLa Machinko.
