To family and friends of police officer Lauretha Vaird, Warren Sabir McGlone, of West Philadelphia, is the getaway driver in a botched bank robbery that tragically ended the female officer’s life on Jan. 2, 1996.
To rap fans and historians, Warren Sabir McGlone is the legendary Steady B or MC Boob of the Hilltop Hustlers who along with hip-hop pioneers like Lady B, Schoolly D, Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince put the City of Philadelphia on the map in the 1980s.
‘Let the Hustlers Play’
By 1988, Steady B had risen from futility to relevancy in rap music. Though his first two albums, Bring The Beat Back in 1986 and What’s My Name in 1987 showed flashes of his rap brilliance, it was on his third CD, Let The Hustlers Play, where the Philadelphia rapper seemingly put it all together and showcased his best material. The album cover perhaps illustrated and said it best: a relaxed Steady B chilling on a pool table with his arms folded with his long-time DJ Tat Money counting piles of cash in the background.
Unlike on his earlier work, Steady stayed focused the entirety of his third album. From the initial track, “Let The Hustlers Play,” to the closer, “Through Thick-n-Thin ,” listeners could hear a more polished rapper who realized he had risen to the top of the rap game. On the KRS-One produced joint “The Undertaker,” Steady “buried” his competition, and on the catchy tune “I Got Ya,” he spoke directly to doubters of his skills. And later in the rugged “On the Real Tip,” he spit some of the best bars I’ve ever heard by him.
Where’s He Now?
After dropping Let the Hustlers Play, Steady B released two more solid solo projects, Let’s Go Steady in 1989 and V in 1991. However, at the time West Coast rappers like N.W.A. and “gangsta rap” were gaining steam in the industry, and both CDs failed in generating buzz outside of Philly. Two years after releasing his last solo CD, Steady B did return as a member of C.E.B. (Countin’ Endless Bank) with Cool C and Ultimate Eaze. But again, the magic had disappeared and the effort received no fanfare nationally.
By early 1996, rap had moved on to artists like Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G, and few fans even remembered Steady’s name until he was fingered as an accomplice in the botched heist that killed the 43-year-old Philadelphia officer. For his role, Steady B was sentenced on Dec. 13, 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Partner Cool C, who was the gunman, was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Now 40-years-old, old-school Philly rapper Steady B’s imprisoned in Pennsylvania with the dubious distinction of being a convicted felon as well as a music legend.
If you enjoyed reading Steady B, a Philly rap legend: Where is he now?,please check out:
My Top 10 Philadelphia rappers of all time
My Top 10 Philadelphia R&B singers of all time
Sources:
‘Let the Hustlers Play” CD (1988)
wapedia.com:
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Steady_B
odmmp.org:
http://www.odmp.org/officer/14699-police-officer-lauretha-vaird
