If you were a big Clipse/Neptune fan in the '00s, then perhaps you remember Rosco P Coldchain, the verbose, gravelly Philly rap hardnose who always seemed like he was poised for a breakout moment. Coldchain had some vivid, memorable verses on Neptunes tracks, but his completed Star Trak debut Hazardous Life was shelved. In 2008, he was arrested in connection with a double murder. He always claimed that he was innocent, but he did 14 years in prison.
Rosco P Coldchain came home from prison a few years ago, and he's released a few independent albums since then. Today, he teams up with Montreal producer Nicholas Craven, a guy who's done a lot of work with prolific underground figures like Boldy James and Bruiser Wolf, for a new collaborative album called Play With Something Safe.
I hadn't though about Rosco P Coldchain in a long time before I saw Play With Something Safe in some new-release roundup, and it's striking to hear his darting conversational flow now that it's been wizened and deepened by age and experience. His voice works with Craven's hazy, sample-based production sound, which is light years removed from the Neptunes tracks that Coldchain used to rap over. Bruiser Wolf, someone who probably learned some of his style from Coldchain, makes an appearance, so do fellow former Stark Trak affiliates Ab-Liva and Jimmie D. Check it out below.
