Alton Coles, a.k.a. Ace Capone, was a rising hip-hop entrepreneur. Authorities say he was also the kingpin of a ruthless drug ring.
Ace Capone: A two-part series
Ace Capone
The Takedown of Ace Capone
Part 1: Increasingly suspicious of the hip-hop entrepreneur who had made a video of himself as a Philadelphia drug czar, investigators begin piecing together the world of Alton Coles aka Ace Capone. Read Part 1
Part 2: Unbeknownst to Ace Capone, suspected of being one of Philadelphia's biggest drug dealers, city and federal investigators were about to tap his cell phone. Read Part 2
Parsing the Lingo
Federal agents wiretapping the phone of alleged drug kingpin Alton Coles say that drugs, money and guns were rarely referred to directly. Here's how agents interpret what they heard. How they parsed the lingo
Violence and drugs long associated with rap culture
For the nearly 30 years that rap and hip-hop have been part of the entertainment and cultural scene, critics have complained that the lyrics are violent and misogynistic, and that they glorify drug dealing. Read the article
Drug trade linked to rise in homicides
Philadelphia's spike in homicides in the last five years is directly linked to a growing drug trade, law enforcement officials and criminologists say. Read the article
Reporter George Anastasia talks about the case. Watch the video
Excerpts from Barry Michael Cooper's Streets Inc., reworked as The Hustle Diaries, starring rap entrepreneurs Ace Capone and Tim Gotti. Watch the video
A video, starring Freeway and Beanie Sigel, made by Alton “Ace Capone” Coles’ Take Down Records as part of Barry Michael Cooper's Streets Inc. project. Watch the video
Barry Michael Cooper and Mario Van Peebles discuss the making of New Jack City. Watch the video
