Coles, they knew, had founded the record company with Baukman. They also believed Coles had an interest in a construction company and a possible link to an auto dealership.

They discovered that Coles had real estate holdings that were listed in the names of women who were politely described as Cole's paramours in ATF reports. There were at least three such women.

One lived in a North Philadelphia apartment that authorities believed was a "stash house" for drugs and guns. Another had a home outside Woodstown, N.J., where Coles allegedly kept pit bulls and cash. A third lived with Coles in a posh, three-story townhouse in Newark, Del.

Cars were also listed in their names, including Cadillacs, Jaguars, BMWs, and assorted brands of SUVs.

Agents also tracked a stream of cash deposits into and out of bank accounts held by Coles and Baukman. The transactions involved hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the same time, records indicated, neither Coles nor Baukman filed income-tax returns.

Both also listed some assets in the names of their underage children. Baukman, for example, was living with a woman in an apartment in the 2900 block of Schoolhouse Lane.

The renter of record was his 9-year-old son.

Pulling the various threads together, investigators could now see the structure of what they believed was a drug network.

Coles was at the top, they said. Baukman was his chief lieutenant. Then there were wholesalers, retailers, and guys who ran the corners.

"Unk" Johnson and "Taz" Walker appeared to be midlevel operatives who helped distribute drugs. Johnson had a crew of corner boys working for him, authorities believed. Walker allegedly moved "weight," large, wholesale quantities of cocaine, for the organization.

Most street sales took place in Southwest Philadelphia, around the Philadelphia Housing Authority's Paschall Homes and on several other corners, including 56th and Woodland, 71st and Greenway, and the 2000 block of Cecil Street.

There was also a network operating in West Chester.

A major supplier lived in South Jersey, near Salem.

And there were connections into Baltimore and into North and South Philadelphia.

Gangsta for real?

In the summer of 2004, as Cooper continued to pitch Streets Inc. and Take Down Records prepared to release New Jack City, a joint task force of ATF agents and Philadelphia narcotics investigators targeted the Coles organization. They stepped up surveillance, increased undercover drug buys, and intensified efforts to develop informants.

The operation was coordinated by the Philadelphia office of the federally funded High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, an agency that is both a clearinghouse for drug data and a catalyst for investigations.

Coles was arrested twice that year on gun-possession charges but not prosecuted while the feds quietly worked their case. If he was aware of the additional scrutiny, it did not slow him down.

In June, Take Down Records sponsored a "School Let Out/Stop the Violence Summer Jam" at the Blue Horizon, a North Broad Street venue for boxing matches, concerts and receptions. "This will be a celebration of Philly hip-hop and a positive message for kids," Coles told the Philadelphia Daily News.

Also that summer, New Jack City: The Next Generation went on sale for $14.95 in video stores and at Take Down Records events.