Outlawz

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American hip hop group

Outlawz
The group in 1996. Standing: Napoleon, E.D.I Mean, and Hussein Fatal; Below: Kastro, Tupac, and Yaki Kadafi
Background information
Also known as	Outlaw Immortalz (Fatal-N-Felony, Dramacydal, Thug Life, Storm and Young Noble)
Genres	Hip hop hardcore hip hop gangsta rap
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Death Row Interscope Outlaw Rap-A-Lot

Members	Young Noble E.D.I. Mean

Past members	Makaveli ✟ Yaki Kadafi ✟ Hussein Fatal ✟ Mussolini ✟ Kastro Napoleon Komani Storm

Outlawz are an American hip hop. The group founded by rapper 2Pac In 1992, along with his cousin Kastro, childhood friend E.D.I. Mean, and godbrother Yafeu "Kadafi" Fula, formed the group. The group went under the names Thoro Headz and Young Thugs. By then, 2Pac had become a rap star and they were featured on his song Flex which was the B-side of his "Holla If Ya Hear Me" single which was released on February 4, 1993. In late 1993, Mutah "Napoleon" Beale joined the group, which was now known as Dramacydal. They guest appeared on the songs "Me Against the World" and "Outlaw" from 2Pac's LP, Me Against the World, which was released on March 14, 1995.

History

The group, consisting of 10 original members: 2Pac under the alias "Makaveli", Hussein Fatal, and Yaki Kadafi as Fatal-N-Felony, Thug Life representatives; Big Syke and Mopreme Shakur—under the aliases "Mussolini" and "Komani", as well as Dramacydal members; Big Malc, K-Dog, and Lil Mu' —under the aliases E.D.I. Mean, Kastro and Napoleon was introduced in February 1996 as the Outlaw Immortalz on the song "When We Ride" from Shakur's fourth studio album, All Eyez on Me. Storm, who was first introduced on All Eyez On Me as the only female member of the Outlaw Immortalz by 2Pac in 1995 would become the ninth member of the group and begin to work on her solo album managed by Tupac. Following the album, in June 1996, Hussein, Kadafi and E.D.I. were featured on 2Pac's Death Row Greatest Hits diss track "Hit 'Em Up"—now credited as "The Outlawz"—Kastro and Napoleon, although not featured on the song, can be seen in the song's music video.^[1]^[2] During the period of recording All Eyez on Me and "Hit 'Em Up" Kadafi introduced his friend, Rufus Cooper III, to 2Pac. Cooper was later featured, under the alias "Young Noble" and as the last member of the group, on 2Pac's, or rather, Makaveli's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.^[3]

Members

Current members

Rufus Cooper III, alias: Young Noble, is a current co-leader of the Outlawz.
Malcolm Greenridge, alias: E.D.I. Mean, named after Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, is a current co-leader of the Outlawz.

Former members

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Tupac Amaru Shakur, alias: Makaveli, the original leader of the group, named after the Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, was murdered in September 1996 at age 25. In 2011, members of the group confirmed the longstanding rumour that they smoked Shakur's ashes in a blunt mixed with kush on a beach after his cremation.^[4]
Yafeu Akiyele Fula, alias: Yaki Kadafi, Shakur's godbrother and named after Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, was shot dead by Roddy Beale (cousin of fellow group member Napoleon) in November 1996 at age 19.^[5]^[6]
Bruce Edward Washington Jr., alias: Hussein Fatal, childhood friend of Kadafi and named after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, briefly left the group on bad terms due to the group not protecting Shakur at the time of the Vegas shooting; for forgiving Roddy Beale for Kadafi's death; and for signing to Death Row Records after Shakur asked them not to. Fatal was subsequently removed from the group's first album, Still I Rise. In 2010, Fatal rejoined the group to record the album Perfect Timing which saw its release in 2011. In 2015, Fatal died in a car accident at age 42. The following year he was posthumously credited as a featured artist on the Outlawz song "So Much Pain".^[7]^[8]^[9]
Katari Terrance Cox, alias: Kastro, Shakur's cousin and named after Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, left the group in 2009, citing differences in the group's direction post-Shakur's passing and to also pursue a solo career.
Mutah Wassin Shabazz Beale, alias: Napoleon, childhood friend of Kadafi and named after French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, left the music industry and became a motivational speaker after converting to Islam in 2001.^[10]
Tyruss Gerald "Big Syke" Himes, alias: Mussolini, member of Shakur's previous group Thug Life and named after Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, died of natural causes in 2016 at age 48. Big Syke is only credited as a member of the Outlawz on one song; the group's introductory track, "When We Ride", from Shakur's 1996 album All Eyez on Me. Syke later guest featured on the song "Letter to the President" from the group's first album Still I Rise which saw its release in 1999. Although he's featured with the Outlawz on the song "M.O.B." from Shakur's posthumous album Until the End of Time, he is instead credited with Mopreme as a member of Thug Life. He was also credited as a solo artist alongside the Outlawz on the song "There U Go" from Shakur's following release, Better Dayz.^[11]
Mopreme Shakur, alias: Komani, Tupac Shakur's stepbrother and member of the group Thug Life, was named after Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Mopreme only made one credited appearance as an Outlaw; their introductory track, "When We Ride", from the 2Pac album All Eye'z on Me. Although he does feature on the song "M.O.B." from his late brother's posthumous album Until the End of Time, he is instead credited as a member of Thug Life alongside Big Syke.
Donna Harkness, alias: Storm, the only female of the group, met Tupac and immediately became an official Outlaw Immortal in 1995 by 2Pac himself. She was featured on three tracks on the 1996 All Eyez On Me Album "Tradin War Stories" "Thug Passion" and "Run Tha Streetz." She later featured on the Gridlock’d and Gang-Related Soundtracks and some of Tupac’s posthumous albums and unreleased tracks. Storm left the group after the passing of Tupac and was subsequently taken off of some of 2Pac's original unreleased tracks that were later remixed.

Discography

Studio albums

Ride wit Us or Collide wit Us (2000)
Novakane (2001)
Neva Surrenda (2002)
Outlaw 4 Life: 2005 A.P. (2005)
We Want In: The Street LP (2008)
Perfect Timing (2011)
Livin' Legendz (2016)
#LastOnezLeft (2017)
One Nation (2021)

Collaboration albums

Still I Rise (1999) with 2Pac

References

^ "2Pac & The Outlawz Biography". last.fm. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
^ "Napoleon (Mutah Beale) bio". 2PacLegacy. 6 December 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
^ "Young Noble on Being Last Outlawz Member, Recording Makaveli in 3 Days". YouTube.
^ Rao, Mallika (August 30, 2011). "The Outlawz Insist They Smoked Tupac". HuffPost.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
^ "Yafeu Akiyele 'Yaki Kadafi' Fula was Tupac's Godbrother". Capital XTRA. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
^ "Shakur shooting witness found dead in N.J. - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". Lasvegassun.com. 13 November 1996. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
^ "Atlanta's Hussein Fatal, Tupac Shakur associate, killed in crash". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
^ Rao, Mallika (2015). "Frank Alexander On 2pac's Falling Out With Fatal And Big Syke". youtube.com. Retrieved Mar 23, 2023.
^ Rao, Mallika (2021). "HUSSEIN FATAL'S RESPONSE TO FRANK ALEXANDER'S CLAIM THAT TUPAC SENT HIM HOME!!!". youtube.com. Retrieved Mar 23, 2023.
^ Moussly, Mona (2009-03-19). "Hip hop don't stop as it goes Islamic". Al Arabiya News Channel. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
^ "Rapper Big Syke Dead at 48". BallerStatus.com. 2016-12-06. Retrieved 2018-09-25.