Outlawz

This article is about the American rap group. For the southern rock band, see Outlaws (band).

Outlawz

Outlawz, also known as Outlaw Immortalz, is an American hip hop group founded by Tupac Shakur and Yaki Kadafi in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they are probably best known for appearing in the video for, and rapping on "Hit 'Em Up".

History

Outlawz is a backronym for Operating Under Thug Laws As Warriorz. In the earlier years of the Outlawz they were known as Dramacydal. Dramacydal first appeared on Tupac Shakur's 1995 album Me Against the World, they were on the title track "Me Against the World" and "Outlaw". Dramacydal was composed of K-Dog who later became Kastro, Young Hollywood who later became Yaki Kadafi, Mu who later became Napoleon, and Big Malcolm who later became E.D.I. Mean.

Outlawz

When 2Pac signed to Death Row upon his release from prison, he recruited his step brother Mopreme Shakur and Big Syke from Thug Life. Hussein Fatal, Napoleon, E.D.I. Mean, Kastro, Yaki Kadafi, and Storm (the only female Outlaw) were also added, and together they formed the original lineup of the Outlaw Immortalz that debuted on 2Pac's multi-platinum smash All Eyez on Me". Young Noble was later added and appeared on 2Pac's second Deathrow release Makaveli, the 7 Day Theory. The idea behind the group was for each member to have a rap name coinciding with the names of various tyrants or enemies of America, past and present.

All together, there were 10 Original Members of the Outlawz, including Tupac:

• Tupac Shakur was the leader of the group, and gave himself the title of Makaveli after an Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli; this was the only pseudonym which wasn't taken from a dictator, although Machiavelli's writings often promoted dictatorship.

• Yaki Kadafi, also known as Young Hollywood, was given the name Yaki Kadafi after Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. He was also Shakur's half-brother and an original member of Dramacydal.

• Kastro, also known as K-Dog, was given the alias Kastro after the leader of Cuba Fidel Castro. He is also blood cousins of Shakur and an original member of Dramacydal.

• E.D.I. Mean, also known as Big Malcolm, was given the alias E.D.I. Mean after Ugandan president Idi Amin and was also an original member of Dramacydal.

• Hussein Fatal, introduced to 2Pac by childhood friend Yaki Kadafi. Given alias after former leader of Iraq Sadaam Hussein. Hussein Left the group after the tragic killings of Pac and Yak. He felt that the remaining group members were going against Tupac's wishes by signing contracts with Death Row. He recently returned on an Outlawz mixtape.

• Napoleon, childhood friend of Kadafi, was given the name Napoleon after French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte and was also an original member of dramacydal. Left the group to be a Muslim Motivational Speaker.

• Big Syke, who was in 2Pac's first group Thug Life, joined the Outlawz under the alias Mussolini after Italian leader Benito Mussolini.

• Mopreme Shakur, 2Pac's stepbrother, who was in 2Pac's first group Thug Life, joined the Outlawz under the alias Komani after the Iranian political figure Ruhollah Khomeini.

• Young Noble, the final member of the group to be signed as the last official Outlaw member by Tupac himself. He was introduced to Tupac, by Kadafi and Hussein Fatal in L.A., a few months before his death. He appeared in many of 2Pac's last recordings, and featured heavily on 2Pac's last album and the now legendary The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. He was always known as Young Noble and was never given an alias from Tupac.

• Storm, the only female member of the group. She met Tupac during the shooting of a film. After he found out how well she could rap, he asked her to join his group (not yet named), on the spot; which later became known as the Outlaw Immortalz. On February 13, 1996, Tupac's double LP, All Eyez On Me, was released. Storm appeared on three songs, "Tradin' War Stories", "Thug Passion", and "Run Tha Streetz", which were to be an introduction for her solo album release. She made a guest appearance on one song on the Outlawz's debut LP, Still I Rise. She was one of the first members to leave the Outlawz after Tupac and Yaki Kadafi's death.

Later years

Shortly after joining the group, Mopreme and Big Syke severed all ties with Death Row and left the Outlawz for financial reasons. Two months after the death of Shakur, Kadafi was killed in a housing project in New Jersey; after two years, Napoleon convinced his cousin to turn himself in for shooting Kadafi.

Though Tupac had told them specifically to never sign to Death Row Records, the leftover members of the Outlawz decided to do just that; as a result, Fatal left the group, claiming they weren't being loyal to 2Pac, so did Napoleon due to his conversion to Islam. Napoleon is now travelling all around the globe to spread the teachings of Islam.

In 2009 Kastro had confirmed he had left the Outlaws to pursue a solo career.

New Child and Muszamil were never official members but have worked closely with the Outlawz and remain good friends.

The Outlawz are also known for their longtime relationship with Brooklyn's Boot Camp Clik, a relationship that begun as a result of 2Pac's friendship with Boot Camp's Smif n Wessun and Buckshot, while working on the yet unreleased "One Nation" album. Despite stylistic differences and divergent fanbases, the two crews maintained connections on the basis of personal relationships. Members of the Outlawz were featured on Boot Camp releases like Heltah Skeltah's "Magnum Force" and Rock's "Veterans' Day."

In 1999, an album of unreleased songs with 2Pac, entitled Still I Rise was released. Fatal did not appear on any of the tracks on this album as he was edited out of the original recordings due to issues with the record labels.

As of 2010, The Outlawz, reunited with former member Hussein Fatal, have teamed up with allhiphop.com to release a new Outlawz song every week on the site in anticipation for their upcoming studio album. The trio, which now consists of E.D.I. Mean, Young Noble and Hussein Fatal, is currently in the studio putting in work on a new mixtape, 'Killuminati 2K10,' set for release this year. The studio album 'Perfect Timing' is slated for release in 2011. Though Outlawz are yet to speak on how each album is taking shape, sources close to the group assert that 'Perfect Timing' will feature guest appearances from many big name rappers and singers.

Discography

Main article: Outlawz discography

Albums

• 2000: Ride wit Us or Collide wit Us
• 2001: Novakane
• 2002: Neva Surrenda
• 2005: Outlaw 4 Life: 2005 A.P.
• 2008: We Want In
• 2010: The Lost Songs Vol.1 (iTunes Exclusive)
• 2010: The Lost Songs Vol.2 (iTunes Exclusive)
• 2010: The Lost Songs Vol.3 (iTunes Exclusive)
• 2010: Killuminati 2K10
• 2011: Perfect Timing

Collaboration albums

• 1999: Still I Rise (With Tupac Shakur)
• 2006: Can't Sell Dope Forever (With Dead Prez)

DVDs

• 2002: Outlawz: Worldwide

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External links

• http://www.outlaw4life.com
• http://www.twitter.com/theoutlawz
• http://www.facebook.com/officialoutlawz
• http://www.myspace.com/outlawz
• Outlawz discography at Discogs
• OutlawzMedia.net