Outlawz

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

Outlawz

Outlawz (also The Outlawz and Outlaw Immortalz) is an American rap group from Essex County, New Jersey, founded by Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after his release from prison. Collectively, they are probably best known for appearing in the video for, and rapping on "Hit 'Em Up".

Inception

Outlaw is an acronym for Operating Under Thug Laws As Warriors. In the Earlier years of the Outlawz the were known as Dramacydal. Dramacydal first appeared on the 2Pac's 1995 Me Against the World album, the Outlawz were on the title track "Me Against The World" & "Outlaw". Dramacydal was composed of:

• K-Dog - Later name changed to Kastro
• Young Hollywood - Later name changed to Yaki Kadafi
• Big Malcom - Later name changed to E.D.I. Mean

Outlawz

When he signed to Death Row upon his release from prison, Shakur recruited his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur and Big Syke. Bruce Washington and Mutah Beale were also added, and together they formed the original lineup, which debuted on 2Pac's multi-platinum smash All Eyez on Me, on the song "When We Ride". Other times members of the Outlawz appear on the record, they are still credited as "Dramacydal".

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.

• Tupac Shakur, stage name 2Pac, was the leader of the group, and gave himself the title of Makaveli after Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli; his was the only pseudonym which wasn't taken from a dictator, though Machiavelli was a philosopher for dictatorship.

• Yaki Kadafi, Real name Yafeu Fula, Godbrother and childhood friend of 2Pac, was given the name Yaki Kadafi after Lybian Colonel Gadaffi.

• Kastro, Real name Katari Cox, Cousin of 2Pac, was given the alias Kastro after Cuban president Fidel Castro.

• E.D.I. Mean, Real Name Malcolm Greenridge, was given the alias E.D.I. Mean after Ugandian president Idi Amin.

• Hussein Fatal, Real Name Bruce Washington, Introduced to 2pac by childhood friend Yaki Kadafi, given the name Hussein Fatal after former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

• Napoleon, Real Name Mutah Beale, Childhood friend of Kadafi, was given the name Napoleon after French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

• Mussolini, Real name Tyruss Himes. Previously known as Big Syke. Was in 2Pac's first group, Thug Life. Joined the Outlawz under the alias Mussolini, after former Italian president Benito Mussolini.

• Komani, Real name Mopreme Shakur. Tupac's stepbrother and previously in 2Pac's first group, Thug Life. Joined the Outlawz under the alias Komani, after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

• Young Noble, Last official member.

Other Members

• New Child (no birth name given), friend of Fatal's who was added after 2Pac's death. Claims he had a dream two months before being asked to join the group, that 2Pac told him he had to change his life. Currently in prison.

• Donna Hunter, rap name Storm, met Shakur on a movie set and was asked to join as the first female in the Outlawz. Recorded many songs with Shakur, but most verses have been cut out of all of Shakurs posthumous record releases. Appeared on the track "Tradin' War Stories" and produced some of the group's material.

• Ronald Moore, rap name Gonzoe, met Shakur shortly before the rapper's death and was inducted into the group after Shakur's death. In 1996, Gonzoe became friends with Tupac before his death and was given the alias Young Ritzy, but a beef between the group and his other crew, Yukmouth's Regime began. Gonzoe left the Outlawz and as of today the beef has been squashed. Gonzoe remains close to the Outlawz.

• Stormy (no birth name given), a new member of the Outlawz; no information has been provided. He is on the Tupac album "Pac's Life"

• Che Guevara (Johnny Jackson), music producer and longtime friend of Shakur. He has produced music for 2pac since Me Against the World and has produced many of 2Pacs hit records. In the Makaveli 4 bootleg version of Troublesome 96, 2Pac is heard giving role call of the Outlaws and states "[...] Johnny Jackson aka Che Guevara the Cuban militant [...]".

Parting of ways

Soon 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, while both were drunk and high on marijuana, although Kadafi's mother and girlfriend maintain that the story was fabricated and that Fula had been murdered over money.

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. Storm, the female member of the Outlawz, left the group to go on to live a safe life, free of the THUG LIFE, she lived while with the group to raise her two childeren in safety.

After Tupac's death

The only currently active members of the Outlawz are Kastro, E.D.I. and Young Noble, who would seem to have recently inducted Stormey into the group.

In 1999, they (still with both Fatal and Napoleon) released some of their unreleased songs with 2Pac, entitled Still I Rise. Fatal did not appear on any of the tracks on this album, because the group signed with Death Row Records when 2Pac strictly told them not to. For a while, they had a dispute over money with Death Row Records, but that blew over and today they are still close with Suge Knight.

They have also released four "solo" albums without 2Pac and Death Row, 2000's "Ride Wit Us Or Collide Wit Us," and 2002's "Novakane," which did actually feature one unreleased Pac song "Worldwide". In 2005, they released "Outlaw 4 Life: 2005 A.P." Mixtapes include "Outlaw Warriorz," which was a close collaboration with DJ Warrior, "Thug Lawz", a collaboration between them and Big Syke, and "Retribution," which is an album recorded under Death Row Records after 2pac passed. DJ Fatal of the Bum Squad and Cali Untouchable DJs brings the "Retribution," lost album to surface ten years later. There has also been a mixtape recorded with dead prez and DJ Warrior, and Young Noble and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member Layzie Bone collaborated on Thug Brothers.

They also continue to record new raps for 2Pac unreleased albums and worked closely with Eminem for the soundtrack to the movie Tupac: Resurrection and the posthumous 2Pac album, Loyal to the Game, much to the derision of Hussein Fatal. But the Outlawz also participated in Pac's Life.Young Noble is working on a collaboration with Hussein Fatal.

In 2007, the group signed a record deal with Young Buck's Ca$hville Records.

Discography

Albums

• 2000: Ride Wit Us Or Collide Wit Us
• 2001: Novakane
• 2002: Neva Surrenda
• 2005: Outlaw 4 Life: 2005 A.P.
• 2006: Against All Oddz
• 2006: Ghetto Monopoly
• 2008: Outlawz Eighth Studio Album

External links

• Template:MySpace
• Outlawz Resource