Outlawz (formerly known as Outlaw Immortalz) are an American
hip hop group founded by rapper
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...
in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison.
Collectively, they were best known for their association with Shakur.
[ Most of the group members are named after political figures.
]
Members
* Rufus "Young Noble" Cooper III, the current co-leader of the Outlawz.
* Malcolm "E.D.I. Mean" Greenridge was named for Ugandan dictator Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...
. He is the co-leader of the Outlawz.
* Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, Tupac's stepbrother and was a member of Tupac's previous group Thug Life
Thug Life was an American hip hop group that consisted of Tupac, Big Syke, Mopreme, Macadoshis, and The Rated R. They released one album, 1994's '' Thug Life: Volume 1'', before disbanding in 1995.
Etymology
According to Tupac, the name orig ...
. He was named for Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
.
* Donna "Storm" Harkness
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
* Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), ...
, is the only female member
Former members
There were six original Outlawz members that left or died.
* Tupac "Makaveli" Amaru Shakur was the leader of the group, named for the Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...
, whose writings inspired Shakur in prison. He was shot to death in September 1996. He was named 2Pac, but he was referred to as "Makaveli" in the Outlawz, and he changed his alias from "2Pac" to "Makaveli" while making '' The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory''.
* Yafeu "Yaki Kadafi" Akiyele Fula, Tupac's godbrother, was named for Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
. He was shot to death in November 1996.
* Katari "Kastro" Terrance Cox, Tupac's cousin, was named for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
. He left the group in 2009.
* Bruce "Hussein Fatal" Edward Washington Jr., childhood friend of Yaki Kadafi, was named for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
. He left the group in 1996. He died in a car accident in 2015.
* Mutah "Napoleon" Wassin Shabazz Beale, childhood friend of Kadafi, was named for French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. After converting to Islam, he left the music industry and became a motivational speaker.
* Tyruss Gerald “Mussolini“ Himes, named after Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
, was a member in Tupac's previous group Thug Life
Thug Life was an American hip hop group that consisted of Tupac, Big Syke, Mopreme, Macadoshis, and The Rated R. They released one album, 1994's '' Thug Life: Volume 1'', before disbanding in 1995.
Etymology
According to Tupac, the name orig ...
and is called "Big Syke" outside of the Outlawz. He died of natural causes in 2016.
Later years
In 2011, some band members confirmed the longstanding rumor that they smoked Tupac's ashes.
In 2015, Hussein Fatal died in a car crash.
In 2016, Mussolini died at his home in California.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Ride wit Us or Collide wit Us
''Ride wit Us or Collide wit Us'' is the debut album by rap group Outlawz, not counting their collaborative ''Still I Rise (album), Still I Rise''. It was released on November 7, 2000, on Outlaw Recordz and Bayside Entertainment.
Track listing
...
'' (2000)
* ''Novakane
''Novakane'' is the second studio album by American hip-hop group Outlawz, It was released on October 23, 2001, by Outlaw Recordz and Koch Records
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New ...
'' (2001)
* ''Neva Surrenda
''Neva Surrenda'' is the third studio album by hip hop group Outlawz. It was released on October 22, 2002 on Outlaw Recordz
Outlawz (formerly known as Outlaw Immortalz) are an American hip hop group founded by rapper Tupac Shakur in late 19 ...
'' (2002)
* '' Outlaw 4 Life: 2005 A.P.'' (2005)
* '' Against All Oddz'' (2006)
* '' We Want In: The Street LP'' (2008)
* '' Perfect Timing'' (2011)
* ''Livin' Legendz'' (2016)
* ''#LastOnezLeft'' (2017)
* ''One Nation'' (2021)
Collaboration albums
* '' Still I Rise'' (1999)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
People from Montclair, New Jersey
American hip hop groups
Death Row Records artists
Tupac Shakur
Cashville Records artists
Rappers from New Jersey
East Coast hip hop groups
Hip hop collectives
African-American musical groups
Gangsta rap groups