Outlaw is an acronym for Operating Under Thug Laws As Warriors. In the Earlier years of the Outlawz they 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 Malcolm - Later name changed to E.D.I. Mean
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.
Y'all Don't Know Us
2Pac & The Outlawz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you obviously don't know me or my homies
We O-U-T Lawz, fuck the phonies
A wise hustler once told me, it's on you
Though it was dreams when he first told me Now it's true
I got love for you only to a certain extend
Niggas ain't worth shit
I heard this and heard that
About them O-you-T Lawz
Some of them soldiers got shot
Some of them soldiers fell off
Fuck y'all now everybody tied to us
Hollering out a nigga name
But never said what up
That shit critical, despicable, unforgivable
I too like Hot?
Your own fan won't remember you
Thuggin' but we still spiritual, clear lyrical
I'm like the fuckin' Deff Squad
My ears ain't hearin' y'all
Pump fearin' y'all
But damn I ain't even wantin' to scare y'all
Listen to what I tell y'all
Fuck the world,
Your baby moms and your baby girl
You muthafuckas so fake,
Yo they made me want to earl
Blake, hate snakes thug hatin' the degree
Outlawz on a paper chase
Can you relate thug niggas
We will never fall
Through it all, we'll always stand tall
'Cause in the end we'll be remembered as some young muthafucka soldiers
And if you believe in that shit that you heard
Y'all don't know us, y'all don't know us
Now I been trapped down
And fucked since day one
This instructional style of mine ain't no fun
Where I'm from
You sure to see about 10 niggas in a bedroom
Eating off the same spoon
Sweeping with the same broom
It's hazard, it's you don't want yo life
Well give me grab it
I was born inside a love zone
With a glock-nine young marriage
It's critical
Then one of them sat down living so
Mystikal and impious
With a heart full of anger it's so ridiculous
So give me some with 21-gun soldier salute
With a 19-inch black handle snake knife in my boots
I'm straight from the strong, thug to your life
Right to yo wrong, I'll put the good to your evil
I'm the shells to your chrome, you dig that?
I'm life, I'll bring the moon to your night
I'll put the dick to your wife
And I'm the Jesus of your Christ
You dig that? respect this
I'll bring the end to your claw
I'll bring the loc to your heart
And I'll put the snoop on yo dogs
You hear me?
We follow, this little bullet so hollow
I can promise that ecstasy ain't promised tomorrow
With this two man mades
Me and my soul death astrayed
I watch my parents get blowed away
Now look what it made
I'm something to face
This lunacy then with me, then with chemistry
Got my eyes on you, the first time you cross me
I'll be frying you, cause y'all don't know me
We will never fall
Through the war, we'll always stand tall (Why)
Cause in the end we'll be remembered as some young muthafucka soldiers
When we was kids, the loving felt good
But of course have the respect
Though it's even better
Now for this cheddar
Niggas is laying deader
Then Malcom and Martin put together
Oh Lord only knows where we'll end up
Remember what 'Pac said
Watch the fuckin' signs
But we wasn't listening
Too busy trippin' off his shine
Now one time for my muthafuckin' Outlawz
Napoleon, Noble, and Kastro
May we all roll
And if you don't know
We got the rap game petro
Scared cause we bout to release
Like heavy metal
Nationwide, underground
We running the ghettos
Stealing all of ya fan base like we klepto's
Bitch I can't let go
I been strugglin' too long, thuggin' too long
And niggas is stealing my shit
And busting it wrong
Hot shots holla back when you get 'em
Outlawz'll sic 'em, bustin' back at the system
Military wisdom
Preparing myself for Armageddon
Breaking my balls at this game
Knowing it's a dead end
And my only weapon
Is my believe that I'm superior
Yeah we the muthafuckas
That you niggas is leery off
Controlling my steam
Knowing my team to deserve more
Fuck the re-frame
Stick to the game and earn more
Holding my head, rolling the head with focus
Laughing inside
'Cause deep inside y'all don't know us
We will never fall
Through it all, we'll always stand tall (Why)
'Cause in the end we'll be remembered as some young muthafucka soldiers
And if you believe in that shit that you heard
Y'all don't know us, y'all don't know us
We will never fall (Never)
Through the war, we'll always stand tall
Cause in the end we'll be remembered as some young muthafucka soldiers
And if you believe in that shit that you heard
Y'all don't know us, y'all don't know us
Ain't never know niggas like us boy
They don't make niggas like us no more
Thug in Peace, to all my niggas (Never)
See ya soon, uh
In "Y'all Don't Know Us," 2Pac and The Outlawz express their frustration with people who underestimate them and spread rumors about their crew. They assert their status as Outlawz and reject "phonies," encouraging listeners to be wise in their dealings. 2Pac references a "wise hustler" who once told him that the responsibility for making something of oneself rests solely on the individual. The verse goes on to explore feelings of betrayal by fans and acquaintances who use their names but do not genuinely support them.
The second half of the song escalates in intensity and features verses from several Outlawz members. They each contribute rhymes about their upbringing, struggles, and dedication to their craft. The lyrics contain references to weapons, death, and criminal activity, juxtaposed with spiritual allusions and mentions of 2Pac's political beliefs. The final chant of "Y'all don't know us" asserts the group's individuality and solidarity.
Overall, the song promotes self-reliance and perseverance in the face of adversity. It criticizes those who judge others based on rumors and stereotypes, encouraging listeners to look past surface-level assumptions.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, I can see
I can see that you don't really know me or my homies.
That you obviously don't know me or my homies
You clearly don't know me or my friends.
We O-U-T Lawz, fuck the phonies
We are Outlawz, we don't like fake people.
A wise hustler once told me, it's on you
A smart hustler once told me that it's your responsibility.
Though it was dreams when he first told me Now it's true
I thought it was just a dream when I first heard it, but it's true now.
I got love for you only to a certain extend
I love you, but only to a certain point.
Niggas ain't worth shit
People are not worth anything.
Cops and ride dick permits
Some people, like cops, only care about following the rules.
I heard this and heard that
I've heard many things.
About them O-you-T Lawz
About us Outlawz.
Some of them soldiers got shot
Some of our soldiers were killed.
Some of them soldiers fell off
Some of our soldiers gave up.
Fuck y'all now everybody tied to us
Now everyone wants to be associated with us.
Hollering out a nigga name But never said what up
People call out our names, but don't actually know us.
That shit critical, despicable, unforgivable
The situation is terrible and completely unforgivable.
I too like Hot?
Do I also act in a hot-headed way?
Your own fan won't remember you
Even your own fans won't remember you forever.
Thuggin' but we still spiritual, clear lyrical
We might act tough, but we are still spiritual and our lyrics are clear.
I'm like the fuckin' Deff Squad
I am like the Deff Squad, a group of successful musicians.
My ears ain't hearin' y'all
I am not interested in listening to you.
Pump fearin' y'all
People are afraid of us.
But damn I ain't even wantin' to scare y'all
But I don't even want to scare you.
Listen to what I tell y'all
Pay attention to what I am telling you.
Fuck the world,
I hate the world.
Your baby moms and your baby girl
Your wife and child are also not worth anything to me.
You muthafuckas so fake,
You all are so fake.
Yo they made me want to earl
You all make me want to vomit.
Blake, hate snakes thug hatin' the degree
I hate snakes and I am a thug to a certain degree.
Outlawz on a paper chase
We Outlawz are trying to make money.
Can you relate thug niggas
Can you relate to us, fellow thug niggas?
We will never fall
We will never give up.
Through it all, we'll always stand tall
We will always stand strong through everything.
Cause in the end we'll be remembered as some young muthafucka soldiers
In the end, people will remember us as young soldiers.
And if you believe in that shit that you heard
And if you believe in what you heard about us.
Y'all don't know us, y'all don't know us
You don't know us.
Now I been trapped down...
I have been stuck in a tough situation...
And fucked since day one
...since the very beginning.
This instructional style of mine ain't no fun
This way I am speaking may not be enjoyable.
Where I'm from
Where I come from...
You sure to see about 10 niggas in a bedroom
You will see around 10 people sleeping in one bedroom.
Eating off the same spoon
They even share dishes and utensils.
It's hazard, it's you don't want yo life
It is dangerous, you don't want to lose your life...
Well give me grab it
...but I will take that opportunity.
I was born inside a love zone
I was born in a place where love is prevalent.
With a glock-nine young marriage
My parents got married young with a Glock-9 (gun) nearby.
It's critical
It is crucial.
Then one of them sat down living so
...then one of them settled down and was living calmly...
Mystikal and impious
...living in an ungodly city.
With a heart full of anger it's so ridiculous
It is ridiculous how angry I am.
So give me some with 21-gun soldier salute
Give me a salute with 21-gun fire.
With a 19-inch black handle snake knife in my boots
I have a 19-inch snake knife with a black handle in my boots.
I'm straight from the strong, thug to your life
I come from the streets and am a thug to the core.
Right to yo wrong, I'll put the good to your evil
I will add good to your evil deeds.
I'm the shells to your chrome, you dig that?
I am the shotgun shells to your gun, do you understand?
I'm life, I'll bring the moon to your night
I bring life and light to your darkness.
I'll put the dick to your wife
I will have sex with your wife.
And I'm the Jesus of your Christ
And I am the Jesus to your Christ.
You dig that? respect this
Do you understand? Respect me.
I'll bring the end to your claw
I will end your reign.
I'll bring the loc to your heart
I will bring chaos to your heart.
And I'll put the snoop on yo dogs
I will be watching your dogs carefully.
We follow, this little bullet so hollow
We march on, with our small but deadly bullet.
I can promise that ecstasy ain't promised tomorrow
I can promise you that you won't be happy forever.
With this two man mades
With these two handmade guns...
Me and my soul death astrayed
I and my soul have been lost.
I watch my parents get blowed away
I watched as my parents were killed.
Now look what it made
Take a look at what that created.
I'm something to face
I am someone to be feared.
This lunacy then with me, then with chemistry
This craziness is within me, mixed with my own chemistry.
Got my eyes on you, the first time you cross me
I am watching you closely, in case you betray me.
I'll be frying you
I will kill you.
Cause y'all don't know me
Because you all don't know me.
Ain't never know niggas like us boy
You've never seen people like us before.
They don't make niggas like us no more
They don't make people like us anymore.
Thug in Peace, to all my niggas
Rest in peace, all my thug friends.
See ya soon, uh
I will see you soon.
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: KAMIL BEALE, MALCOLM GREENIDGE, MUNTAQIM FARID, MUTAH W. BEALE, RUFUS LEE COOPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind