There are at least two bands with this name:
(1) a U.S. Rapcrew
(2) a… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two bands with this name:
(1) a U.S. Rapcrew
(2) a Dutch Punkband

(1)
Katari Cox and Malcolm Greenidge grew up together in New York. They knew each other through Cox's mother and Greenidge's father who were close friends. They and their families later moved to New Jersey where they became friends with Yafeu Fula. Cox's cousin and Fula's Godbrother, Tupac Amaru Shakur, used to look out for them and when he became famous he moved them out of the ghetto and bought them homes in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1992, Cox, Greenridge and Fula formed a trio. Cox's alias was K-Dog, Greenridge's was Big Malcolm and Fula's was Young Hollywood. The trio went under several names including the Thoro Headz and the Young Thugs. Big Malcolm and K-Dog made their debut on "Flex" on Tupac's "Holler If Ya Hear Me" single which was released on February 4, 1993. In 1994, Young Hollywood's mother and Tupac's aunt, Yassmyn Fula, told Tupac about Mutah Wasin Shabazz Beale, a 16-year-old who witnessed his parents being murdered when he was three or four-years-old. The story made Tupac cry. He decided he wanted to met Beale. They met and soon Beale joined the group. He didn't go under an alias, just his first name, Mutah.

On November 30, Tupac was robbed and shot four times at Quad Recording Studios in New York. The next day he was arrested for sexual abuse. He was found guilty and on February 14, 1995, he was sent to prison to serve up to four and a half years. On April 5, his LP, Me Against The World, was released. The group now known as Dramacydal appeared on two songs, "Me Against The World" and "Outlaw." On June 27, Tupac's "So Many Tears" single was released. It featured "Hard To Imagine," a song by Big Malcolm, K-Dog and Mutah.

Dramacydal almost signed with Interscope Records, but on October 12, Death Row Records, Interscope Records and Time Warner paid a $1.4 million bail to have Tupac released. In return he had to sign a three album deal with Death Row Records. When he was released, he and Dramacydal flew to Death Row Records in Los Angeles, California and started working on his double LP, All Eyez On Me.

When Tupac was serving time he planned to form a new group. He asked Young Hollywood to start searching for members. Of course him, Big Malcolm, K-Dog and Mutah would be members of it, but more were needed. Young Hollywood told Tupac about his friend, Bruce Washington. He said that once when Big Malcolm and K-Dog visited him in Montclair, New Jersey they were robbed of their hats so he went to Washington and asked him to get their hats back. Washington confronted the thieves and they returned their hats. Young Hollywood asked if he could bring Washington with him, Tupac agreed.

Young Hollywood told Washington that he's helping Tupac to search for members for a group they were forming and asked him to be a part of it. Washington didn't believe him and it wasn't brought up again until Yaasmyn Fula mentioned it. At that point he realized that Young Hollywood had been serious. The next day, they visited Tupac. Before he had any chance to introduce himself Tupac asked Washington to drop a few verses. Soon he joined the group. Tupac's brother Mopreme Shakur and Tyruss "Big Syke" Himes of Thug Life joined the group as well.

Tupac gave each member of the group an alias taken from an enemy of America. Big Malcolm's alias was E.D.I. after Ugandian president Idi Amin, Big Syke's was Moozaliny after Italian president Benito Mussolini, K-Dog's was Kastro after Cuban president Fidel Castro, Mopreme's was Komani after Iranian Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, Mutah's was Napoleon after French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Washington's was Hussein Fatal which was later changed to Fatal Hussein after Iraq president Saddam Hussein and Young Hollywood's was Kadafi after Lybian colonel Muammar Al-Qadaafi. Tupac named himself Makaveli The Don after Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli.

Now all that was left was to come up with a name for the group. Tupac liked Lil' Homies, but Fatal who was almost as old as Tupac didn't want people to refer to him as a lil' homie, instead he suggested Outlaw Immortalz which Tupac agreed with.. On February 16, 1996, All Eyez On Me was released. The group guest appeared on "When We Ride" and they made solo guest appearances on "All About U," "Tradin' War Stories," "Thug Passion," "Picture Me Rollin'," "Check Out Time," "All Eyez On Me" and "Run Tha Streetz." After the release Komani and Moozaliny left the group for unknown reasons and female rapper Donna "Storm" Hunter joined the group who changed its name from the Outlaw Immortalz to the Outlawz. Outlawz stands for Operating Under Thug Laws As WarriorZ.

On June 14, Tupac's "How Do U Want It" single was released. It featured "Hit 'Em Up" featuring the Outlawz. It's the most notorious dis song in history. Bad Boy Entertainment, Chino XL, Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Mobb Deep is dissed on it. Tupac claimed he had sex with Bad Boy Entertainment recording artist The Notorious B.I.G.'s wife, Faith Evans. The video which was made for the song was the first Tupac video the Outlawz appeared in. Kadafi and Fatal had their friend, Rufus "Young Noble" Cooper, to join the Outlawz.

On September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot four times in a drive-by-shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was taken to University Medical Center where he died a week later. E.D.I. and Kadafi were in the car behind the one Tupac was riding in. E.D.I. said he couldn't identify the murderer, but Kadafi said he might be able to. The police lead was never followed and Kadafi moved with the rest of the Outlawz back to New Jersey before the police could question him. On November 5, Tupac's LP, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, was released. The Outlawz guest appeared on four songs, "Bomb First (My Second Reply)," "Hail Mary," "Life Of An Outlaw" and "Just Like Daddy." "Hail Mary" was the third single and video. Death Row Records didn't credit the Outlawz for being on it and they cut them out of the video.

On November 10, after visiting his girlfriend, Kadafi was shot and killed.. He was found by the police in a third floor hallway of an apartment building in Irvington, New Jersey. He was taken to University Hospital where he died on the afternoon. Who killed him remained unknown to the public until September, 2000, when Napoleon revealed in The Source that it was his cousin, Roddy, who killed him. Roddy claimed it was an accident, Napoleon believed him, but not everyone did; Fatal was one of them.

All of the Outlawz with the exception of Fatal moved back to Los Angeles, California. Although Tupac told them serveral times not to sign with Death Row, the Outlawz signed a contract with Death Row Records. Between 1997 and 1999, you didn't hear much from the Outlawz who were obviously wondering where to go from there. They appeared on other artists' albums, compilations and soundtracks. They guest appeared on "Still Ballin' (remix)," the first single and video of Yukmouth's double LP, Thugged Out: The Albulation. In late 1997, Fatal signed a solo contract with Relativity Records who released his debut single, "Everyday," on March 17, 1998 and his debut LP, In The Line Of Fire, on March 31. Former Kausion member Gonzoe joined the group, but left after three months due to beef with the rest of the members.

Death Row Records and Rap-A-Lot Records almost worked out a deal which would let the Outlawz sign with Rap-A-Lot. They even advertised their upcoming Rap-A-Lot album, Neva Surrenda, in The Source. But the Outlawz changed their minds at the last minute and never signed with Rap-A-Lot. Fatal however signed with them as a solo artist.

On December 21, 1999, their debut album, Still I Rise, was finally released. Tupac appeared on 14 out of 15 songs and Fatal was removed from the songs he originally was on due to beef with the rest of the group. The first single and video of the LP was "Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)." The LP suffered sales because Death Row Records' CEO Marion "Suge" Knight ordered Interscope Records not to promote it because the Outlawz refused to sign with Suge Publishing. It still went double platinum.

On April 1, the Outlawz filed a $4.5 million lawsuit against Suge, Death Row Records, Interscope Records, Suge Knight Films and Suge Publishing claiming breach of contract, unfair business practices, intentional interference with prospective economic advantages, racketeering and others. They won the lawsuit. With Death Row Records behind them, they felt it was time for them to pursue a deal with another major label. But with each offer they got something would go wrong. So they came to the solution where there's nothing else to do, besides starting their own label.

In February, 2000, the Outlawz were on Live From L.A. and stated they were starting their own label, Outlaw Recordz. They signed Noble's step-daughter, Baby Girle, Dirty Bert, Napoleon's little brother, Hellraza, and Lil' D. Then they looked for distribution. Bay area rapper Spice 1 told his distributor, Bayside Entertainment Distribution, about this. They contacted the Outlawz and signed a distribution deal. On November 7, 2000, the Outlawz's second LP and Outlaw Recordz's first release, Ride Wit Us Or Collide Wit Us, was released. It debuted at the ninth position on the Billboard independent album charts and became the best selling independent rap album of 2000. The first and second single and video were "Black Rain" and "Thug With Me."

In 2001, Napoleon made his film debut in Thug Life which also starred The Lady Of Rage and Willie D. New Child from Harlem, New York joined the group. Tupac always wanted someone from New York to be a member of the Outlawz and Fatal felt New Child was exactly what Pac was looking for before his death. On October 23, Big Syke's label, RideOnUm Record Group, released Thug Law Chapter 1, a collaboration album between the Outlawz and Thug Life.

The Outlawz felt Bayside Entertainment Distribution was too small for them. They left and signed a distribution deal with KOCH Records instead. On November 6, their third LP, Novakane, was released. It debuted at the 100th position on the Billboard 200 and third on the Billboard independent album charts. The first single and video was "World Wide" featuring Tupac and T-Low. The LP also featured "Loyalty," a dis directed at Fatal. There had been beef between Fatal and the rest of the Outlawz for a long time, but it wasn't known for the public until we interviewed Fatal in 2001. Fatal said he was angry at them for not being there for Tupac when he was shot and for "forgiving" Roddy for Kadafi's killing, which Fatal may or may not believe was an accident but felt there was no reason to point a gun at Kadafi's head, period. As Fatal said, accident or not, the outcome is the same. Fatal also questioned their judgement because they signed with Death Row Records although Tupac told them not to.

The future looks bright for the Outlawz. Next year, Fatal's second album, Death Before Dishonor, and New Child's debut album, S.O.G. (Son Of A Gangster) are coming out. Outlaw Recordz is releasing Napoleon's solo debut album, Bonapartes, Noble's solo debut album, Noble Justice, E.D.I. and Kastro's collaboration album, Blood Brothers, and the fourth group album. Fortress Entertainment is releasing their homevideo, World Wide, and E.D.I. is writing a screen play. They've got Outlaw Films and O.G. (Outlaw Gear) coming soon. Let's just hope they can squash their beef, like Tupac said, "Let no man separate what we create!"

(2)
The Dutch punkband formed in november 1981 and were first named Koi Boys. With Jeroen on bass, Maarten and David on guitars and Barend played the drums, vocals were done by Fokkie. The Outlawz split up in july 11983. Numbers by them may be found on the two albums "Als je Haar maar goed Zit".

Gatz Up
Outlawz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

War
Gats up
War
Gats up
1, 2, 3, march
War
Gats up
War

Gats up
1, 2, 3, march
(Now march)
1, 2, 3, 4
(Now march)
Outlaw, Outlaw
We ready for
(Now march)
1, 2, 3, 4
(Now march, march, march, march)
Outlaw, Outlaw
Ready for war

[ EDI ]
Now what the fuck is a soldier? Some of y'all don't know
Yellin it in your raps but you ain't ready for war
Me and my team trained to bring pain when they come for us
The scene change, you bleed, mang, when you try to cross us
Huh, let it be known that when we come we let it be shown
Real soldiers ride till they gone, come on
Now Makaveli be the general (all hail)
And for them niggas who want to test (you gon' fail)
Yeah, give em hell, nothin but hell when we first come
Claim to survive many battles but this is the worst one
First one bust, the rest bust next
And when we 'bout to drop it's more pleasure than rough sex
Huh, must collect from all these fakin muthafuckas
It's Nineteen-ninety-grind and we gon' break you muthafuckas
Huh, all gats up, small ones to the big ones
When aimin at these haters make sure you fuckin hit one
Huh, keep bangin until the mission gets done
Makaveli lives on, don't believe, listen

(Now march)
War
Gats up
War
Gats up
1, 2, 3, march
War
Gats up
War
Gats up
1, 2, 3, march
(Now march)
1, 2, 3, 4
(Now march)
Outlaw, Outlaw
We ready for
(Now march)
1, 2, 3, 4
(Now march, march, march, march)
Outlaw, Outlaw
Ready for war

[ Young Noble ]
O-you-t-law, who the fuck want work?
Us against y'all, who the fuck gettin hurt?
Know we the holiest, sick of the phoniness, you bony bitch
Soldier shit till it's over with, you can count on this
March to this, start shit to this
Show your heart to this, spark, blizz to this
Muthafuckas ain't fit to go miles with us
Young niggas love the Outlawz, yo child with us
Ain't fuckin up, even though we hate this world
Young niggas rise up, we can take this world
Back, cause it belong to us, stay black
And all the other minorities that's under attack
Fuck the government, cause they don't give a fuck about rap
They sellin the most crack in my hood, in fact
They want us coked up, doped up, drunk as fuck
So we won't have no clue what's goin on around us
Get down with us, if you remember all the lynchin
Muthafuck the cops, includin Sean Nixon
We schoolin y'all, listen, my word is bond
One love to Geronimo, the war's still on

(Now march)
War
Gats up
War
Gats up
1, 2, 3, march
War
Gats up
War
Gats up
1, 2, 3, march
(Now march)
1, 2, 3, 4
(Now march)
Outlaw, Outlaw
We ready for
(Now march)
1, 2, 3, 4
(Now march, march, march, march)
Outlaw, Outlaw
We ready for war

[ Napoleon ]
Nigga, it's doomsay, me and my AK
Got a chest full of hate, we finna bomb on the fake
Sip through the cracks of your hallway, march to your house
You or your wife about to witness what the church talk about
Put up your squad like in Vietnam, all demons come out
You need to stay yo ass in the fuckin house when the freaks come out
The game ain't changed, you did, nigga, you ain't real with this
Pac told us some shit that'll make these young niggas kill to this
You can pop them pills to this if that's gon' release yo stress
The last nigga that fucked with us, he seen Pac in his rest
You tryin to argue with death, nigga, you know you in the wrong
Fuckin with me, I know your mama live, nigga, get gone
You face the strength of the strong, my nigga EDI said clear
You either ride or collide with these niggas over here
So drop dead, you been dead when you was runnin yo mouth
Rap-A-Lot done brung them Outlawz to ride down south
So come on

[ repeated 3X: ]
War
Gats up
War
Gats up
1, 2, 3, march
War
Gats up
War
Gats up
1, 2, 3, march
(Now march)
1, 2, 3, 4
(Now march)
Outlaw, Outlaw
We ready for
(Now march)
1, 2, 3, 4
(Now march, march, march, march)

Outlaw, Outlaw
We ready for war

Overall Meaning

The song Gatz Up by Outlawz is a rallying cry for soldiers who are ready to go to war. The repeated chorus of "war" and "gats up" suggests that they are arming themselves for a battle against their enemies. The lyrics also reference the training that soldiers undergo in preparation for these conflicts, with lines like "Me and my team trained to bring pain when they come for us." The Outlawz position themselves as prepared and willing to fight until the end, with the lyrics stating that "Real soldiers ride till they gone."

The verses of the song provide more details about the Outlawz and their mindset. They are described as ready to bring "nothing but hell" to their enemies, and willing to collect from "faking motherfuckers." The lyrics also highlight the importance of loyalty, with lines like "Young niggas love the Outlawz, yo child with us." There is a sense of righteous anger underlying the song, with references to government corruption and oppression against minorities. Overall, the song conveys a sense of defiance and determination in the face of adversity.

Line by Line Meaning

War
We are preparing for war

Gats up
We are armed and ready to fight

1, 2, 3, march
We are confident and ready to take action

(Now march)
We are urging ourselves to act with purpose

1, 2, 3, 4
We are counting down to action

Outlaw, Outlaw
We are proud to be Outlawz

We ready for
We are prepared for the challenge ahead

(Now march, march, march, march)
We are motivating ourselves to take action with urgency

[ EDI ]
The following lines are spoken by EDI

Now what the fuck is a soldier? Some of y'all don't know
We are questioning what truly defines a soldier, and acknowledging that not everyone can handle the rigors of war

Yellin it in your raps but you ain't ready for war
We are calling out those who talk about violence in their music, but are not truly prepared for the consequences

Me and my team trained to bring pain when they come for us
We have trained hard and are ready to fight when our enemies come for us

The scene change, you bleed, mang, when you try to cross us
We are warning our enemies that they will regret challenging us

Huh, let it be known that when we come we let it be shown
We are making it clear that we are not to be messed with

Real soldiers ride till they gone, come on
A true soldier never backs down, and we are urging our comrades to keep fighting

Now Makaveli be the general (all hail)
We see Tupac Shakur (known as Makaveli) as our leader and we are paying homage to him

And for them niggas who want to test (you gon' fail)
We are confident that anyone who challenges us will not succeed

Yeah, give em hell, nothin but hell when we first come
We will come out swinging and show no mercy to our enemies

Claim to survive many battles but this is the worst one
We acknowledge the gravity of our current situation, and the tough fight ahead

First one bust, the rest bust next
Once the first shot is fired, the rest of the battle will ensue

And when we 'bout to drop it's more pleasure than rough sex
We are excited to engage in battle and take down our enemies

Huh, must collect from all these fakin muthafuckas
We need to get revenge on those who have wronged us and pretended to be our friends

It's Nineteen-ninety-grind and we gon' break you muthafuckas
We are determined to rise to the top, no matter what it takes

Huh, all gats up, small ones to the big ones
We are fully armed and ready to use any weapon necessary

When aimin at these haters make sure you fuckin hit one
We are urging our comrades to be accurate when shooting at our enemies

Huh, keep bangin until the mission gets done
We will keep fighting until our mission is accomplished

Makaveli lives on, don't believe, listen
We believe Tupac's spirit is with us, and we urge others to listen to his message

[ Young Noble ]
The following lines are spoken by Young Noble

O-you-t-law, who the fuck want work?
We are confident that we can take on any challenger, and ask if anyone is brave enough to step up

Us against y'all, who the fuck gettin hurt?
We are ready to fight back against anyone who opposes us

Know we the holiest, sick of the phoniness, you bony bitch
We believe we are righteous, and we are tired of people who fake loyalty and respect

Soldier shit till it's over with, you can count on this
We will keep fighting until the bitter end, and our comrades can rely on us to never give up

March to this, start shit to this
We are motivating ourselves to take action and start a fight

Show your heart to this, spark, blizz to this
We want our comrades to show bravery, and to engage in intense fighting

Muthafuckas ain't fit to go miles with us
Our enemies will not be able to keep up with us, both physically and mentally

Young niggas love the Outlawz, yo child with us
We have a strong following of young people who believe in our message and will fight alongside us

Ain't fuckin up, even though we hate this world
We are determined to continue fighting, even though we may feel disillusioned and hopeless

Young niggas rise up, we can take this world
We have the power to take control of the world and make it a better place for ourselves

Back, cause it belong to us, stay black
We believe the world belongs to us, and we encourage our comrades to stay true to their identity and heritage

And all the other minorities that's under attack
We stand in solidarity with other marginalized groups who may also be experiencing oppression and persecution

Fuck the government, cause they don't give a fuck about rap
We are critical of the government and its treatment of the hip-hop community

They sellin the most crack in my hood, in fact
We believe the government is responsible for the drug epidemic that is plaguing our communities

They want us coked up, doped up, drunk as fuck
We believe the government wants us to be under the influence, so that we cannot effectively fight back against oppression

So we won't have no clue what's goin on around us
The government wants us to be ignorant and unaware of their actions and policies

Get down with us, if you remember all the lynchin
We are calling on our comrades who understand the history of systemic violence and repression against Black people

Muthafuck the cops, includin Sean Nixon
We are expressing our anger and frustration with law enforcement, including specific officers like Sean Nixon

We schoolin y'all, listen, my word is bond
We are educating our followers and making it clear that we are speaking the truth

One love to Geronimo, the war's still on
We are showing respect for the Native American leader Geronimo, and acknowledging that the struggle for justice and equality continues

We ready for war
We are once again affirming our readiness to fight

[ Napoleon ]
The following lines are spoken by Napoleon

Nigga, it's doomsay, me and my AK
We are entering into a dangerous situation, armed with our weapons

Got a chest full of hate, we finna bomb on the fake
We are fueled by anger and ready to attack those who have wronged us

Sip through the cracks of your hallway, march to your house
We will infiltrate our enemies' territory and attack them where they live

You or your wife about to witness what the church talk about
Our enemies will soon understand the true meaning of pain and suffering

Put up your squad like in Vietnam, all demons come out
We are expecting our enemies to put up a strong fight, like the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War

You need to stay yo ass in the fuckin house when the freaks come out
Our enemies should stay indoors for their own safety, because we are coming for them

The game ain't changed, you did, nigga, you ain't real with this
We believe that our enemies have betrayed us and have become fake or disloyal

Pac told us some shit that'll make these young niggas kill to this
Tupac Shakur's message has inspired us to fight harder and take down our enemies

You can pop them pills to this if that's gon' release yo stress
If our enemies are scared or feeling anxious, they can try to alleviate their stress by taking drugs

The last nigga that fucked with us, he seen Pac in his rest
Anyone who has opposed us has suffered dire consequences, even seeing Tupac Shakur (Makaveli) in death

You tryin to argue with death, nigga, you know you in the wrong
We believe that our enemies should not fight us, because the outcome is inevitable

Fuckin with me, I know your mama live, nigga, get gone
We are threatening to harm our enemies' loved ones if they try to mess with us

You face the strength of the strong, my nigga EDI said clear
Our enemies will experience the full force of our power and might

You either ride or collide with these niggas over here
Our enemies must either join us or face the consequences of fighting against us

So drop dead, you been dead when you was runnin yo mouth
We are dismissing our enemies as dead, because they have already sealed their fate by opposing us

Rap-A-Lot done brung them Outlawz to ride down south
We have come to the South to engage in battle with our enemies

So come on
We are once again urging our comrades to join us in the fight

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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