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".

Rize
Outlawz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Verse 1-E.D.I. Mean)
But we the last motha fuckaz breathin
You don't believe us then watch us ya tuned in
To them Outlaw ridaz, block survivors
Killa Kadafi beside us
Reppin that thug shit until they bury or hide us
Tellin all of my street souljah's to rise up
From East to West Coast yo, don't let 'em stop ya

It's a cold, hard way we livin
Can't out just me, and live to smoke a little
Watch my children grow a little
Get this money, escape the prison
My jail niggaz doin time I feel ya pain, get out rise
It ain't nothin but a come up
Outlaw Recordz it's official street niggaz gettin this money legal
We all in together now, ballin together now
Secrets of war young busta you better learn about
Bust, if you must, plus
Get in the business when the jealous niggaz fuck with us

(Chorus-Kastro)
We was taught, at all costs hold down fort
And let the Lord be the judge in this all out court
Where money, power, guns is boss
And countin big funs is the favorite sport
We must rise, maximize our size
Look alive, be advised it's a war outside
It's like dodge city, not pretty
But don't nobody notice it really you feel me, we must rise

(Verse 2-Napoleon)
Pause nigga 'fore these shells fall with ya
'Bout to four fifth ya, still don't get the picture
Thuggin on 'em actin sleep when I'm plottin on 'em
This little bitty bullet will make his body turn rotten on 'em
Sick them rottweiler's on him, did snatch some dollars from him
Bling bling that punk nigga, take the diamonds from him
Never had no love for him, nigga we solo
Passin out bullets like they promo
Oh no, Outlawz comin through
Nothin but trouble too, we still do the shit that Pac used to do
Who would of knew, that I'd be pointin guns at you
Takin funs from you, makin fun at you
Busta, ain't nothin but a Jersey ride nigga
Have my fanny so white, enough to sniff lines nigga
Napoleon, a.k.a Maximus
My plans for this, is rise up, stack chips, nigga rise

(Chorus-Kastro)
We was taught, at all costs hold down fort
And let the Lord be the judge in this all out court
Where money, power, guns is boss
And countin big funs is the favorite sport
We must rise, maximize our size
Look alive, be advised it's a war outside
It's like dodge city, not pretty
But don't nobody notice it really you feel me, we must rise

(Verse 3)
(Young Noble)
Addicted to adrenaline rush
That the streets give off from 5-0 when the heat bust off
And I paint it the same 'cause I mastermind
And every game ain't the same gotta change with the times
And get left behind, blessed by God
The judge tryin to stretch the charge
Young niggaz gotta rise up fuck the narcs
Motha fuckaz can't take orders
You ain't a souljah nigga don't blame Noble
It's the life of ya kid 25 to life bid
Four five to wig, dyin tryin to live
The streets is a restin place and yesterday
And nigga ain't no such thing as extra pay
So give me mine today, and get yours tomorrow
Nigga Pac left the Thug Life love to follow
And I'm O-you-T loyal 'till my casket drop
Hustle hard 'till it's hard for the cash to stop, we must rise

(Big Syke)
Makaveli Kadafi, meant to Big Kato
Only ridaz in this day that's killin willin and able
Gang related incorporated, you can't fade it
Haters gotta hate and ridaz glad that we made it
Make it take it to the next level
Now change the game, fuck the fame
Bang 'em scrape on the hang
It ain't no thang to rise above the rest
Pass any test, you mention Thug Life you mention the best
So invest in a vest, come bang with the best
The sunrise in the East but my set in the West
Still risin for my nigga Stretch, keep a tech
My paper stay risin whether cash or check

(Chorus-Kastro)
At all costs hold down fort
And let the Lord be the judge in this all out court
Where money, power, guns is boss
And countin big funs is the favorite sport
We must rise, maximize our size
Look alive, be advised it's a war outside

It's like dodge city, not pretty
But don't nobody notice it really you feel me, we must rise

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Outlawz's song "Rize" speak to the struggle and perseverance of those living in a harsh environment. The first verse, rapped by E.D.I. Mean, refers to the Outlawz as the last group of people surviving in their street environment, while Killa Kadafi stands alongside them. He encourages the listeners to rise up and fight for their goals and dreams, no matter what obstacles come their way. He speaks to the reality of the struggle, with the hope that everyone will come out of it stronger and better equipped to handle the challenges of life.

Throughout the song, the Outlawz speak about the need to rise up against the difficulties they face in life. It is clear that they have all had to deal with difficult situations and circumstances, and they have all had to work hard to overcome them. The chorus, sung by Kastro, reminds the listener that they need to stay alert and focused because there is always more work to be done. The second verse, delivered by Napoleon, features lyrics about facing enemies, stealing from them, and remaining loyal to the Outlawz. The third verse, rapped by Young Noble, touches on the importance of staying strong and true to oneself even in the face of adversity.

The whole song is a call to action, urging the listener to rise up and overcome any and all obstacles on the path to success. It is a powerful reminder that even when the world seems to be against us, we can rise above it and achieve great things.

Line by Line Meaning

But we the last motha fuckaz breathin
We are the only ones left who are still surviving

You don't believe us then watch us ya tuned in
If you don't believe us, then just watch what we do

To them Outlaw ridaz, block survivors
We are Outlaw ridaz who have survived living on the block

Killa Kadafi beside us
Our friend Killa Kadafi is with us

Reppin that thug shit until they bury or hide us
We will represent our thug lifestyle until we die or are no longer able to

Tellin all of my street souljah's to rise up
I'm telling all of my fellow street solders to stand up and fight

From East to West Coast yo, don't let 'em stop ya
Regardless of the coast, don't let anyone stop you from what you're doing

It's a cold, hard way we livin
The way we live is harsh and unforgiving

Can't out just me, and live to smoke a little
I can't just live for myself and smoke a little, I need to think about my family too

Watch my children grow a little
I want to watch my children grow up

Get this money, escape the prison
I need to make money, so I can escape this lifestyle

My jail niggaz doin time I feel ya pain, get out rise
I understand the pain of those in jail and I encourage them to rise up and get out

It ain't nothin but a come up
We're just trying to earn some money

Outlaw Recordz it's official street niggaz gettin this money legal
Our record label is official and we're making money legally as street people

We all in together now, ballin together now
We're all in this together and making money together

Secrets of war young busta you better learn about
Young gangsters need to learn the secrets of gang warfare

Bust, if you must, plus
Fight if you need to, and then some

Get in the business when the jealous niggaz fuck with us
Get involved in the business when other jealous people try to ruin it

We was taught, at all costs hold down fort
We were taught to always protect ourselves and our territory

And let the Lord be the judge in this all out court
We'll let God decide what's right and wrong in this life and death situation

Where money, power, guns is boss
In our world, money, power, and guns are the most important things

And countin big funs is the favorite sport
We enjoy making money and having fun while doing it

We must rise, maximize our size
We need to stand up and become stronger and more successful

Look alive, be advised it's a war outside
Pay attention and stay alert, because there's a war going on outside

It's like dodge city, not pretty
It's a dangerous place, and not a pretty sight to see

But don't nobody notice it really you feel me, we must rise
Not many people notice what's happening, but we need to stand up and fight

Pause nigga 'fore these shells fall with ya
Stop before you get shot

'Bout to four fifth ya, still don't get the picture
I'm about to shoot you with a .45 and you still don't understand the consequences

Thuggin on 'em actin sleep when I'm plottin on 'em
I'm acting like a thug and pretending to sleep while I'm planning my next move

This little bitty bullet will make his body turn rotten on 'em
This small bullet will cause major damage to his body

Sick them rottweiler's on him, did snatch some dollars from him
I had my dogs attack him and I also took some money from him

Bling bling that punk nigga, take the diamonds from him
I robbed that punk and took his diamonds

Never had no love for him, nigga we solo
I never cared about that guy, we're in this alone

Passin out bullets like they promo
I'm giving out bullets like they're promotional items

Oh no, Outlawz comin through
Be careful, the Outlawz are coming through

Nothin but trouble too, we still do the shit that Pac used to do
We're nothing but trouble and we still follow in Pac's footsteps

Who would of knew, that I'd be pointin guns at you
Who would've thought that I'd be pointing a gun at you

Takin funs from you, makin fun at you
I'm taking your money and making fun of you

Busta, ain't nothin but a Jersey ride nigga
It's no big deal, just a ride through Jersey

Have my fanny so white, enough to sniff lines nigga
I have so much money that I can afford cocaine

Napoleon, a.k.a Maximus
I'm Napoleon, also known as Maximus

My plans for this, is rise up, stack chips, nigga rise
My plan is to stand up, make money, and rise up

Addicted to adrenaline rush
I'm addicted to the thrill of danger

That the streets give off from 5-0 when the heat bust off
I get a rush from the streets when the police show up and things get heated

And I paint it the same 'cause I mastermind
I handle every situation the same way because I'm a mastermind

And every game ain't the same gotta change with the times
You need to adapt to the situation, because every situation is different

And get left behind, blessed by God
If you don't adapt, you'll get left behind, unless God blesses you

The judge tryin to stretch the charge
The judge is trying to make the charges against me worse

Young niggaz gotta rise up fuck the narcs
Young people need to stand up against the police

Motha fuckaz can't take orders
I don't take orders from anyone

You ain't a souljah nigga don't blame Noble
If you're not a warrior, don't blame me for your problems

It's the life of ya kid 25 to life bid
If you don't act like a warrior, you'll end up with a 25-year to life sentence

Four five to wig, dyin tryin to live
You could die while trying to live this lifestyle

The streets is a restin place and yesterday
The streets are a dangerous place where people can easily end up dead

And nigga ain't no such thing as extra pay
There's no such thing as being paid extra in this lifestyle

So give me mine today, and get yours tomorrow
I want my money now, and you can get yours later

Nigga Pac left the Thug Life love to follow
Pac left behind a legacy of living the Thug Life and we are following in his footsteps

And I'm O-you-T loyal 'till my casket drop
I'm loyal to Outlawz until I die

Hustle hard 'till it's hard for the cash to stop, we must rise
Work hard until you can't earn any more money, and then stand up and fight

Makaveli Kadafi, meant to Big Kato
We are like Makaveli and Kadafi, meant to be together like Big Kato

Only ridaz in this day that's killin willin and able
We are the only warriors in this day and age that are willing and able to kill

Gang related incorporated, you can't fade it
We are incorporated into the gang and nobody can defeat us

Haters gotta hate and ridaz glad that we made it
Haters are going to hate, but the warriors are glad that we made it

Make it take it to the next level
Take it to the next level and succeed

Now change the game, fuck the fame
Change the game and don't worry about fame

Bang 'em scrape on the hang
Shoot them and let their bodies hang

It ain't no thang to rise above the rest
It's easy to be better than the rest

Pass any test, you mention Thug Life you mention the best
Pass any test and we'll be the best, because we live the Thug Life

So invest in a vest, come bang with the best
Invest in a bulletproof vest and join us

The sunrise in the East but my set in the West
The sun may rise in the East, but our gang is in the West

Still risin for my nigga Stretch, keep a tech
We're still rising up for our friend Stretch and we carry guns

My paper stay risin whether cash or check
My money keeps growing, whether I'm paid in cash or check

At all costs hold down fort
Protect yourself and your territory at all costs

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: KAMIL BEALE, KATARI T. COX, MALCOLM GREENIDGE, MUTAH W. BEALE, RUFUS LEE COOPER, TYRUSS GERALD HIMES

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