outlawz-immortalz Tupac Shakur 2pac Thug Life Young Noble Napoleon Kadafi Stormey Storm

Hussein Fatal ft. SKYE- QUOTE THAT

2012-02-28T21:26:00.002-08:00

Young Noble - So Crazy Feat. B-Legit & Zro

2012-02-27T11:36:00.000-08:00

YOUNG NOBLE FT B-LEGIT & ZRO (SO CRAZY).mp3 - 5.8 MB

E.D.I Interview With RapIreland

2012-02-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

Rapper, Producer and soon to be author, Malcolm Greenridge, better known to the world as E.D.I Mean of the legendary Outlawz, has worked with some of the best in the game. Without even mentioning the founder of the Outlawz, 2Pac, but artists such as Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G, Eminem, Scareface and Bun B to name only a small few. Rap Ireland had the chance to catch up with EDI over the phone as we talked a little about Rapping, 2pac, Death Row, Outlawz, Solo Projects & he gives Rap Ireland an exclusive on his first Book.

Words: Darren Mc Nelis

So tell the people who the man behind the name is?
If you don’t know I am world wide known as E.D.I Mean and now a days I am known as E.D.I Don

And what was the Transition of the name change?
I just wanted to put a spin on it and recreate my self; I am about to start doing a lot of solo music.

So how do you first get involved with the whole music scene?
I was a music lover since i was a little boy, especially Hip-Hop, I grow up with Tupac Shakur who eventually introduced me to the music game professionally.

Who would have being your favorite artist when you were growing up?
I had a lot of them; I was influenced by a range of different artists, but to name a few Run DMC, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane

Do you think they have influenced your style and technique?
I mean in the beginning, when you first start rapping, you imitate your favorite rapper, but as I grow and started to have life experiences and really getting into the craft I made my own style which I am known for now today.

How did the whole group (Outlawz) come together? I have the Me Aganist The World album and your featured under that but under a different name (Dramacydal)
We have being out for so long and have had done countless interviews, so people out there can easily found out how we started, but for those who don’t know, the whole thing started with 2pac, Kadaifi ,Kastro and my self. Other members came to the group after such as Young Noble, Napoleon & Hussein Fatal, that happened in 1995 and that’s when the Outlawz were formed.

And when 2pac got out of jail is that when he got you guys all together or was that the case?
We were always together even when Pac was in jail, when he got out that’s when we got back to work.

So what was that whole time like, I mean it was only really a year, and its kind of crazy because when people look back it seems longer but it wasn’t.
It was shorter than that; it was only 8 months, but yeah it seemed much longer because he was our comrade. He was locked up for a crime he didn’t commit and anytime someone gets locked up like that, it always seems a lot longer then what it was.

What was Death Row like? I had the chance to hang with Danny Boy and he gave me his insight about it but he didn’t open up much about it as it seemed he had a hard time getting off the label, so what was the place and the people like when you arrived there?
In the beginning it was much like family, everyone was working towards one common goal, which was the best that we can be in our field of music. Back then it was a great learning experience. I learned a lot about what it takes to make great music and records’ but everyone’s experiences are different.

Would you still keep in touch with anyone from the label at all?
Every now and then.

Is there anyone from the label that never got their praise or credits, like studio engineers, back up singers that you might want to say?
There was a lot, but if I name one I would only be leaving out the others so I don’t want to do that. They know who they are and what they gave to the game. I’ll leave it as that. Shout out to everyone that work hard.

Did you guys stay on the label when 2pac died & what was the transition like from 90′s to 00′s?
We stayed on the label because we had music over there. And then Pac had music over there that we had to keep an eye on, really see what was going on. There was a lot of things that went on behind close doors that I ain’t going to speak on, but there was more then one reason to why we stayed at Death Row. Eventually after 00′s we left Death Row and did what we could on an independent level.

Then you had a new addition to the team, Stormy, is he still over in Australia?
Yep he is over in Australia, his album is done and if you haven’t heard it it’s Big City Night Life. You need to hear the great music on there, that’s our brother

You’ve got a new album out now called Perfect Timing. What is the concept behind that name, and are the Outlawz going their separate ways?Well the name came about because it’s perfect timing for the music we deliver, that makes people hungry for it, the lyricism along with the music that we are known for and it’s always perfect time to get paid. Because right now there is a lot going on in the world and one thing is for sure change is always constant. The album deals a lot with time, change and that’s what the songs are about. It’s a great album, it features everyone from Lloyd, Scarface, Bun B, Tech n9ne, Bizzy Bone & loads more. Pick it up if you ain’t got it.

What’s next for your self and the rest of the Outlawz? You said you got a lot of solo projects coming?
I am writing a book, which I hope to have out in 2012, and an album, or maybe a mixtape (I have not decided yet) called The Hopedealer. Young Noble has his mixtape coming along as well as Hussein Fatal, so be on the lookout for the solo music that we are going to do in 2012.

Is the book a biography?
No its not, its a crime/drama within the Hip-Hop world, you can kind of get some insights on the things I have seen at Death Row and the things I have seen at other labels. Not only were we around Death Row, we were around Rap-A-lot, Cash Money in there early years, we have being around a lot of great labels and artists. I used on that experience, changed it into a story and put it into a novel form which I am all most finished with, which should be out in 2012.

That’s really exciting. Is there anything you want to add or say to the people here (Ireland) and the rest of the world?
To the big country of Ireland, we hope to one day to come out soon and perform. Thank you for all the support over the years. Much love!

Young Noble - All About Franklin Feat. Gudda Gudda,Trae The Truth & Hussein Fatal

2012-02-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

Outlawz Rydahz Vol.1 Tracklist

2012-02-20T10:56:00.001-08:00

Kastro - Music Gets Me High 2 Feat. Sosa Tha Plug

2012-02-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

Mopreme Shakur Interview On Block Report Radio

2012-02-19T05:06:00.001-08:00

Sneake1 - Get Money Feat. Young Noble

2012-02-16T06:57:00.000-08:00

E.D.I Blogs (Part.9) February

2012-02-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

(FROM VALENTINE’S DAY TO PRESIDENT’S DAY, AND ALL THE OTHER SHIT IN BETWEEN!)
February, what a month huh?
Depending on where you are in the world, it’s the coldest month of the year. Also, unless you have a significant other, it can be pretty cold for other reasons as well. Us guys are expected to go all out or “sleep on the couch” if you know what I mean! Ok, before I go any further, lets address the “elephant in the room” asap…Black His-story falls this month and we all know it’s the shortest month of the year. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, lets go all the way back to the beginning. Black History Month actually started as a weeklong event and its creator was Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950). He originally wanted to spotlight the forgotten men and woman that were being excluded from the textbooks of his time. Now this guy was pretty daam special himself, the son of former slaves, his people were too poor to send him to school, so he essentially taught himself to read and write and do math. (Desire folks!) Eventually graduating high school in two years, he would go on to receive degrees from The U of Chicago and also Harvard, Jeremy Lin’s alma matta (MORE ON HIM LATER). Am I the only one wondering…”If this guy was so smart, why didn’t he pick a longer month?” Its wildly speculated that he chose February because of Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas’s bdays…yeah,ok. Hey! Boys and girls every month can be Black History month, day, etc…Whatever we want it to be! Our History is rich and plentiful and could and should be researched by any and all races.
I just hate what it does to us physiologically, to have to celebrate it in February, I mean. So Right now on this very day I say we move this shit to March and run it through August or something! It’s turned into a money making, corny little side note of thing that most people, white or black, pay very little attention to, any way. (Sigh…)
Daam… We’ve already lost Don “Soul Train” Cornelius and now as recently as this past weekend, Whitney. FUCK! Where’s March @ before Prince or Oprah turns up belly up! In a minute this month is going to be known as the month some of our great black icons came up short! Malcolm returned back to the essence on the 21st of this month way back in 1965. I don’t like February for that alone! Now Whitney! “Bettanot nobody say nothing bad about no Whitney Houston round me!” No seriously though, Grammy’s and Oscars Award shows also air this month. Let me say this first, in my opinion, this years Grammy Awards was probably the worst in a long time. Slow, boring and really dry it was not worthy of the almost four hours it took to look at. NO wonder Kanye and Jay aint go! Shit if Michael and Whitney needed to sleep and couldn’t, they could’ve watched that bullshit and slept like babies, no drugs needed! That’s until Nicki Minaj’s performance. Now that shit woke up the dead, literally! WTF!!!!! Talk about way over people’s heads…. That shit ruined my dinner. All the religious innuendos and bad singing was enough to make me wish for a LIL KIM and Foxy Brown reunion tour. Somebody get Bahamadia on the phone! (Do your research yall…) I think Nicki is a dope rapper, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t out “Lady Gaga” Lady Gaga, when she’s trying to out “Maddona” Madonna! Didn’t her management or The Grammy producers see that shit in rehearsals and say “uhh I don’t know about this one Nicki… I mean we’re cool with the whole levitation bit but you deep throating your lip-stick might be a bit much…”
Only 4 U.S. presidents were born in the month of February. Harrison, Reagan, Lincoln and of course Washington. Yet we still have Presidents day this month. All these cats were slave owners (including Reagan, but that’s another blog) and that’s where “they” like to start our historical contribution to the world.
Valentines’s Day?…Need I say more… Out of all the Pagan holy-days that we worship, this has to be the 1 that annoys me the most! 1ST OF ALL it’s named after some oldmartyr from the 400 A.D. time period. He may have died on the 14th or was born on that day. Who know’s!?! That shit was so long ago, do we really care? All I know is that this dude and his name has got a lot of you squares goin broke, in fear of getting dumped by yaol’lady. So y’all run out and try and find that perfect gift, or if you are like the old me you go and by a few different items i.e. Candy, jewelry, cards, flowers etc and hope one of these mindless items saves your ass. And what do we get?
0. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nathan. Donut. EggShell.
S’m bullshit right there yall. Ladies, be honest. Love should be celebrated year round, everyday, just like Black History Month! Listen, if you only do something nice and sweet for your girl/guy one day out of the year you will be dismissed, eventually. Again with the commercialism of it all, so blatantly over the top! From TV commercials to movies and music it’s pumped down your throat for a whole 28 days (sometimes 29) until you shit out a heart-shaped turd. Who decided it was a day for ladies only? Probably some genius who knew that some guys will do almost anything for, eh hem, pussy! It’s the power of the “P” folks.
I think, in the future, when we look back on February 2012 we will say to ourselves “this is a February for the history books”! Some crazy shit done went down and we haven’t even finished the month. We lost to Black Icons on the heels of losing Ms.Etta James in January (RIP). The Giants destroyed the Patriots, in the midst of Madonna’s half-time ritual . So many “signs” during her performance I’m sure the Illuminati zealots were tweaking like a mugg. (who saw that “all seeing eye?) In other WTF sports news we have a real bonified Asian basketball star. Jeremy Lin came out of nowhere and erased any memory of Yao Ming. Gas prices are once again shooting through the roof, for no apparent real reason. Syria is killing its people left and right. Some lunatic named Josh Powell, who was suspected of killing his wife, set his home on fire, killing him self and his two little boys! This guy has a kiddie-porn watching Dad to boot, who is sitting in a cell as you read this.
Two months into 2012 and this is the shit we gotta put up with? I can only Imagine what these next 10 months are going to be like. All I can say is strap up and stay down, Itsgonna be one helluva ride…
SALUTE!
P.S. Imhalf-way finished with “TheHopeDealer”. It’s some of my best work pre-pac, during-pac and post-pac. I gotta a lot of shit to say… some feelings may be hurt, some cards are gonna be pulled…but…FUCK IT.

2Pac "Same Song" On NCIS (#1 Script TV Show)

2012-02-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

Stormey "Rain Drops" Intro

2012-02-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

E.D.I Blogs (Part.8) Health And Wellness (The New Movement?)

2012-01-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

Ni99az is dying waaay to young.
I’m sure some of y’all are saying to your self “Duh, we know Edi, now tell us something we don’t know!” Well Le-hgo. We are dying young in these streets of course, but we are also dying young and FAST at our own dinner tables. We eat garbage everyday and some of us could care less. Others, are ignorant and don’t even know the damage we are doing to our most valuable asset. Quick question. Have you ever thought to yourself “What is this crap that last on my shelf for ages, gonna do in my body?” Yeah, me either, At least not until recently. BUT we should be asking questions such as this and more. Now some of y’all that know me or have met me are probably rolling ya eyes and sucking your teeth. Most of my life I’ve been an overweight person. It probably started in my teens, when my moms gave me freedom of choice to eat what I wanted most of the time, either that or I ate what she fed me which was not that much better. I lived in Minnesota during this stage of my life. MN is known for its 10,000 lakes and loooong, brutally cold winters, leaving you with not much to do for about 5 months. I came from New York and was used to running the streets, literally. So my weight stayed in check. White Castles was my favorite though, back then. They are all over the Midwest and East Coast. I remember hustling with my homies, Then after school, hittin up ‘Castles for a double cheeseburger, large fries and a sprite. (heaven!) Before I knew it, I had put on noticeable weight. I played football in high school so I at least stayed active during the season. MY diet was still horrible. I didn’t know any better. If it taste good it was all good to me. Fast forward about 15 years and I was on the verge of
1.High blood pressure 2.Diabities 3.Stroke!
…And eventually death, waaaaay too young…
I’m not out of the woods, yet, but with the help of a healthy diet and work out, the weight has began to come off (60lbs so far…) and I’ve started to see improvement.

Amerikkka eats it’s young and feeds them enough shit so that they are a fat,slow and an easy kill. Poison is marketed to our children in real sly, almost evil way. The fucking Mcdonalds clown has always spooked me out, even as a kid. But today, the clown is gone and replaced with expensive commercials with hip-hop in the back round. ‘Dadaadaa I’m lovin it’ and dying in the process! Watch TV with ya kids and peep how much they pump food to em within a 30 minute span. Then ask yourself how much of it is healthy for them! None of it, usually is. Add this lifestyle and merge it with the Hip-hop world and you are likely to see more Heavy-D’s(RIP) and less LLCoolJ’s. Luckily for us, cats are getting smarter. More and more you hear people from this generation talking about getting “in shape and getting it right” Still some of us think we can smoke and drink and not have to pay the piper. If your and artist with a busy calendar, life on the road can be rough. There’s not a lot of options to eat “right” when you are on the move, city to city.
I feel as though we roll the dice every time we eat something we haven’t cooked in our own kitchens, especially, in America, where the standards for our foods are not the highest. It really all goes back to the programing that’s been done to us since our youth. I remember hearing, as a child, that you were supposed to eat “three meals a day” and “milk does the body good.” Wrong and Wrong again. Why would a human drink milk that’s intended for 250 pound calf? I am lactose intolerant, If I drink some whole milk, I will clear a room in 15 seconds or less! The Human body does not need 3 full course meals to survive, either! The only things you can’t survive without is water and air. But THEY wont tell us that, because of what? $$$$. Most of the food we eat, has questionable beginnings. Either the vegetables come from a farm worked by over worked and stressed individuals, or the meat comes from animals in poor living conditions, waiting to die. You don’t think they know what’s about to happen to them!?! All of that which is in them, ends up on your plate and in your stomach and eventually apart of you. This includes stress!
So many brothers I know, have dropped dead of heart attacks and were still in their 30’s. You can’t go 5 miles and not find a wing spot in the south! Are there really that many chickens in the world? Are we even eating real food anymore? KFC has long been rumored to be selling “cloned” chickens to it’s loyal customers. We are running out of food to even feed the 7billion people on this planet! I never heard of Tilapia (fish) growing up, and out of know where, it’s every where, like liquor stores and gas stations. NO wonder it’s so many fake people out here, they eatin fake food! You’ve heard the saying “You are what you eat”, nice cliché, but real spit.
Dr. Laura Newman, in her 1970 book Make your Juicer Your Drugstore, reports: “During the past 50 years, the increase of Epilepsy has been 450%(!) ; Diabetes, 1800% (!); Brights Disease,650%; Anemia, 300%; Insanity, 400%; Heart Trouble 300%; Cancer, 308%; Autism 500% (!) You ask why? The answer is in our polluted stomachs…

Money moves most people into action, so fortunately the “Health and Wellness” movement has given some health conscious, business mined individuals a chance to make a pretty substantial living having this knowledge and know how. So, in the future you are going to see more people opening gyms, juice bars, wellness centers, that cater to the physically challenged. Also, people love success stories, so when an extremely overweight artist or celebrity, goes on a diet and loses pounds, they immediately get their publicist to hit the media with the accomplishment. And that’s wassup, but even if you are not Fat Joe or Charles Barkley, take you health and life as serious as they do. I know some people will retort with the predictable “ We all gone die of somthin, I ain’t worried bout that shit, Imma eat what I want!…” That statement, true as it may be, is also idiotic and filled with gloom. Yeah we are all gonna die one day, but some of us will die peacefully of old age, the rest will die slow, disease infested, painful deaths. A heavy burden left on their families, and the cycle of poor living in tact and passed down to their seeds.

There is a happy ending, though, but it’s depends on (wait for it…) YOU!

SALUTE.
P.S. O4L STORE UP AND RUNNING. JOIN THE MOVEMENT AND REP WITH A T-SHIRT!

Behind The Scenes Of "Raindow Tears" By Shizzio & Mopreme Shakur Part.2

2012-01-27T05:58:00.000-08:00

Young Noble In the Studio

2012-01-26T15:45:00.001-08:00

Young Buck - Car Clowdy Feat. The Outlawz

2012-01-24T17:47:00.000-08:00

Outlaw Rydahz Mixtape Cover

2012-01-24T09:55:00.001-08:00

Behind The Scenes Of "Raindow Tears" By Shizzio & Mopreme Shakur

2012-01-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

E.D.I Blogs (Part.7) Black Leadrership In 2012

2012-01-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

TheKing (Martin Luther not T.I) was a hopeless dreamer. If he really did have that “dream”, as he so eloquently stated in the seminal speech he gave some 40 somthin years ago, then it was more than likely a nightmare in my opinion. Why did we feel the need to have to eat with whites, go to school, work, live etc… ? I think I’m with the whole “separate but equal” ideology some adhered to back then. Shit I’m like if this, if you don’t want to be around me…HOLLA! Simple as that. I believe we are entitled to the “American Dream” they sold and continue to sell us just like King, but here’s where we differ. I don’t seek validation from whites or any other people for my existence.
No I do not hate whites, but I do despise bigots of any race or hue. King preached non-violence in reply to the brutality of your enemy, and to this day, is revered as “the greatest black man ever!” lol. He has been commercialized to no end. He is as American as apple pie and and well, AppleInc too! Malcolm X has been to, somewhat. In the late 80’s, early 90’, you could see the X and his trademark glasses and focused look on t-shirts and hats on the young and old-school at that time all over the place. Spike did the movie (the one The nation let him do) and Malcolm was “in” for a minute and then…. Is this what happens to our leaders, eventually? Do we either get, knocked off or hit off ($$$!) and fade to black, literally? It seems as if we get the love we deserve once we are not a threat anymore? More Importantly, do we even give a fuck these days? So many of us are focused on ourselves and “getting this money” to think about mobilizing and protesting for a common black cause. The Occupy WallSt movement maybe what King envisioned in his epic dream. It is at it’s core a non- racial plight, and more of a “people” issue. Blacks, Whites and many other races have jumped on this bandwagon. It also has many different leaders and captains, so it’s enemies cant zero in, yet. Or is over before it really started?!? With todays “fast food” society the way it is, the whole “occupy” thing might be so “2011” and outta style, just that fast!

If today’s leaders are the rappers, as I’ve heard some oldheads say, then we as a people are fucked. We’re entertainers and yeah we should feel some sort of responsibility to the communities that birthed us, but most just don’t. Ni99az do more “shoutin out” to there hoods then actual help. An occasional bloc-party and the annual toy drives around Christmas is not enough. Do you see what’s goin on these days? Like 30 ni99az got shot in Philly over the past 36hours! It’s fucked up in the streets, right now. These dudes talk all this “trap” shit but trust me they ‘reminissin’ on some MaryJ shit. It sounds good on wax though, and it is ENTERTAINMENT. Jesse Jackson got caught on tape sayin he’d cut Obama’s balls off, when he thought his mic was mute during an interview. That was some ol’ rapper shit right there! Was Jesse hatin? Only he knows and at this point does it matter? Probably not. Obama is president and is in the process of doing what all presidents do…exactly what their told! Dude, he just passed a law that grants him and the U.S. fuckin government the power to detain you with out due process! We are now China. And might as well be since they own most of this country anyway. Obama was the perfect blend of Malcolm and Martin though wasn’t he? That shit was cold how they had some of yall goin! Looks like Malcolm and gave speeches like King, coldblooded. They said “lets give em exactly what they want… a savior.” And people ate that shit up like it gov’ment cheese. Had Oprah ass all cryin and shit, priceless. If Jigga really got Obama on the speed dial he need to holla at em and tell em that shit he pulled during the holidays, while most people were caught up buyin gifts and shit, was not cool. Daam we got a “black” prez and he’s not even… well let me not jump to judgment just yet. If he get’s a second term (see my last blog) maybe he’ll really get busy and change some shit. Don’t old ya breath. Sharpton and most of the Reverands turned riders have rode their last ride… Its time for new blood: Throughout history, it’s always been the youth that sparked any great revolution. So what are we left with? Entertainers, sports players….

Its 2012, may I suggest that we all become individual leaders. It starts at home with us becoming better leaders of our own families! J. Edgar hoover believed there could never be a black “messiah” in this country, and made sure it wasn’t till the day he died. Tupac said “even though it seems heaven sent, we ain’t ready to have a Black President” over 20 years ago. Both maybe right.

SALUTE.
p.s. The O4L SHIRTS ARE UP AND READY TO GO! GET YOURS NOW!!!
O-4-L.COM/store

Kastro Ft The Jacka, A.G, Tha Ryda & Dylan Dillinger- Music Gets Me High

2012-01-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

Hussein Fatal - Fire Feat. Killa Krunk & Roachee

2012-01-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

Mopreme In The Studio With Shizzio

2012-01-11T17:22:00.001-08:00

New Dynasty - Remember Me Feat. Kastro (Official Video)

2012-01-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

E.D.I Blogs (Part.6) Like It's New Year (The End of the World, as we know It!)

2011-12-30T16:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, so 2012 is right around the corner, or by the time some of you read this it will already be here. Are you excited? I always look forward to a new year, well, because I hate anything old. I’m an impatient dude sometimes, and I’m usually done with a year after July! Lol. Knowledge ruined Thanksgiving and Christmas for me a long time ago, plus I don’t like cold weather. It’s really all about the kids now, and getting together with fam is always good, I guess…
Some of ya’ll are scared to death because of all the “2012 the end of the world is coming because the Aztecs calendar says so…” paranoia we’ve been getting fed since 2005.
Religious zealots have been predicting the end of the world since the beginning of time. I mean, how many times have we’ve “seen the signs” and swore up and down these were the “last days…” Call me a pessimist, but I doubt were going to get this big end of the world show, where shit goes crazy and the streets bubble with the blood of all us sinners. Then Jesus and his Daddy comes down tears up some mo shit and kicks the Devil’s ass back down to the hell fire… Nah, it will probably be un-dramatic at best, lights out… and that’s all folks! Probably some retarded dictator will push a button and start wiping all the infidels off the map one by one. Or maybe when Mitt Romney gets elected, he’ll be the anti-christ and start going on a Islamic-terrorist, anti-gay, anti-black extermination mission and get rid of everybody that’s not white or Morman!
I do think it’s going to be the “End of the World as we know it” to quote the great R.E.M song of the 90’s. There is a great shift going on in the world, and you can see it everyday. From the quakes and sunamis from earlier this year. The great storms that ravished a lot of the Midwest and South. Even more important, it seems the days of the rich and greedy having it easy is also turning. Pedophiles, more and more, are being ousted and exposed and rightfully so. My moms always told me what’s done in the dark always comes to light. Well, we are entering an illuminated period, where all that’s done, will be known sooner than before. The “people” no longer wish to accept the norm, or the status quo. From country to country rebellion is in the air. Homosexuality, is as American as apple pie now, and being interwoven Into the fabric of everyday life more than ever. Even in Rap, the winds of change are blowing. Actual skill seems to be making a comeback. I see in 2012, cats are gonna have to be saying “something” again. Real singing, real music is finally going to make a come back?!!? A fella can dream, right? Time does seem to be moving faster, where did the year go? Wasn’t it just Spring?
I hope your year was as cool as mine though. I traveled a whole lot, 12 states and 3 countries, not bad. I went through some much needed personal changes, for the better as well. We dropped ”Killuminati2k11” & “Perfect Timing” to critical acclaim, and planted seeds for a fruitful Outlaw future. Movies, solo projects, books and much more are all in store for ya boys and we look forward to it. We are blessed to be going into a new era and still have an audience that enjoys the music we bring to the table. We toured the whole country of Canada in o11 and had a ball doin it. London, Dubai, Japan and AFRICA are all on our wishlist for o12…o4L!
So who wants to make some “bold predictions” fro 2012?
Bet, me first though….
In Politics: Obama will “not” be re-elected.
In sports: Miami will not win a championship! Packers will win the SuperBowl
In Entertainment: Kim Kardashian will buy a black baby “Madonna style.” Maury will have to take a paternity test and “he will be the Father!”
In Global Affairs: There will be a major event between Iran and America; London will be home to a great terrorist calamity (hope I’m wrong on this one, no two…) during the Summer Olympics.
Whatever happens, Just remember, in the immortal words of that great street poet SugaFree…”IF YOU STAY READY YOU AINT GOT TO GET READY, ho!”
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND SALUTE!
P.S. I hate the new Hyandai commercial!! You know the one with the two white guys rappin , tryin there best to act black! Yah that 1…Some fuck shit huh? I will be barkin bout that next week….100.

Outlawz- Bury the Hatchet(Official Video)

2011-12-29T21:27:00.001-08:00

Leff Rakk - R.I.D.E Feat. E.D.I

2011-12-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

The Outlawz - Keep It Lit Feat. Focus (Official Video)

2011-12-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

Hussein Fatal - Let Em Know Feat. Skye & Hash Grass

2011-12-14T18:06:00.001-08:00

The Outlawz Interview With 514 Smoke TV

2011-12-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

Nutt-So Interview On NexxLegacy Radio (Talk About New Album With Fatal, New Music+More)

2011-12-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

Listen to internet radio with NexxLegacy on Blog Talk Radio

E.D.I Blogs (Part.5) REALITY T.V. (What’s Real Got to Do With It?)

2011-12-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

In the 70’s Bill Loud and his wife allowed PBS and its cameras to follow his family for a Documentary called “An American Family”. It’s considered to be the template for todays “reality T.V.” shows. In their present form, they are a huge TV cash cow with milk to spare. It seems a new one pops up every season. I guess this is what it’s come to ya’ll…Our Lives are so boring, we will sit around and watch somebody else’s boring life. From the Kardashians to the Jacksons (minus Mike and Janet) they have all been under the glaring eye of the “reality” viewing public. They come in all shapes sizes and colors too. They are everywhere, on every channel. You got Basketball Wives who aren’t even married, “Real” Atlanta Housewives who…need I say more? It started maybe, 20 some odd years ago with “The Real World”. Others think “Cops” was the first, who cares right? All that matters is that we are now infested with this B.S. A couple years ago a producer from a major network contacted me about doing one about us and our lives. They wanted to film 12 hours a day starting at 8am and film EVERYTHING. Obviously we declined. Never mind the intrusiveness of it all, they wanted to keep control over the final product and pay us a salary… Sorry my life is not for sale! But for the right price, many give up their privacy and sometimes their sanity for a piece of fame. Andy Warhol said “In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes..” I don’t think he knew how right he would be. The everyday average joe can become a star, overnight now-a-days. The days of struggling to make it big are long gone. Why move to LA or N.Y., work tables, live in a shitty apartment, eat Top Ramen when all you have to do, is do something outrages on you tube or even with your Iphone and sit back and watch the offers role in. Trust me, make a big enough ass of yourself and somebody will exploit it. I have to admit I have watched a few shows hear and there (wink). I mean who can resist the fuckery of the “Bad Girls Club”? Theses broads do more to set woman back than strippers or pornstars. But it’s like watching a bad wreck, you can’t take your eyes off of it. The camera guys and editors make sure you see enough “skin” to keep you interested and the drunken stupor most of them maintain due to the free booze provided by the show.

Poor Kris Humphries, The guy didn’t stand a chance. I’m sure he expected to get real famous fuckin with Kim. I’m almost positive he looked at some of the other NBA players who have dabbled in the “reality” TV world and thought… “Shit, why not?” (In my best Kris Humphries voice) Not knowing or caring that Kim is a professional. Her mom’s is about that guap and he…well he is really tall and I heard the air gets thinner the higher you go.
RayJ made her famous (Kim). HE had his own show and tried to help big sis’s swan diving career, but his moms was the real star of that show! I even heard Suge Knight might be doing one. This I gotta see. Can you imagine Suge having brunch with Dereck J discussing plans for a benefit dinner…Oh wait…I’m getting my shows mixed up! You see what this shit does to you! I don’t think reality shows will last for too much longer though. I mean most of this shit we have now is totally scripted “reality”. For those still blind, peep this. Anytime you have multiple camera angles and cuts (editing), it took time to set all that up so it makes sense to you the viewer. So how “real” can it be? If your having a heated argument with your arch nemesis in the house you and 6 others share, do you stop if the lightings not right? To me, this is all a snapshot of todays society. When historians look back at these times, they will surmise “the people of the day where self absorbed humans who would stop at nothing to gain fame and notoriety. There seemed to be no known level lower enough for some of them to stoop to in efforts to achieve the goal of stardom!”
Growing up, I was a big fan of the group Public Enemy. They had a song off the seminal Platinum selling album “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back”, called “Channel Zero”. (youngins go youtube it NOW! Lol) For my 30 plus crew we know…A whole lotta of us watchin channel zero everyday. SMH.

SALUTE.

P.S. NBA season is BACK! Couch potatoes are in heaven wit me….AMEN. GO LAKERS! And Knicks…when they aint playin the LAKERS! Holla.

Big Syke - New 2011 Mixtape (Full Mix CD Bottom To The Top)

2011-12-08T15:21:00.001-08:00

Young Noble To Start In The New Movie "Bound By Blood" With Dashaun Morris

2011-12-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

Kapo Kaplan - Westcoast Feat. AK-Sayd & Young Noble

2011-12-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

Stormey - Reach 4 Tha Starz (2Pac Tribute) Feat. Black Poet & JR

2011-12-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

The Outlawz & Onyx Live

2011-11-30T17:17:00.001-08:00

New Nuttso and Fatal Album Game of Thrones Comin Soon

2011-11-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

Nameless Kx - Here To Stay Remix Feat. Young Buck, Young Noble & Prentice

2011-11-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

Stormey Upcoming Album Snips

2011-11-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

STORMEY COLEMAN - Album preview (Produced by Sutardy Brothers) by SUTARDY MUSIC THABROTHERZ

JC Nasty - Tomorrow Feat. Young Noble & Nappy Roots

2011-11-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

EDI - Town To Town

2011-11-23T09:06:00.001-08:00

We Aint Stoppin Vol-25 Hosted By E.D.I

2011-11-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

E.D.I Blogs (Part.4) Youngins VS The Old Heads "The Age War In Hip Hop Wars"

2011-11-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

“…The pups have grown fangs, my friend…”

Hip-Hop is probably the only genre of music where your age is as important as your skills. The un-spoken rule is that it is a “young man’s sport”. Sure you have some exceptions to the rule… JayZ , Snoop, Busta come to mind first. But for the most part it gets rid of you once you get into your thirties. Hip-Hop looks at you like you are its annoying parent trying to remain cool by staying at the party way too long. That’s changing, though. Look, if your trying to start a career at thirty whatever, you better be the second coming, because its going to be tougher than if you were some 19 year old. Still, more and more as the audience grows older and more sophisticated, there’s too classes emerging. (Excuse me, the FUCKING JETS JUST LOSS TO DENVER PFFFFFFF!) You got the new school verses the old school, new west, old west and so on and so on. Rap recycles its self better than actual people due plastic! In a year a two an artist, if he/she is not careful, can become an has been over night! (Where’s Plies???) That’s why you see so many artist dropping what seems like and endless stream of music all the fucking time. Artist had 2 learn that the audience has a short attention span. Every new artist is the greatest of “all time”! New is “cool”. Rappers are like Iphone’s, don’t get caught with the first generation jawn! Fortunate for older artist there is an audience demanding to be fed, unfortunately they don’t always get the “love” (publicity) That say, the Rolling Stones or the Chilli Peppers get when they drop new projects. Also the younger generation in Rock, “salute” the elder a little more. Just recently, I read an article on Lil Wayne and he stated that there’s no more beef in rap because it’s not about competition anymore. He went on to say that competition was for “old niggas”.

It’s a bunch of people that loath this new generation of rap stars. I hear it all the time, “Man, this shit they playin on the radio is trash…” “I cant stand so and so, that ni99az wack!”Some People long for the days of the 90’s when the rap they loved blasted in the streets everywhere. It does seem, compared to days before, there is more disdain for newer artist. Maybe it’s the internet that makes any idiot with a computer a critic, and its easier to spew hatred globally. So if you hate the new Drake, all you gotta do is hit up your favorite site and blast away! Wasn’t that easy before. These days a rapper can come along, completely jack a style from somebody else and strike it rich and he’s never held accountable. The younger consumer, with their limited hip-hop knowledge, just assumes that the new “guy” came up with the style first. The real tragedy is that these artist rarely pay homage to their predecessor. It’s the competition thing in hip-hop that I don’t care what any body thinks, will always be there. Everybody is fighting to keep their “spot” like life literally depended on it. It ain’t easy! The latest beef emerging on the rap landscape is between Luda, Big Sean and Drake. Luda has dropped a track called “Badabing” takin subliminal shots at em both. Is Luda considered an older rapper now? Seems like just yesterday … Anyway, If there is a solution to this problem, it would have to have its roots in unity. The Chris Brown and BustaRhymes massive hit “Look at me Now” is a prime example of how this could and should work. Rappers are getting older and younger at the same time. Both generations can learn a lot from each other. This is true for the consumer as well.

SALUTE.

P.S. Thanks for all the love and positive energy y’all sent my daughter’s way. Melah is ok, getting ready to start school and we are hopeful and humbled by her strength… Also,
We out on this “Perfect Timing” promo tour so I will hit yall up in a few and let yall in on how it’s going!

Yung Berg - Magical Feat. Ya Boy, The Menace, Young Noble & Driicky Graham

2011-11-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

$ha-Doe - Live It Up Feat. Hussein Fatal

2011-11-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Stormey New Album Preview Show Poster

2011-11-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

Rap Legends Life Performing A Special Tupac Tribute Radio Promo

2011-11-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

The Outlawz Cover Flavor Magazine

2011-11-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

Paranoid Video Shoot

2011-11-02T18:28:00.001-07:00

Keepin It Lit Video Shoot

2011-10-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

http://lockerz.com/s/151864717

E.D.I Blogs (Part.3) My Daughter’s War With Epilepsy

2011-10-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am the proud Dad of six (!) wonderfully intelligent, charismatic, life-loving children, all with their own minds and personalities. After my first four, I foolishly believed I had this parenting thing in the smash. I mean, what? You feed em, clothe em , love em and it’s all good! Sure they may catch a cold, or fall and hurt themselves. Or maybe even get into a fight at school and get suspended a couple times, but other than that, this is a breeze. “I’m the world’s Best Dad!”… Febuary 14th 2009 changed not only my false sense of confidence, but my entire life and the lives of the people who love Melah Simone. That’s the day my youngest daughter had her first seizure. I remember it as if it were yesterday. It snowed the night before. In Georgia that is a rear occurrence, so my kids were super excited and couldn’t wait to get out and throw some snowballs and whatnot. We ended up playing in the snow for a couple of hours. Melah’s little nose was red and running, but no signs of what was brewing underneath. I had volunteered to play a small part in a local play about at-risk youth, and had two shows to do that day. I did the first one and had a three hour break before the night show, so I decided to go home and kick-it for a few. I was up stairs in my house and my other children, plus my niece were downstairs playing. I heard a loud thud, assumed it was the kids ruff-housing. What followed was my oldest daughter repeating “dad! Dad! DAD!!!” I raced down the steps to find Melah, on the floor, shaking and her eyes rolling in her head. She was biting her tongue and unresponsive to my voice. Terror took over as I realized she was having a seizure. My kids called 911. Nzingha, who was 15 at the time, had a friend who had seizures and knew what to do until the paramedics arrived.

Doctors initially thought she may have had the seizure due to a sudden rise in body temp. “Maybe she had played in the snow too much that day and caught a cold” I thought. I felt extremly guilty, until the second and third ones. They were equally horrific and shocking. The thing about seizures is you never know when there coming. One minute she’s her normal bossy, demanding self, the next she’s out of it and we’re hoping she doesn’t chew her tongue up or choke to death. My daughter’s type of seizure is called “tonic-clonic”. They occur when all the neurons in the brain suddenly discharge. Before she was diagnosed epileptic, doctors told us that some small children have seizures until the age of six and then they “out-grow” them. A child must have 10 seizures before they can be officially diagnosed epileptic, Melah surpassed that number this summer after going nine months without one. Doctors and her neurologist prescribed her some anti-seizure medicine to hopefully keep them under control. Because she is continuing to grow, her body began to require a larger dose of the meds. Doctors figured that out after she had an out-break over the long, hot summer. Numerous visits to the emergency room and stays in ICU had us on pins and needles.

I’m not a huge fan of the meds she takes. They effect the kidneys, liver and her overall day to day routine. She must take them twice a day, five different kinds at that! The body or mind, depending on who you ask, becomes dependent on them. So any variation can result in another spike in seizure activity. She has what we call “drops” where she will just have a sudden lost of muscle strength and fall or her head will drop back momentarily. She doesn’t understand what is happening and becomes quite frustrated with it. There are good days and not so good days. It’s a constant battle. Western medicine tends to focus more on medicating the problem instead if finding the source and treating it naturally. That’s what I’m on. I don’t understand the method of treating a problem with meds that create other health problems! We’ve all seen the commercials that go “…side effects include dizziness, nausea, headaches, blindness, deafness, or even death..” WTF! The poor guy only wanted to get an erection! Nah. My kid will not be used as an guinea pig, so 20years later they can do a study and realize the meds Melah was taking caused lord knows what.

Melah will begin seeing a holistic physician soon and we are gonna beat this thing. I have had to change not only her diet, but the diets of my other children as well as my self. Sugar and process foods are the enemy in my house now and they should be in yours too. We are, not even secretly, being poisoned and don’t even know it. The foods we eat everyday slowly kills us. Population control is a real thing. BE DILLIGENT AND MINDFULL OF WHAT YOU FEED YOUR KIDS AND YOURSELF! They (doctors) still haven’t pinned down the exact reason Melah is the way she is, but through research, I’ve found that food could be the root cause of her condition. For now we take one day at a time, hopeful for the best but prepared for the worst

SALUTE.
P.S. Imma get wit yall nxt go round, ya boy bout to hit this Watch The Throne concert tonite. Atlanta is the first stop, so this should be interesting at the very least! I will be tweeting through out the show so follow me @TheRealEDIDON if you wanna get some firsthand updates on the “show”.

Rap Legends Life Performing A Special Tupac Tribute Poster

2011-10-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Outlawz Interview On Out Da Box TV

2011-10-26T08:15:00.001-07:00

Outlawz Live at the Roxy Theatre in Denver Colorado 11/17/11

2011-10-25T12:58:00.001-07:00

The Outlawz Live @ Red Room Ultra Bar 11/19/11 Vancouver BC

2011-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

The Outlawz & Lil Cease Interview On Shade 45

2011-10-20T18:36:00.001-07:00

Yas- Hak Muzik Vol.2

2011-10-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X5WOS75A

http://www.datpiff.com/Yas-Yas-Presents-HAK-MUZIK-Vol2-mixtape.264568.html

Mopreme Shakur - Gangsta Niggaz Feat. Ludacris & Spice 1

2011-10-18T19:09:00.001-07:00

The Outlawz - 2011 Freestyle

2011-10-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Outlawz Interview With 18 Bars Rap DVD

2011-10-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

E.D.I Blogs (BlackBalled? Part.2) BET Awards Edition

2011-10-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

How many of y’all saw the B.E.T Hip-Hop Awards show this week? You too huh… Well from what I heard it was pretty good or pretty bad depending on who you talk too. Shit in my opinion, if you seen one you’ve seen em all. First of all, before I go in, let me give props to B.E.T for even giving hip-hop its own award show, (anybody remember The Source Awards? Or the VIBE Awards? Thanks Buck! Lol) But when I first heard the nominations I had to say “W.T.F???!!” Wayne was up for 18 awards, basically nominated in EVERY category. (I wonder who got the check for that!) I heard there were a lot of no-shows (Jay-z, Kanye, Young Money, etc.) Chris Brown won big for “Look at me Now” , but the last time I checked homie isn’t “rapper”. He aint even bother showing up either. More Rappers were in the Cypher then at the actual awards themselves! Good thing they had the best comedian, in my opinion, hosting. Shout out to Mike Epps who I ran into outside Lenox mall the day before. He invited us to go as his personal guest but we declined because unless I’m personally invited by B.E.T or nominated for something, “I’m good fam…” Our relationship has been tense, to put it mildly, with B.E.T since the Rap City days. On one occasion, we were with Afeni Shakur promoting the 2pac poetry album “In His Own Words” and had some words with an employee because “we were in the hallways” waiting to start filming, which was the only place to stand in the cramped quarters of the old B.E.T building. After being spoken too like children one too many times, the guy had to be checked. He in turn went and got a supervisor who was also checked, this time by Ms.Shakur herself. So too answer the many Twitter questions on why we weren’t there… You get where I’m going with this, right?

We’ve always had love for them, but it seems after that incident, it’s been all down hill from that point on. We’ve spent money with them, in the form of advertising for Novacane and OUTLAW4LIFE 2005 AP. Did there late night show with Michael Collier, Rap City, Napolean was on there faux Cribs show (I forgot the name of that shit…) and had no problems. Still, no love for the thugs! Is it because we won’t kiss ass? Probably. See we are not willing to grease palms, take Steven Hill to lunch or any of that other bullshit these cats do for fame. Fuck with us on talent alone, or not. It’s that simple.J.Cole won Mixtape of the year, he has talent. WorldStarhiphop won for best hiphop website, I’m partial too Allhiphop.com, but to each, his own. WSHH has become a breeding ground for fuckery and hatred so I’m hoping they can develop a way to weed out the B.S.

I’ve never been a fan of most rap dudes live shows, but props to WIZ Khalifa and Dmx respectively. I caught their segments and both look like they did their thang. Shout out to Heavy D, I heard he rocked out too.Meek and Wale got busy, Tip and Jeezy did they thizzle.NOBODY from the west coast though… Hmmmm… Not even the token west-coasters, Snoop or Cube! HIPHOP is bigger than the South and Drake. Exploit the whole culture not just what we hear on the radio everyday. Having have said all of this, B.E.T got the best ratings it has ever had for the show, proving that I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. For those of us who have lives or jobs, both being hard to come by these days, B.E.T is graciously airing an encore of the 2011 Hip-Hop Awards this Friday night 8pm EST. Tune in or not I really don’t give a shit. If your like me, your probably wondering why the hell B.E.T hasn’t Shown Pac more love, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog….

SALUTE.

P.S. Just heard Rick Ross (the rapper) had a seizure on a flight to Miami or Memphis.
The flight had to be landed so he could be given CPR. Hope all is well. My daughter is Epileptic and has had over 25 seizures since 2009. Shit is real yall…I will speak on this in the next blog.

Maino comments on Outlawz smoking Pac's ashes

2011-10-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

Mopreme Kicking It In The Studio

2011-10-09T04:34:00.001-07:00

The Outlawz Interview With Smoke TV

2011-10-09T04:29:00.000-07:00

Mutah "Napoleon" 2011 TV Interview

2011-10-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

The Outlawz & Young Buck Working On A New Mixtape Together

2011-10-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

Young Buck is preparing a return to rap now that his legal troubles have passed, in addition to his securing a new record deal.
Young Buck was already facing prison time over a $300,000 dollar tax bill with the IRS that streteched back to 2006, he reached a settlement deal with the government.
The issue became complicated when Buck, who is a convicted felon, was accused of possessing a .40 caliber pistol, which was found during a raid of his Nashville, Tennessee home.
His most recent case has resulted in five years of probation, allowing the rapper to continue on with his rap career.
Young Buck is focusing on his label, Cashville Records, which counts artists such as Tupac’s group The Outlawz and solo artist C-Bo from the West Coast on the roster.
Young Buck recently inked a deal with Sony Red to release the albums from artists signed to his label.
The signings are the latest for Sony Red, which also recently inked deals with Cormega and Mobb Deep.
While court cases and industry beef seemingly pushed the rapper-turned-CEO up in smoke, the Internet and online media has presented a way for Buck to get his music heard.
He has taken to the streets with several mixtape offerings, including Back On My Buck S**t 1 & 2 and Bond Money.
The Outlawz recently announced via Twitter, that they would be doing a full mixtape together with Young Buck.
@TheOutlawz The Outlawz
Just got off the phone wit tha homie @youngbuck we bout to do a whole mixtape together on sum ridah shit!
In addition to The Outlawz & Young Buck being in the lab working on a new project , Buck took to Twitter to let the world know the West Coast’s own, C-Bo has returned home from a jail bid.
@youngbuck The Real Young Buck
Just got off the phone wit my Big Bro @CboTheMobFather!!!!! Welcome Back Cuzz!! #GodisGood

Spirit of an Outlaw Video

2011-10-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

Young Noble Interview With Yo! Raps Magazine

2011-10-06T14:18:00.001-07:00

How’s it feel putting out an album like Perfect Timing in 2011?

Man, it feels great. It feels great putting out an album with that quality of music. The flipside of it is distribution, getting it to the fans. It’s a fucking headache.

It’s probably different from when you came up 20 year ago or so.

Yeah, not 20 years ago.

15.

Yeah, basically.

Have you enjoyed the process?

Yeah, definitely. We love making music. To be in the game this long, you have to enjoy what you do. We’re really motivated by the fans, more than they know. When we go to shows, see people on the streets, and they don’t see us on TV everyday, or hear us on the radio everyday, but they listen to the music and they get it, that’s great. Real people across the world are rooting for us, for a minute. They inspire us to keep getting better.

I’m a junkie for Southern music. Paranoid has a Houston vibe to it. Was it a conscious decision to expand your sounds on this album?

Yeah, we tried to make it more upbeat. Our past albums were darker, focused on dark lyrics. I mean, all our albums we focus on our lyrics, but we wanted to make the music a little more feel-good. We wanted to get out of that dark mode, and give people a happier album. We wanted to cater to our female fan base a little more, which we never really did.

Who was it that said they’d never make a record for the ladies? I think Three 6 Mafia...

That’s their business.

Critics complained that some of the records on Perfect Timing didn’t quite mesh, sonically, but wouldn’t you call that diversity or progression?

Me too, man. I think when people even mention our name, they want to compare us to Tupac, or try to make us fill his shoes. We almost get downplayed because we came up under Tupac. I even read a review where the writer was bashing the whole album because it doesn’t sound like other stuff that’s out right now. Like, his favorite song on the album was So Clean, because he said it sounds like what’s going on right now. Music’s supposed to be about progression and originality. If you listen to our music from the beginning to now, we are ten times better than we’ve ever been, and our music doesn’t sound like any other music. It’s original music. We could make the greatest album ever, and they’d still be like, “The album’s super hot but it’d be a little better if there was an unreleased Pac verse on it.” It’s like, “What the fuck, man?” Pac has been dead for fifteen years. When are you going to give us some credit for being around this goddamn long, in this day and age where artists come and go every year and a half?

I enjoyed the progression.

I appreciate it, man. I mean, if you want to listen to good music, without all the ‘Pac this and that’, then it’s a great album. If someone can’t listen to this album and hear some good music on it, then you don’t have good taste in music.

You said you’re inspired by the fans. What’s your recipe for making good music?

It comes with experience. Going back to Pac, we were in the studio watching him make hit records, every single day we were in the studio. We know how to construct songs. If you listen to us, compared to any other artist, I think we might be the most versatile artists in the game. We can make something extremely deep, to where the grandmothers be like, “I love these Outlawz boys.” Or we can make something so goddamn hard, it’ll make a gangbanger ready to pop that in the CD deck and go do a drive-by. Take a song like Baby Don’t Cry, a song which touches people’s hearts, and has the ability to change people’s lives, in a positive manner. Other artists try to do it, but they don’t come across as sincere or genuine. I think Pac taught us how to make music that could actually stick to your gut. He diagnosed it as ‘ghetto gospel’. The only thing separating us from the rest of the dudes you see on TV, or on the radio everyday, is they got major labels behind them spending all this money to have them up there. We’ve been featured on over 70,000,000 records and never been signed to a major label. That’s like Guinness Book of World Records shit.

Was that your decision, to stay independent?

Both. When Pac passed, there were a whole lot of labels we could have signed to, and we decided to go with Death Row because we had all our music over there. It was a dumb decision on our part. We were young and didn’t understand the business. Once we got stuck at Death Row for two years, we decided we would go independent. A few different labels came to the table later, but they weren’t talking the kind of shit we wanted to hear. We got close to signing to Ca$h Money. We actually signed a contract. This was like 7 or 8 years ago. That deal didn’t go through. When people ask us why we aren’t on TV or the radio everyday, it’s because we don’t have that major push behind us. At the end of the day, we’re still doing this for the people who love the Outlawz’ music, and for the new cats who want to get into this Outlawz shit.

You mentioned Death Row. You’ve worked with Suge Knight. Why do people keep telling me he’s ‘tricky’? What does that mean?

I don’t even like going to the past like that. I don’t know what they mean. He’s a smart guy. That’s probably what they meant.

Do you live in L.A.?

No, we live in Atlanta.

You ever visit the West Coast?

Yeah, of course. We’re out there all the time.

How’s the city grown over the years?

L.A. is L.A.. I don’t really see too much growth. When I go out there, it’s still the same old L.A., still the bright lights of California, like it’s always been.

I’m pretty young, in my twenties. What did I miss in hip-hop during the early 90s, that you can’t really capture by buying the classics on iTunes?

Hmm, you were alive.

A baby.

Yeah, it was just the most historical, most classical era in hip-hop. It was a great time to be in the game. There was a lot of diversity. You had a lot of great artists making great music, from Pac to Snoop Dogg to The Dogg Pound to Ice Cube to Wu-Tang to Naughty by Nature to Mobb Deep to Nas to Biggie. There was an abundance of great talent being presented to the world. And all these guys were original. It wasn’t like Biggie was over there sounding like Snoop Dogg, or Tha Dogg Pound was over there sounding like Mobb Deep. Now, I live in Atlanta, and seven out of ten songs have the same tempo beat, talking about the same shit. Not to discredit anybody. I guess that’s just the nature of music today, but back then it was just a great era of music. I don’t know if there will ever be an era like that again. To me, the game’s getting worse. People claim that labels are going out of business, or you can blame it on the internet, bootlegging, downloading, but that’s really not the case. People are still buying records, yet record stores are about to go out of business because artists aren’t making the kind of records people would go and buy. I mean, hot club songs are hot for a minute, but what do you do in three months when it’s not hot anymore? A lot of these dudes never get heard again. You got the marketing guy, the A&R, they’re not even focused on music anymore, they’re focused on everything else, like your swag, the hairstyle you got, what kind of clothes you’re wearing. The A&Rs at these labels are looking at fads, instead of music that could be around for the next ten years. So they’re signing some guy out in Tennessee who’s got a hot record in the club, giving him $200,000, putting a single out, the shit does mediocre, and then they don’t get any money back from it, his album never comes out, and he’s shelved or kicked off the label. You might have Def Jam after a year or two, they may have signed twenty artists that you’ve never even heard about, and then two years go by and they’re cleaning house. They don’t want any of these artists anymore. They’re firing the people who signed them. It’s just crazy, man. People aren’t looking for real talent. They’re looking for the next fad. They’re looking for whoever comes out with the dumbest shit that might catch on, and get a million views on YouTube. They’ll sign him up, and the million views could have been an accident. They give him $400,000 and they’re not going to get any of that back. Labels are doing this consistently. One company goes under, so you got Def Jam ready to merge with Capitol.

You must be happy people are still listening to your music from the 90s.

I’m very happy about it. For us, it’s getting harder to sell records because of the distribution aspect. If you’re not on TV everyday, or on the radio everyday, you might have 30,000 people who would buy your CD in the first week, but the distribution company doesn’t see you on TV, and you don’t have a single on the radio, so they’re only ordering 2000 pieces from you. You could have done 30,000 in your first week, but now you’ve only got 2000 in the marketplace. That means you’ve got one CD in every state, or some shit like that, two or three stores in each state. I feel sorry for the next generation of artists, I really do.

Scarface has a great line on Pushin On. He says, “Here’s how to master the game, homie, surviving.” Do you think that line resonates outside of the rap game or outside the hood?

I think that line is the epitome of life. What he’s speaking about is the game of life, not the rap game. At the end of the day, surviving is the key, surviving and being free. He’s talking about surviving in life, how these young niggaz running wild getting themselves locked up, getting themselves killed, killing, just not surviving, man. Out here a lot of these young dudes have kids. I love that line though. That’s about as real as you can get.

Outlawz Interview With Yo! Raps Magazine

2011-10-06T12:41:00.001-07:00

When our forefathers from the Bronx established the four pillars of hip-hop, they left out two obvious factors: Time and respect. Time, aka hip-hop time, is the number of months, days, or hours you could potentially spend tracking down a cat for an interview. And respect, well, respect is universal. You show an artist respect by doing research, listening to their music, and in return, the artist will more often than not respect your interview. Hell, these are time-honored traditions in the hip-hop game, which you can probably deduce from my latest dialogue with Young Noble of the Outlawz. For recognition’s sake, and recognition’s sake only, that’s Tupac’s old group.

After some slight confusion over time zones, and one full voicemail, I finally got on the phone with Young Noble, who sounded wide awake and fiery at 10 pm Atlanta time. I think I even heard his kids, or someone’s kids, playing in the background... Regardless, Noble began to loosen up as I nitpicked through the Outlawz’ latest and final release, Perfect Timing, which is a seamless blend of old school ghetto gospel, impressive guest features, and progressive production. Hell, its compliments like those which granted me access to Noble’s real wisdom: his opinion on the major labels, the current state of hip-hop, and what hip-hop meant to culture in the early 90s. What I did, I showed ample respect for the dude (shit, I’m a fan), and in return he delivered the goods. That’s classic hip-hop for you.

How’s it feel putting out an album like Perfect Timing in 2011?

Man, it feels great. It feels great putting out an album with that quality of music. The flipside of it is distribution, getting it to the fans. It’s a fucking headache.

It’s probably different from when you came up 20 year ago or so.

Yeah, not 20 years ago.

15.

Yeah, basically.

Have you enjoyed the process?

I’m a junkie for Southern music. Paranoid has a Houston vibe to it. Was it a conscious decision to expand your sounds on this album?

Who was it that said they’d never make a record for the ladies? I think Three 6 Mafia...

That’s their business.

Critics complained that some of the records on Perfect Timing didn’t quite mesh, sonically, but wouldn’t you call that diversity or progression?

I enjoyed the progression.

You said you’re inspired by the fans. What’s your recipe for making good music?

Was that your decision, to stay independent?

You mentioned Death Row. You’ve worked with Suge Knight. Why do people keep telling me he’s ‘tricky’? What does that mean?

I don’t even like going to the past like that. I don’t know what they mean. He’s a smart guy. That’s probably what they meant.

Do you live in L.A.?

No, we live in Atlanta.

You ever visit the West Coast?

Yeah, of course. We’re out there all the time.

How’s the city grown over the years?

L.A. is L.A.. I don’t really see too much growth. When I go out there, it’s still the same old L.A., still the bright lights of California, like it’s always been.

I’m pretty young, in my twenties. What did I miss in hip-hop during the early 90s, that you can’t really capture by buying the classics on iTunes?

Hmm, you were alive.

A baby.

You must be happy people are still listening to your music from the 90s.

Scarface has a great line on Pushin On. He says, “Here’s how to master the game, homie, surviving.” Do you think that line resonates outside of the rap game or outside the hood?

- By Peter Marrack

Mutah "Napoleon" Beale 2011 TV Spot/Add

2011-10-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

Young Noble Explains Record Industry Woes

2011-10-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview for Yo! Raps Magazine, Young Noble of the Outlawz gets a little hyped up, and reveals his interpretation of the record industry, the hip-hop game in particular.

Yeah, it was just the most historical, most classical era [the early 90s] in hip-hop. It was a great time to be in the game. There was a lot of diversity. You had a lot of great artists making great music, from Pac to Snoop Dogg to The Dogg Pound to Ice Cube to Wu-Tang to Naughty by Nature to Mobb Deep to Nas to Biggie. There was an abundance of great talent being presented to the world. And all these guys were original. It wasn’t like Biggie was over there sounding like Snoop Dogg, or Tha Dogg Pound was over there sounding like Mobb Deep. Now, I live in Atlanta, and seven out of ten songs have the same tempo beat, talking about the same shit. Not to discredit anybody. I guess that’s just the nature of music today, but back then it was just a great era of music. I don’t know if there will ever be an era like that again. To me, the game’s getting worse. People claim that labels are going out of business, or you can blame it on the internet, bootlegging, downloading, but that’s really not the case. People are still buying records, yet record stores are about to go out of business because artists aren’t making the kind of records people would go and buy. I mean, hot club songs are hot for a minute, but what do you do in three months when it’s not hot anymore? A lot of these dudes never get heard again. You got the marketing guy, the A&R, they’re not even focused on music anymore, they’re focused on everything else, like your swag, the hairstyle you got, what kind of clothes you’re wearing. The A&Rs at these labels are looking at fads, instead of music that could be around for the next ten years. So they’re signing some guy out in Tennessee who’s got a hot record in the club, giving him $200,000, putting a single out, the shit does mediocre, and then they don’t get any money back from it, his album never comes out, and he’s shelved or kicked off the label. You might have Def Jam after a year or two, they may have signed twenty artists that you’ve never even heard about, and then two years go by and they’re cleaning house. They don’t want any of these artists anymore. They’re firing the people who signed them. It’s just crazy, man. People aren’t looking for real talent. They’re looking for the next fad. They’re looking for whoever comes out with the dumbest shit that might catch on, and get a million views on Youtube. They’ll sign him up, and the million views could have been an accident. They give him $400,000 and they’re not going to get any of that back. Labels are doing this consistently. One company goes under, so you got Def Jam ready to merge with Capitol.

E.D.I Blogs (BlackBalled?)

2011-09-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

At last our newest album has dropped and is well received by anyone who’s heard it! Needless to say I’m proud of it and of my OUTLAW brothers (Hussein Fatal and Young Noble). We dedicated the better part of two years to making the "KILLUMINATI" series and "PERFECT TIMING", all 3 sounding completely different from one another. Not one song used twice, not even a single verse was recycled. It is widely known amongst hip-hop journalist and consumers alike that we are making some of the best music of our careers! Unfortunately for us we are held to a much higher standard than your average artist. People expect us to be as good as or better than Pac, a feat no artist has accomplished to date, in my opinion. And if we can’t do that, at least reinvent the wheel or solve famine in Africa! Lol! Still we press on in spite of it all. We were and still are super-excited about the album and the possibilities (i.e. sales,touring etc). We feel like we did our job, as far as getting the word out to our core base. We even got a little help from "the man" himself, when the whole "ashes" thing hit the blog-sites, XXL, all over the internet, shit even TMZ (TV version) had ya boys on their show! I say that to say this is the most visual we’ve been in years, and for us that’s a big deal because we normally shun the spotlight that most rappers crave. We’d rather be in the studio, doing shows and spending time with our families, but we understand it’s apart of the game so it’s nothing! Interview after interview, 1 dumb question after another…don’t matter, "lets just do it so we can spread the word about this great album we’ve put together!" is what we say to our selves.

What’s frustrating is the lack of support we’ve received from our distribution cohorts! Now let me give y’all a brief tutorial on how this shit works: Labels ship according to hype, and Soundscan history. Our album was not as hyped as LIL WAYNE’s or GAME’s of course. We are not on Interscope or Cash Money, two labels we were affiliated with in the past. If we were, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Fontana shipped based on our last "album" which was actually a "mixtape" or "street album" {WE WANT IN}. Our last official album was "OUTLAW4LIFE 2005 A.P." That project was well on its way to being another 100,000 plus seller (independently) until Bayside/33rd Street recs went bankrupt and subsequently out of business. I haven’t checked in a while, but I believe it’s between 40 and 50 thousand scanned right now. Fontana shipped 1500 pieces of "Perfect Timing" to Bestbuy….W.T.F?!??!? To reach Billboard you have to scan at least 4K!

Itunes and Amazon.com are some of the retail web-sites that have it, in the states or Canada, but we have a HUGE international following and do to no fault of our own "Perfect Timing" is not available for those consumers yet! Fontana placed blame on some mix-up in their legal department (hmmm..) They had over 4 weeks to do it! Now I know the game has changed. Mom and Pop record stores are virtually a thing of the past. THEY were some of our biggest supporters, by the way! Wherehouse, Sam Goody, Tower (who actually owned Bayside) and record stores alike are all GONE. What are we the consumers left with? Wal-mart (clean versions only!) Target, Best Buy, HMV, FYE or the internet. Perfect Timing is available for FREE DOWNLOAD like it’s a mixtape on web-sites that I won’t mention,(I’m sure yall know about em already!)

We don’t have the money or the time to chase em all down, so it is what it is….And yall wanna know why this is the "last" album??? Smh. We give out free albums and muthafuckers don’t respect the grind enough not to illegally download the shit you want em to pay for! We got hip-hop web-sites that traditionally hate on anything we do (one even said Scarface’s verse on "pushin on" is better than the whole album,ouch!) Most reviews have been positive though. (see XXLMAG.COM’S)

We plan on shooting a video really soon, something that can go on MTV or BET. Even with that you have to be be careful because they sometime require that your single be getting radio spins. We’ve been getting some love in that department, though. Ironically, mostly, in NewYork (shoutout KaySlay) and satellite radio (shout to Sway from MTV and Shade45 for the love). Fontana and the company who invested in this project (krude) assured us that they are going to "step there games up". Hopefully they keep their words and we will start to see more, in terms of marketing and promotion for "Perfect Timing"… This is how we feed our families, so yea it’s important to sell records, but honestly when we started this album our goal was to put out a great hip-hop CD and I feel like we accomplished that, even if you gotta go on a scavenger hunt to find it!

And still sometimes I have to wonder…"are we blackballed?" TIME WILL TELL.

To our families and supporters…

SALUTE!

Young Noble Interview With TaleTela.com

2011-09-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

Discovered by the late, great, and arguably best to ever do it, Tupac Shakur, the Outlawz were the ride or die collective that featured heavily on the multi-platinum selling albums All Eyez On Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Also known as Outlaw Immortals as well as Dramacydal, both with slightly different line-ups, the group have never stopped representing for 2Pac’s legacy. Featured on one of the most infamous diss records in history - ‘Hit ‘Em Up’, they’ve been through the highs and the lows before and after their big homie’s untimely passing.

Switching up record labels, losing another member to gunfire - Yaki Kadafi died in 1996, and disgruntled members leaving and then returning to the group, the name is now carried on by just three members - E.D.I. Mean, Fatal Hussein, and Young Noble. Back with a much talked about new album, Perfect Timing, coincidentally released on the 15th anniversary of 2Pac’s death, which contrary to public belief was not actually intentional, the group have announced it will be their last album together.

Talking to TaleTela, member Young Noble explains why it’s their last album, clears up the 2Pac ash smoking controversy that many media outlets have focused upon as of late, and thanks the fans for riding with them for such a long time.
What have you guys been up to as of late being that we haven’t heard much from you on the commercial side of things?
We’ve actually been consistently putting out mixtapes and independent projects. So those who stay in tune to what the Outlawz have been doing know that we haven’t gone nowhere. We’ve got a new album out, which we’re very excited about.

Before we get in to the new album, how long has it been since your last album and why has it taken so long to release this new one?
Our last Outlawz album came out in 2005. However, as I mentioned we’ve been putting out numerous other projects since then. There was the ‘We Can’t Sell Dope Forever’ project with Dead Prez, me and Stic.Man from Dead Prez put out an album, me and Fatal put out an album. So every year we’ve been putting out independent projects and crew mixtapes. So since 2005 we might have put out seven or eight different albums. We haven’t been sat around not putting out any music. All the Outlawz fans have been tuning in to what we’ve been doing and have been supporting everything we put out and our old stuff too. It’s just the perfect time now, just like the name of the album. It’s time for a change in music. We feel like we’re some of those dudes that represent real music and represent the truth.

Tell us about the new album...
It’s our best album to date. It’s classic from beginning to end. We definitely got some good features on there. We got Young Buck, Scarface, Bun B, Lloyd, Tech N9ne, Krayzie Bone, Trae Tha Truth, Z-Ro, Kastro, and a lot more. It’s our reunion album with Hussein Fatal, and as I said I think it’s our best album to date, hands down. From lyric-wise to production-wise we’ve stepped it up a whole lot. I’m so excited for people to finally hear it.

Being that you are highly respected within the industry, is this how you were able to get so many features?
Well everybody on the album are friends of ours. They’re dudes whose music we respect, and at the same time they also respect ours. That’s pretty much how we work as far as the rap game goes. There’s also a lot of independent producers on the album and there’s also a few unknown singers on the album too. We just like working with talented people that respect us and we respect them.

The album was released in the US on September 13th, which is a very special date in the rap calendar. Please explain for those that might not know...
Well September 13th is the day that 2Pac passed away 15 years ago. So it marked the 15th year anniversary of ‘Pac passing. We didn’t pick that date on purpose. It just so happened that the album was supposed to be out earlier than that but we had to push it back to September. So we was like, “Well albums only get released on Tuesdays (in the US),” and that so happened to be a Tuesday. So it all goes back to it being on God’s time. So it’s perfect timing and that’s why it’s the title of the album.
We hear that it’s also your last album as a group. Is this true, and whose decision was this?
It was a collective decision. We are considering this to be our final Outlawz album. I don’t know if we’re ever gonna make anymore. The reason being is I know we’re gonna continue to do solo albums, different ventures, and stuff like that. We’ll probably reach out to some new dudes in the game. It’s really gonna depend on the fans and the people who support real music. Because honestly, we’re the only group in the world who’ve been on over 60 million records (sales-wise) but have never been signed to a major record label, never had major radio play, or even TV play, but here we are 15 years later and we’re making the best music of our life and still travelling and touring the world every year. I feel like as far as the music industry is concerned, real music like ours is highly unappreciated. We keep our ear to the street and listen to the industry, and it seems like everybody is screaming that there’s a lack of real music being played and supported.
So me personally I think we represent the epitome of truth music. You know? From the music we did with 2Pac to the music we’re doing now. We always try to cater to the voiceless, the hopeless people, the lost souls, you know? The people who actually listen to music for inspiration, and it’s like our music is highly unappreciated. So we’re now thinking at this point that if you’re screaming for something that’s real, here it is! It’s right here in your face. It’s the realest shit you’re probably gonna get in the game. So if the world and the consumers don’t go out and support this album, and when I say support I mean go out and purchase it, listen to it and then tell a friend to go and get it, then we’re not gonna give it to them. They’ve been telling us for years that we’re the truth and that we’re probably not gonna get the credit or recognition until we’re gone. So we’re figuring at this point we’re still young and we’ve still got a lot we want to accomplish. So when they open up the history books, and the 2Pac books, and they have to do their research, and they get to the Outlawz chapter we want to make sure that it finishes off strong. We’re gonna make people respect and appreciate good music. So if y’all gonna wait for us to die to do that then we ain’t gonna let you wait until then, we’re gonna make you do that now. We ain’t gonna give it to you no more. I really don’t want this to be our last album. If it’s supported the way it needs to be supported and the fans react to it the way they need to react to it then we’ll give them more Outlawz albums.

Name three of your favourite tracks on it?
One of them is ‘Perfect Timing’. It’s the first record on the album. It’s a great record first and foremost. I just think it’s the perfect time for a real message with a real history. My second, I would have to say is ‘Pushin’ On’, which features Scarface and Lloyd. It’s another classic record. I love the message on it. No matter what you got going on in your life don’t give up. You’ve gotta keep pushing on. There’s so many classics man. Every time I listen to it I have a new favourite. I would say the other one, right now, is ‘Don’t Wait’ featuring Krayzie Bone. It’s a record for the females but it takes a different approach. It’s not your typical shake-your-ass song. We’re actually telling a female that because we’re so focused on getting this money right now we don’t want her to wait for us. We love each other but it’s better if she finds someone who will take the time to treat her how she should be. It’s like the hustler song that both the males and females are going to be able to relate to. If you’re all about getting any kind of money right now and you’re busy all the time then you’ll be able to relate to this song. Overall the album is classic from start to finish and every other day I really do have new favourites. I just can’t wait for everybody else to hear it so people can start telling us which tracks are their favourites.

You’ve moved around various different labels, including Rap-A-Lot, and more recently Young Buck’s Cashville Records. Does your relationship with Young Buck and Cashville still stand?
Well Cashville Records is a movement and Young Buck and C-Bo are our brothers. Our relationship with both of those guys is way deeper than just rap music. We were actually gonna sign to Cashville Records but then Buck had his situation with 50 Cent, which basically put Buck in an uncomfortable position in his life. So the whole Cashville situation didn’t take off like it should have. Buck is still our brother and we continue to do business with him. We do concerts with him all the time, in fact I spoke to him just yesterday. So we never actually signed and it never quite popped off like it should have. At first he was still signed to G-Unit and 50 was behind Cashville as well. 50 thought that Cashville was gonna be bigger than G-Unit, which he was probably right. Buck had us, he had C-Bo, and he had himself. So Cashville was gonna be something huge and 50 was 100% behind us at the time. However, when 50 and Buck got in to their situation it put Buck’s life on hold for a second. So we had to continue to do what we had to do as businessmen and family men. But that takes nothing away from our relationship with Buck. It’s never been based on a dollar. We’re loyal dudes and honorary dudes, so while Buck was going through his downtime and down period we were all there and all supportive. Young Buck is our comrade. That’s the homie right there.

You guys came to fame under the wing of 2Pac. Where exactly did you come from, because you sort of just popped up?
I mean, we come from 2Pac. He started the Outlawz. He was the first Outlaw. We weren’t just his group members, he was in the group. We were in a group together. All of us are pretty much family. I came to the group through Kadafi and Fatal, It wasn’t just a group 2Pac put together. We’re all family. We were then a creation from the mind of 2Pac. So if anybody doesn’t know who the Outlawz are then they need to do their research. If they’ve heard any 2Pac albums then they’ve heard us on them. We’ve got a catalogue of classic records. When we do concerts we rap for two hours straight and the audience know every single song we perform. We’ve been doing this for 15 years, so if anybody hasn’t heard of us then I feel sorry for them because they’re missing out on some great music.

What do you think 2Pac would have thought to today’s rap game?
That’s really hard to answer. If ‘Pac was still living it would be a totally different rap game. That pretty much answers the question right there. If 2Pac was still here today he still would have been the biggest rapper in the world and the Outlawz would be the biggest group in the world. Music would be totally different. You’d be able to hear real music on the radio everyday.

Do you think he would have stepped away from music a little bit to do movies being that he was appearing in more and more movies as time went on?
Yeah. When ‘Pac was alive he was already in motion to start his own film company, and he wanted to write and direct movies. Now 15 years on he probably would have had 10 movies out that he would have written and produced with him also starring in them, as well as us maybe starring in them. I mean who knows? The guy was so ahead of his time at 25-years-old that me even speaking on it wouldn’t do him any justice. He was so ahead of his time I can’t imagine what he would be on right now. He’d probably be running somebody’s city. He probably would have messed around and become the mayor of California or some s**t. ‘Pac was crazy.
Do you have any exclusive stories about 2Pac you might not have told anyone before that you can share with us now?
I got a funny one for you. I remember one day we all woke up, it was me, Kadafi and Napoleon, and we ended up heading out. We all lived with ‘Pac but he wasn’t up yet. We all had somewhere to go so we had gotten up and got dressed, but he hadn’t yet. In the meantime we were all hungry so we decided to get some food in the truck that he had bought us. When we got back he was dressed and ready to go and I guessed he was pi**ed at us because he was saying, “Y’all left without saying s**t. Don’t take the truck no more.” He was seriously pi**ed at us. He was having one of them days. So we got back with food and this guy snatches it out of our hands and throws it in the garbage. So we’re like, “What the f**k?” We wanted something to eat and this dude does this. But he’s the General so we’re like whatever we ain’t gonna argue with this dude.
Obviously he was taking care of us, we’re living with him, and he was like, “Yeah man, you should have said something,” and he threw our s**t in the garbage. We ended up scattering about the house and not even leaving. We had somewhere to go and didn’t even end up going. So I guess he ended up feeling bad that he actually did this because maybe an hour or two later he cooks for us. He ended up cooking all this shrimp and all other types of crazy s**t. That was a really funny story to me. He got so pi**ed at us that he snatched the food right outta our hands and threw it away and was ready to fight us about leaving and not saying nothing, and then an hour later he turns around and cooks us a great meal. Instead of being apologetic and saying that he was sorry he just cooked for us. That was just a sign of his character. He knows that he didn’t have to go that far but he made it up to us by cooking us a great meal. That’s one of the many crazy ‘Pac stories.

What’s your favourite 2Pac song?
‘Shed So Many Tears’. It’s just one of those records that touches my heart when I hear it. We always perform that song at our concerts. We have a segment during our concerts where we play a melody so ‘Pac can be heard. The people go crazy and that’s one of the songs that they play. I rap the lyrics and then I usually have to ask them to cut the song off early because I get choked up. I be damn near about to cry on stage. It’s just one of my favourite songs. I relate to it. You know? It’s a serious record.

You guys made headlines recently when it was reported that you all smoked some of 2Pac’s ashes many years ago. Is this true?
I’m not gonna get too deep in to that but what I can say is the media took what we said and flipped it to create their own headlines. First and foremost I’m gonna say that ‘Pac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, had no knowledge of it. She wasn’t around us when we did it. She wasn’t there. She had absolutely nothing to do with it. I can say that it was something that we did with the upmost respect and honour for our big homie. It wasn’t something that we came up with. It was something that ‘Pac came up with as part of his last wishes. At the end of the day it was what it was. You know what I’m saying? Our intentions for doing it 15 years ago was to honour our fallen General. It was our way of honouring him. It was one of his last wishes and we fulfilled it.

It wasn’t too long ago either that you guys settled your differences with Biggie’s right-hand man Lil’ Cease. How did that go and how did it come about?
It went great. We got the record out together on the new (DJ) Kay Slay album. It’s called ‘Bury The Hatchet’. It’s one of the hottest records out right now in the streets. About eight years ago Cease called someone on the phone while I was stood next to this person. Thinking about it, I guess it was meant to be. So I was like, “Let me get on the phone with this guy.” When we got on the phone initially we actually started beefing with one another. It was damn near about to be World War III. However at some point during the call we ended up just talking like men and getting to the bottom of everything that had happened in the past. I really feel like that if Biggie and ‘Pac had had that conversation while they were still living everything would have been different and they would have been making music together today. So we’ve actually been chopping it up with Cease from about eight years ago. Every year we’ll call each other up just to check on each other, but it was actually Kay Slay who called us and asked us if we would think about doing a record together for his last album. It seemed like the perfect time. We had always talked about doing a song together but we felt like it had to be the right time. We wanted to let the world know that it was time to bury the hatchet. To this day people can’t mention Biggie or ‘Pac in the same breath without comparing them to one another, talking about which one is better, or it’s like fuck the other one or whatever the case may be. These guys are legends. You need to honour both of them. You know what I’m saying? We just felt like if we could show the world that we’ve gotten past it, with us being ‘Pac’s brothers and Cease being B.I.G.’s brother, then the hip-hop community should be able to as well.
With ‘Perfect Timing’ essentially being the Outlawz swan song, what message do you have for the fans who have been with you since day one?
I wanna tell them that we’ve been around this long because of them. I wanna thank them whole heartedly for recognising us as individuals and respecting the kind of music we make by connecting to it. That’s where a lot of artists today get it confused. A lot of artists sell a bunch of records, get a big head, and then they think it’s all about them. Whereas it’s really all about the people that support you. If you didn’t have any supporters you wouldn’t sell any records. We never lost sight of who we were, who we are, and why we do this. So I just wanna let the fans know that the Outlawz 15 years later are around because all of them supported us, bought our records, and came to our shows. We exist because of them. They’re a part of this. We don’t say we have fans, we say we have fam, because we do. We feel 2Pac and the Outlawz supporters are different than any other rapper’s supporters. They really ride with us until the third power. I just wanna salute them and tell them that we appreciate them whole heartedly for all of the years of support.

Outlawz On Tupac's Impact Today

2011-09-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Outlawz On Tupac's Impact Today: Sway and the Outlawz take a look back at Pac's legacy.

M.I.L - They All Mad Feat. Hussein Fatal, Broadway Blake, Sav Killz & VVS Verbal

2011-09-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Perfect Timing Review By HipHopDX

2011-09-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Allegedly, "Perfect Timing" will be the last ever recording from The Outlawz, out of respect for 'Pac.

The ghost of Tupac has always upstaged the Outlawz. Even now, with Perfect Timing - intended as a respectful tribute to the 15th year anniversary of 'Pac's passing - it's the recent (and possibly dubious) claim that the crew smoked 'Pac's ashes that will likely define its contribution to 2011's rap-up.

Now slimmed down to the trio of E.D.I. Mean, Hussein Fatal and Young Noble, the Outlawz are slightly above-average rappers who just so happened to have formed an early and then lifelong friendship with 'Pac - which they've been recording off ever since. So while the production here most times hints at some sort of homage to 'Pac's post-prison release period in the '90s (and you can definitely imagine him hopping on grooves like "Perfect Timing" and "Remember Me") it never takes form as a full-on tribute, and also fails to evoke the obviously emotional memories the group have of 'Pac the person.

Without 'Pac's presence, the Outlawz have decided to go down the route of packing the album with decent profile guest stars. But while the idea of Scarface, Bun B, Z-Ro and even Tech N9ne hitting up studio sessions with 'Pac would have the potential to produce a true gangsta chronicle, here the guest spots effectively overawe the album. On "Pushin' On," Face opens his verse by declaring, "After 20 years of seeing this game make changes/I think that I can answer the questions y'all came with." Then the veteran is soon weaving in life lessons like, "It's not 'bout the money, the car a nigga ride in/Here's how you master the game, homie, surviving." It's a verse that channels the spirit of 'Pac and his T.H.U.G. Life agenda stronger than the bulk of the Outlawz-helmed album.

Allegedly, Perfect Timing will be the last ever recording from The Outlawz, out of respect for 'Pac. It's likely not the signing-off they envisaged, and leaves them still either those guys in the background of the "Hit 'Em Up" video or those dudes who took a toke on their mentor's embers.
3/5

Young Noble Interview With The Carey Sisters On TuneAndTalk Radio

2011-09-23T06:44:00.000-07:00

The Outlawz Freestyle On Sway In The Morning

2011-09-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

The Outlawz Interview With AllHipHop.com

2011-09-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Tha Outlawz Live In The Post-Pacalypse

2011-09-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Founded by Tupac Shakur in 1995, over the past 15 years, Tha Outlawz have seen their fair share of happiness, pain, failures, and successes. With the group’s latest album, Perfect Timing, hitting store shelves on the same day as the 15-year anniversary of the “original outlaw’s” death, there is a lot to be said, shown, and proven, not just listeners, but to the world.

Considering Tha Outlawz requires a brief introduction on their history, their founding, and details on the members throughout history that have come, gone, stayed, and passed away. E.D.I. Mean, Young Noble, and Hussein Fatal are the three remaining soldiers, yet they still have close relationships with former Outlawz, Kastro and Napoleon, and still refer to them as “brothers.”

When asked about the six-year gap between their last album, Outlaw 4 Life, and their new one, Perfect Timing, Tha Outlawz spoke on the massive amounts of music they’ve been feeding to the public during their official album hiatus. E.D.I. Mean went on to mention projects they’ve worked on and released with Dead Prez, Layzie Bone, and 8Ball, along with the solo albums Hussein Fatal has released and more. “Those six years wasn’t us on vacation,” E.D.I. explained, followed by Young Noble who added, “On top of that, we dropped mixtapes – on iTunes we dropped five lost albums on the same day, so we’ve been grinding.”

The conversation focused on their new album, and why they not only chose to release it on the 15th anniversary of Tupac’s death, but why they felt the Perfect Timing title was so significant:
The number of Southern rappers featured on the Perfect Timing seemed very peculiar and interesting, so AllHipHop.com asked Tha Outlawz for the reason, if there was one, behind the specific features. They also shared their thoughts on so-called “New West” rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, and Nipsey Hussle:
The conversation then turned toward the highly publicized East Coast versus West Coast war that occurred in the 1990’s. About a year ago, DJ Kay Slay released a track entitled “Bury the Hatchet” that featured Tha Outlawz and Junior Mafia member Lil Cease. When asked why the track was recorded and released when it was, Young Noble stated, “Well, we’ve been chopping it up with Cease for about seven years.” He continued, “he ended up calling somebody that I was standing next to, I got on the phone, and basically, we damn near was beefing at first, but we wound up chopping game as men and pretty much getting to the bottom of the situation…and it was an honor to do the song for [Kay] Slay”:
Tha Outlawz also spoke on their thoughts and feelings about the current Hip-Hop climate and whether or not the “glory days” have passed or are still to come. This was the perfect segue-way into asking Tha Outlawz how different they think Hip-Hop and, more importantly, music would be if Tupac were still alive today:
When asked about what kind of social and political issues Tupac would be fighting for if he were still alive, E.D.I. Mean didn’t hesitate before answering, “The state of the economy right now and the poverty rate going higher and higher – he would definitely be an advocate of that and try to change people’s lives.” He continued, “One of Pac’s dreams was to have a community center called “A Place Called Home” where every impoverished kid, or kid that had problems at home, would have a place that they could call home at these centers.”

AllHipHop.com then asked Tha Outlawz about the status of their relationship with Tupac’s mother, Afeni, and what some of their best and fondest memories of Tupac were:
This is where things got very interesting, as the group was asked about who in Hip-Hop they currently consider to be “following in Pac’s footsteps.” They answered with two names that rap fans probably wouldn’t expect – Young Buck and Lupe Fiasco:
It seemed appropriate to then ask Tha Outlawz, “If Tupac is the greatest rapper of all time, who is the greatest rapper alive?” Find out what they had to say in the following video:
One of the last topics discussed was the highly publicized news story of late about Tha Outlawz smoking Tupac’s ashes. They proceeded to explain the truth about what happened, and more importantly, that Tha Outlawz fans that have been riding with them have known about the “ash blunt” for years:
As the interview came to a close, Tha Outlawz spoke on whether it was a blessing or a curse to be known as “Tupac’s group.” They all simultaneously answered with, “It’s both.” Noble added: “Our accomplishments…you know, ‘Pac been gone for 15 years and we’re still here,” Noble said. “How many artists have you seen come and go in the last 15 years? Countless. We still here, we been on 60 million records, maybe more than that. We the only artists in the world that have been featured on that many records and never been signed to a major label…He [Tupac] was the first outlaw. Period.

“So, we can’t ever distance ourselves from ‘Pac and we don’t want to. That’s our big brother and we’re going to always rep for him…we carry his torch and we carry it well. We’re the hope for the underdogs…. Don’t listen to the album and be like, ‘oh it’s dope, but it would have been better if ‘Pac was on it.’ Come on man, give us some f*cking credit.”

E.D.I. offered his own thoughts, closing perfectly by saying, “’Pac’s light shines so bright that a lot of the things that we did get lost in the shadows so to speak. Now is the time to check out the old albums and mixtapes, get the new album, and listen to what we’ve been doing for the past 15 years, and you’ll say ‘oh, now I see why Pac was f*cking with them.’”

Tha Outlawz new album Perfect Timing is in stores and on iTunes now!

Shizzio Mopreme house Tour

2011-09-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

E.D.I. Mean Reveals How 2Pac Felt About Fatherhood

2011-09-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

In light of the recent 15 year anniversary of Tupac Shakur‘s passing, SOHH recently sat down with the late rap mogul’s OutlawzE.D.I. Mean to find out what life lessons he learned from being around him. group member
Although Pac dropped plenty of gems on the crew, E.D.I. Mean said a discussion about fatherhood has remained with him.

“It’s funny because I was just talking to a friend of mine the other day and I told him something Pac told me and it was definitely on a personal level when it was just me and him,” E.D.I. Mean told SOHH. “He told me several things but one that always stuck with me, I was the first one out of the group to have a child, and we all grew up without fathers, so he told me how important it is to stay in your son’s life. He was just staying on me about being a father, a real father and not just a parttime father. That always stuck with me and I’m a father of six and I’m a father to each and every one of them.” (SOHH)

E.D.I. Mean also feels in 2011 and moving forward, it is more fashionable for men to take pride in being fathers.“Pac was definitely about family,” E.D.I. added. “He was about men being real men and raising their children. We lost a whole generation so now it’s up to us be more fathers. I feel like it’s coming back. I think it’s in style now to be a father.” (SOHH)

In August, Cash Money Records’ Bow Wow talked to SOHH about recently becoming a father.“Fatherhood is beautiful, know what I mean? I can’t complain, it made me a better rapper, and a better man,” Bow Wow told SOHH. “It made me see life differently. Clearly. It made me turn into a man overnight. I love it. It gets kinda difficult to [spend time in public] because fatherhood is kinda the hot story that’s around me right now, everybody wants to know [about us]. I was out in L.A. and everybody’s trying their best to get pictures of my daughter, so you know, it’s not easy.” (SOHH)

Earlier this month, RB singer The-Dream revealed married music couple Jay-Z and Beyonce’s excitement with their first baby on the way.
The producer/songwriter tells Billboard.com that his good friends Jay-Z and Beyonce stay just as busy as he does — which is why he’s overjoyed that the couple is expecting their first child. “They’re ecstatic, as well as they should be,” says The-Dream of Jay-Z and Beyonce, who announced her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards. “I love it for them because they work so hard. To start a family after you’ve worked so hard is great. It’s great for her to be at a certain place in their life where she can say, ‘Okay, cool. I’ve killed it for this many years, but let me do this.’” (Billboard)

Young Noble Interview With Strange Music

2011-09-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Formed in the mid 90′s, the collective known as Outlawz is arguably one of the most recognizable names to be affiliated with the late Tupac Shakur. Originally founded by Tupac, the group would go on to appear on some of his biggest records, including All Eyez On Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. In the wake of Tupac’s untimely passing, the group would go through several line up changes, but continued to release music on their own. The most recent line up of The Outlawz has experienced a resurgence in the spotlight with several online releases that would mark the beginning of a new era. The release of their latest album, Perfect Timing, saw E.D.I., Hussein Fatal, and Young Noble return to form to release what has been called the best Outlawz album ever. We recently spoke to Young Noble of The Outlawz regarding his work on Perfect Timing. In a very open interview, Young Noble shared his thoughts on what Tupac would think of the new record and also discussed the group’s latest collaboration with Tech N9ne. With something to prove to the world, Young Noble and The Outlawz look to be stronger than ever.

Can you explain the meaning behind Perfect Timing?
It just was fitting. Just felt like God was working on our side. It’s always something, in life, in music, it’s always something. Just seemed God was just working on our side. From Fatal getting back into the group to how the album got pushed back and we had to drop it in September. It just so happens that albums drop on Tuesday, so we had to drop it on the thirteenth, which was the fifteenth anniversary of Pac’s passing. Past that, it’s just the perfect time for some real soldiers with a real message making real music to make a presence in this game. I think we represent the epitome of that.

How does it feel to have people call this the best Outlawz release ever?
I love it, and before it came out we told people the same thing. This is our best album so far. I think we just took more time with it, we were more conscious about the beats we were picking. Just the sound of the album, sounds real grown, real polished. I knew it was our best album before the people even said it, so they just basically confirmed what we was saying.

During the record, did you ever stop to think about how Tupac would feel about it?
All the time. I think when we record, we record with him in mind. Being there with us or even what he would think of a record. Yeah, absolutely, we always got the big homie in mind with everything we doing.

On this album, you collaborated with Tech N9ne on the track “New Year’s”. How did that come about?
Well, first and foremost, shout out to Tech and Strange Music and Travis. Tech is our good friend, we been knowing Tech for years. We always loved and supported his music. We toured with him, a couple years back, on our last tour with him, and learned a lot from him. This dude is one of the biggest if not the biggest independent artist. We learned a lot from him being on the road. He took his show very serious and put on a great show for the crowd. From his merchandise, seeing his fans really get behind and support. As an artist, Tech is phenomenal, he’s an extremely talented rapper. The guy’s a beast. I remember when I got put on to Tech N9ne back in the day. I forgot who told me, it might have been like QD3 or somebody, was like “This dude Tech N9ne”, and I heard something. This dude was damn near rapping backwards, I was like “What the fuck? This guy is crazy!” It was just a pleasure having him a part of this album. When we did the song, we was like, “Man, who can we put on this mufucker?” We was like, “Tech. How the beat switch up and it’s just crazy. Tech could do wonders for this joint right here.” We just reached out, and he was like, “Hell yeah, spin the record.” You know, he always had love for us and Pac as well. You know, it was a pleasure for him to hop on the record for us. We actually trying to get a video for that joint right now.

It’s definitely a different sound. Do you think it’s something Tupac would have jumped on?
It woulda been crazy. Pac was all about trying something new and different. Pac was about creating something new, and that’s what The Outlawz is about as well. We ain’t about following what the hell is going on right now, we about actually creating something new. That beat, we had that beat for about two years man. Just In the studio working, we were like, “Man, we gotta do something with this beat.” We just had it in the vault. One day we was going through all the beats n’ shit, and we were like, “You know what, let’s try this one out.” The joint came out pretty hot and it was like, you know what, we gotta put somebody on it. Tech was perfect and his schedule allowed him to hop on it. It was a beautiful thing and the streets is going crazy for it. We would love to keep working with Tech, definitely. That’s our comrade, if he needs us on anything, all he’s gotta do is send it. So yeah, we definitely look forward to doing some more music with Tech, absolutely.

What’s next for The Outlawz?
We definitely working on some solo projects. All of us is going to do solo albums. Hussein Fatal got a book about his life story just wrapped up. E.D.I. writing screenplays, you know , I’m getting into directing now. We’re going to be shooting our own independent film. So, it’s going to be a beautiful thing, we’re trying to work this thing hard out. If you don’t got this new album, go get it. This is going to possibly be the last Outlawz album.

Perfect Timing featuring Tech N9ne, Bun B, Krayzie Bone, Lloyd, and more is now available everywhere. Visit www.outlawzmedia.net for music, videos, and tour dates from The Outlawz. Follow The Outlawz on Twitter: @TheOutlawz.

Nameless KX - All My Respect Feat. The Outlawz (Official Video)

2011-09-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Perfect Timing Review By Odeisel (planetill.com)

2011-09-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

How many times have we seen the top flight rapper and the crew of cronies he attempts to put on that everyone knows just wouldn’t make it by themselves? Oochie Wally aside and a very dope chant on “Made You Look,” do you really take the Bravehearts seriously? Remove the star that became Lil Kim and Junior Mafia isn’t really that good. But then you have The Outlawz. You know, those guys that used to rap with Tupac? No one has ever really believed that those guys belonged on the mic with the great Mr. Shakur, especially cosigning on “Hit Em Up.” After 15 years without ‘Pac and many trials and tribulations, the crew drops their final album, Perfect Timing.

The album features the three standing members EDI Mena, Fatal Hussein and Young Noble, with guest appearances from former member Kastro, Tupac collaborators Scarface and Krayzie Bone, and grizzled veterans Tech N9ne and Bun B and as well as underground grinders Trae Tha Truth and Z-RO and crew of rising rappers to get it popping. Crooner Lloyd shows up twice as well as the hidden talent Tony Williams.

One thing readily apparent is the growth in the Outlaws music. The album as a whole is very polished with a slick sound that isn’t quite commercial but is definitely professional. Their bars are efficient and smooth. You won’t be wowed by anything lyrically on the album but they are far more than place holders. “Keep It Lit” is the first standout track on the album with its steady drum and dirty bassline digital strings and sneaky keyboard work hoist some solid songwriting. Complete with radio ready hook. Young Noble spazzes out with grimy defiance on “Pay Off;” calling to the spirits of fallen comrades Khadafi and Tupac.

Lloyd slows the pace of the album with the Scarface- helmed “Pushing On.” Face mails in a verse and The Outlawz don’t really need him as they talk of progression and growth while staying true to yourself. “Real nigga music is back, turn it the fuck up,” roars Young Noble on the very dope “Tell Me Something Good.” The song is feel good music fit for drop tops and sunny skies with a melodic hook, crooned with that melodic thuggery that conjured that Tupac feel.

“Remember Me” with singing by Tony Williams is the emotional high point of the record with a spare piano s the main sound, garnished with high-key ivory and brushed cymbals on the breaks. The track speaks to the steadfast determination of the group to soldier on in the face of trials and tribulations. They speak of the dead and of memories and of being there for family and comrades. Family and God are the focus of Noble’s closing verse noting, “I want ya’ll to remember we always stood for something,” something that unfortunately not many rappers can say these days.

Maxwell’s bitchly wail from the opening of “This Woman’s Worth” is flipped for the ode to those thug loving hood women on “Don’t Wait.” The ever elusive hustler can’t seem to stick around long enough to be a family, but he loves her enough to tell her not to wait up for him. Ah the conundrum of ghetto love. Krayzie Bone delivers a crisp multi-flowed, melodic verse in the tradition of Bone.

All is not roses on the album. “Once in A Lifetime” doesn’t really fit the overall narrative. The crew is enticing chicks with no regard for who their man is and flaunting their celebrity status to star stunt is for younger cats, not vets. “So Clean” is the Outlawz version of trap music complete with candy paint references, 26 inch rims and snare drums. “100MPH,” with Bun B and Lloyd, is similarly dated even it has that feel good vibe.

In the end, the Outlawz finally proved that they had legitimate talent and the irony of Perfect Timing, is that they shined brighter without the guests, toting the chips of 15 years of naysaying and struggle. They are solid lyrically, confident in their flow and their veteran approach to crafting this album is evident. With this album standing as perhaps their last gasp as a group, it was Perfect Timing to put to rest any nothing that they were Tupac tagalongs. They succeeded.
3.5/5

Perfect Timing Review By Chiino (musicovered.com)

2011-09-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

If you have any sort of worth, you’d know the significance 13th September has to Hip Hop. On that date in 1996, it marked the death of 2Pac. The Rap nation mourned the passing of an icon and forever the industry had changed. From that point, it became his affiliates’ role to continue his legacy and – even this far down the line – they’ve done so. Dropping their latest release on that all-important date, the Outlawz

(the crew ‘Pac rolled with) return from a slight gap with the suited-titled “Perfect Timing”. Equipped with some of the best links in the Hip Hop world, here’s what happens when you’re not quite established in your own right, but every rapper going wants to be linked to the high-ranking status you’ve got.
Looking at the album on the face of it, it’s difficult to even guess at strong starting places to skip to. It may feature the likes of Tech N9ne, Lloyd and Bun B, but nothing too attention-grabbing makes this release worth delving into. Its an issue which plagues the entire album, whereby the lack of character makes it feel like more of a chore to listen to the record in its entirety, rather than take it for what it gives. A plus to consider, though, is that the teaming of Young Noble, Fatal Hussein and E.D.I. don’t use this album purely to commemorate 15 years since ‘Pac’s death. Instead, they shy away from a melancholy release, by opting to make a celebratory album… even if there isn’t with as much to get excited about.

Preconceptions about the MCs potentially returning a little rustier than their last outing (after a five-year gap between this and their last album – not including the few mixtapes in-between) turn out to be deserved. While the spirit of the ‘90s is alive with their drawled delivery, retro-era production and mature guests, they remain behind with the times. Focusing-in on “Keep it Lit”, for instance, the spitters seem lethargic as they rhyme over Mafioso-styled production. It’s one of a host of examples, which leech the release of any potential to become a Hip Hop must-have. As emotive as the lyrics may be on tunes like “Pushin’ On”, “Don’t Wait” and “Remember Me” may be, their personalities aren’t enough to carry the averagely-made beats which they ride.

While a lot of this album can be criticised for being backwards in areas (with reflective lyrics, lyrical content which hasn’t progressed etc.) they do find a way into the current swing of the Rap game; “So Clean” – with its Trunk Music shell – being one of the shining moments. Elsewhere, on “Fast Lane”, they manage to convincingly prove that they can pull off something ready for radio. It takes on a conventional format and achieves its goal, but are only special in comparison to what else is on the album.

All in all, what’s found on “Perfect Timing” is the best that you’re likely to get out of a trio of average MCs (especially when so far removed from their glory years). It comes across as another attempt to try to please the Outlawz’ old fan base, but without pushing any boundaries with their work. We find ourselves tracking over well-trodden ground, even referencing various classic Hip Hop lines. Given that the recording process for this album began in ‘09, there are clearly parts of the release which sound dated. However, the all-round sound given from the album is one which isn’t really in-touch with the current state of the industry – to a degree, this even stretches through to the acts who feature on it.
Outlawz’ “Perfect Timing” gets a musicovered score of 4/10.

Perfect Timing Review By XXLMag

2011-09-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Tuesday marked the 15th year anniversary of the death of 2Pac. As time passes, memories often fade and the void left by the loss of one man is eventually filled by the arrival of the next. As examined throughout our September issue of XXL, ‘Pac was an exception to this rule. In commemorating this date, the Outlawz have come through with the fittingly titled Perfect Timing, an homage to the man who founded the group in 1995.

The three remaining Outlawz (E.D.I Mean, Hussein Fatal, & Young Noble) kick things off on the title track “Perfect Timing,” a classic Outlawz record with a ’90s vibe that feels like ‘Pac could hop on it at any second. The trio continues to showcase their step up in production on “Fast Lane,” a spirited motivational anthem about staying on your grind. Young Noble delivers a memorable verse rapping “Get in on consignment, they fuck with you the long way/Your boy shine bright like them lights up on Broadway/Outlaw Rider, I gotta do it my way/Smoke in the air, doing 80 on the highway.” The album also boasts some notable guest features, most of which compliment the ‘Lawz very well. Highlights include Krayzie Bone’s verse on the pensive “Don’t Wait,” and Bun B’s appearance on the radio-ready “100 MPH.”

On the flip side, some of the more aggressive tracks like “Pay Off” and “New Years,” take away from the overall atmosphere of the project. The latter features a monstrous verse from Tech N9ne and results in a solid offering, but it does feel out of place in the larger context of the release.
Perfect Timing marks the end of the Outlawz era, as the group has stated this will be their final collective release. But with this project, the last men standing in the group ‘Pac formed are going out on their own terms: with an album rooted in throwback ’90s hip-hop sensibilities, accompanied with the contemporary production that makes their sound distinct and unique, rather than outdated. ‘Pac would surely be proud. —Neil Martinez-Belkin

The Outlawz Interview On Sway In The Morning

2011-09-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

EDI Getting Tatted Up @ Basement Tattoo Shop

2011-09-18T09:11:00.001-07:00

The Outlawz Interview With Respect Mag

2011-09-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Everybody has a favorite Tupac record. For the rider who blasted the street anthem “Hit’ Em Up,” ‘Pac’s lyrical assaults against the Notorious B.I.G. with some of the realest members from his crew Outlawz adding more collective insults, painted a vivid picture of ‘Thug Life’ for generations to come. Outlawz have disbanded since ‘Pac’s death, but kept in contact to honor their loyalty to the legendary rapper who touched millions of fans and artists worldwide with his Makaveli movement.

In light of ‘Pac 15th anniversary of his tragic passing on Tuesday, the once 11-member Outlawz has dwindled to three last men standing – Hussein Fatal, Young Noble and E.D.I. Mean – who released their final album Perfect Timing, on the same day. Turning the time of ‘Pac’s absence to a celebration of Outlawz’ fifteen year reunion, the trio has gathered for an album that pays homage to his unmatched toughness, while spreading their message of ‘Ghetto Gospel.’
At the Park Central Hotel in the heart of Manhattan, where Outlawz have wrapped up a busy media blitz with RESPECT., they still acknowledge ‘Pac’s ear for talent that went coast to coast, recalling a time of the One Nation joint with Boot Camp Clik and similarities within the crews, and labeling them their comrades from the East. Fans will appreciate the possibly of a collaboration, as Noble says, “It’s long overdue.”

Take note of their readiness in offering the hip-hop game another Outlawz classic. Because in the words of ‘Pac – “Its Outlawz motherfuckers till we die” – and they’re ready to keep running and gunning on Perfect Timing.

Tuesday marked the 15th anniversary of Tupac Shakur’s death. How has he impacted the game that is incomparable to other rappers?
E.D.I. – I think he has impacted the game massively. You can hear his influences from an array of different artists. From top to bottom. His music definitely impacted the industry, as well as the world.
Noble – I think ‘Pac … the reason why he is still the utmost relevancy 15 years later because of his message. He rapped about real-life, and real-life issues. Its issues that never get old – it’s timeless. 20 years from now, the messages are still going to have relevancy.

Was it a dedication to have the release of Perfect Timing on the same day?
E.D.I. – It wasn’t really a dedication, it just so happen that our album was going to drop early in 2011. But it got pushed back because of industry issues, clearances. So September was the best date, and we was like: ‘Why not September 13?’ Turn a negative day into a positive day and drop our album on the 13th. Anything we do is pretty much a dedication; it ain’t like we chose the album dropping on that day as a dedication. The music is obviously inspired by him. So it’s all a dedication to him as a whole.

You mentioned that Tupac has timeless messages. Do the Outlawz follow the same thing?
E.D.I. – Absolutely. Definitely. All through Perfect Timing you can hear that. We got a song on there called “Pushin’ On” featuring Lloyd and Scarface and that’s definitely in that vein. It’s called ‘Ghetto Gospel.’ That’s what we do.
You guys have an Outlawz G-Mix of Ross and Meek Mill’s “Tupac Back.” Was the motivation behind this record like a stamp of approval from veterans?
Noble – We did that because the streets begged us to do it. On Twitter, Facebook, and e-mails every day, the fans were like: ‘Yo you should have been on that record.’ Or whatever the case may be, they basically begged us to do it. If they didn’t beg us to do it, then we probably wouldn’t do it. That was just the ode to the streets – us responding to the people.

You guys say that you’re messengers of the ‘Ghetto Gospel.’ Is that throughout Perfect Timing and all your previous records too?
E.D.I. – It’s definitely throughout all our previous records, and Perfect Timing got that on there, but that’s not what Perfect Timing is about. Perfect Timing got music on there for every emotion in life. Whatever is up or down, left or right. Perfect Timing got that all on there.
Noble – You know, Ghetto Gospel is our main thing, but we just try to make great music.
E.D.I. – Absolutely.
Noble – Some days we want to party. Some days we just want – you know – fuck with the ladies. Some days we just want to be on our gangsta shit. We pretty much do it all, but at the end of the day – overall – we try to give ‘em some substance to our music. 80 percent substance, the rest is entertainment, lyricism all that stuff.

There are a bunch of different emotions on the album. ‘Thug Life’ has always been associated with the Outlawz and ‘Pac. Are fans going to see some heavy representations of the lifestyle on the album? Or is it progression?
E.D.I. – Its progression man. It’s all about moving forward. You can’t keep doing the same record over and over again. So, of course, we are not gonna do stuff that was before, but it all comes from the same place. It all comes from the love the music, the art, the lyricism. Delivering a message to the people and having a good time at the same time.

Are there any personal favorites you would like to mention to RESPECT.?
Fatal – We got this one joint with Tupac on there, it’s something new. Nah, I’m fuckin’ with ya. [laughs]
I like the joint “Perfect Timing.” It’s based on perfect timing. You know black diamonds. You know shining out of nothing and all that.
Noble – I be having a different one every other day man. The album, every song has a different feel to it. So every other day I got a different favorite.

What’s your favorite today?
Noble – I would say, “Keep It Lit.” We keeping it lit right now. We got it turned up to the third power. We gonna keep it lit.

This is sort of a reunion for you Fatal. You did some work on the mixtapes and now you are on Perfect Timing. What was your decision to come back to the Outlawz?
Fatal – I mean it wasn’t really a decision. It was really the perfect time. It was the perfect time to hook this shit back up. Get back to the flow of things, and dedicate this 15 years of lost time back to who we owe it to, the man ‘Pac upstairs.
Noble – Really, it’s a reunion as far as the album is concerned, but in life it ain’t a reunion. I grew up with Fatal. That’s my big brother, and I love him and honor him. Prior to this, we’ve been doing music together. We did a whole Noble and Fatal album that came out in 2008, called Thug in Thug Out. When Fatal was doing his solo stuff, we was featured on it. Rap a lot on different projects and different stuff. We just now doing stuff together, but yes it is our first full-fledged Outlawz album together. It’s crazy that it took us this long to do it. We should be kicking ourselves in our ass for even putting ourselves through that all these years.

I’ve noticed you guys didn’t reach out to the new generation of artists. Did you want to strictly keep it with the old school artists?
Noble – Actually, we fuck with a lot of the new producers on the album. The majority of the producers you’ve never heard of. Everything we do, we work with new artists. Every mixtape we introduce – new artists. Like from the beginning to our career, you listen to everything we drop, we always introduce somebody new. That’s just what we do. We fuck with the streets. We fuck with the underdogs. As for the album, we fuck with people who have mutual respect for us.
E.D.I. – Just because an artist isn’t hot on the radio every day. He just dropped his hottest album. That don’t mean he still relevant, he ain’t still got what it takes to bring something extra to the album. Scarface, Krayzie Bone, Tech N9NE – those are all vets in the game, but they’re still raw. They’re still snappin’. They’re still on top of the game, but they don’t got the “like” of the industry right now. We still wanted to reach out to them and the new artists like Lloyd. Lloyd is a new artist. We definitely got him on their twice.

You also got a production credit by Focus …?
Noble – He did one of our classic tracks.
E.D.I. – That’s your favorite track, right there! “Keep It Lit.”
Noble – He did a track for our 2005 album called “Real Talk.” That’s one of the classic Outlawz record that the fans love. They love that “Real Talk” so we had to bring Focus … back on board for the new one.

So who is the Outlawz co-signing besides Lloyd?
Noble – There’s a lot of young, up-and-coming talent.
Fatal – When you’re a fan of hip-hop as a whole, it’s harder to point out who’s hot, or who’s hotter than who. We’re not here to speak on who’s hot and who’s not. We just enjoy music as a whole.
E.D.I. – We definitely enjoy some of everything from the newer generation. I don’t feel like all is lost with hip-hop. I just think it got to add a little bit more diversity to it. But other than that, there’s a lot of young cats spitting, trying to take it to the next level and salute to all of them.
Noble – We salute the young dudes coming into the game and making a name for themselves. Making some money, feeding they families, doing what they got to do.

Rap music has changed a lot since the Outlawz were in full effect. Is rap heading in the right direction?
Noble – We trying to make it head into the right direction. We leaders. We got a whole Outlawz culture, nationwide that pretty much look to us to lead the way. We trying to bring a change to the game. It’s the perfect time for some real soldiers with real history, with a real message to set into the forefront of this game and think we represent the epitome of that. We been putting work for a long time, and we here and we are at our best right now.

So with two mixtapes [Killuminati 2k10 and Killuminati 2k11] currently circulating the web, the album dropping on Tuesday and now you guys are on Twitter, I heard that this is your last official album. Is this the time to pass the torch down to the younger generation?
E.D.I. – We pass the torch every time; we rock with one of ‘em, or see one of ‘em. A lot of cats in the game right now we knew before they got “famous” or “big.” We always pass the proverbial torch to them on that level. As far as this Outlawz torch, we are going to hold that forever. It ain’t about no passing the torch. ‘Pac gave it to us to hold on and represent it until it is no more. So we gonna always do that – whether as the group, the Outlawz – or whether you see one of us.
When you see one of us, you really see all of us anyway. It might not necessary be an Outlawz album, but there will always be Outlawz music, the family, the vibe will be there. I’m sure we will be doing different stuff on each other’s projects.
But as far as this being the last album, it really depends on the fans and how they go out there and support the album. We feel we got an audience that’s listening to us, that we can talk to and we’ll keep doing music. But if they want to move on and listen to this newer generation, then this will be the last Outlawz album.
Noble – Yeah, the game is so fucked up right now. It’s crazy. At the end of the day, we puttin’ the realest shit out there. And the game is screamin’ for something real.

Win 2Pac’s Platinum Plaque for All Eyes On Me

2011-09-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

In celebration of their new album, Perfect Timing, the Outlawz have partnered with XXLMag.com for an exclusive contest where the winner will receive 2Pac’s platinum plaque for his classic 1996 album, All Eyez On Me.
In order to enter the running, readers will have to email XXL@harris-pub.com under the subject line “Outlawz Contest” with a photo of the receipt proving that they purchased the group’s lastest CD, along with their name, phone number and physical address.
XXL will be accepting submissions until Friday, October 14. After the contest is closed, a winner will be picked at random, and Young Noble, E.D.I. Mean and Hussein Fatal will present the prize in person.
This contest is open to fans that are currently living in the United States only.
Good luck!

The Outlawz Live Interview With XXLmag

2011-09-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

Outlawz and Jim Jones collab Coming SOOON!!

2011-09-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

RipTheGeneral - Tweet This Feat. The Outlawz

2011-09-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

The Outlawz Will Give Live Interview On XXLMag.com Tomorrow

2011-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Outlawz will field questions from fans and also present a contest to win 2Pac’s platinum plaque for All Eyez on Me…

The Outlawz will be up at the XXL offices tomorrow afternoon (September 15) for a live interview on their UStream channel.

Celebrating the release of their new album, Perfect Timing, which dropped on Tuesday, the group will be taking questions from fans sent to the @XXLStaff Twitter as well as offering viewers the rare opportunity to win 2Pac’s platinum plaque for his classic 1996 album, All Eyez On Me — a contest that will only be open for the next 30 days.

Be sure to tune in to XXLMag.com on Thursday at 4 p.m. EST to catch the interview and to learn more details on the contest. —XXL Staff

Perfect Timing Review By Thuggishruggish

2011-09-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Time to review the last official album of The Outlawz "Perfect Timing". This is like the final chapter of the Outlawz Legacy and a dope album. 15 years in the game since murder of there brothers Tupac & Kadafi so its been a long ride.

Intro - Change Gon Come (Feat. Prentice of Tru Soul)
Dope intro to kick off the album, couldn't think of a better intro than this. Sets the record straight for the people and gets you in the mood for the final album.

Perfect Timing (Feat. Chae) - 9/10
This beat is hella tight, love how the beats kick off. Chae on the hook is dope and completes this track. The Outlawz also spit dope versus for the first real song of the album. All the lawz topped this one just as good as each other making a dope track overall.

Keep It Lit - 9/10
Dope piano line on this track, has that west coast kind of feeling. Hussein Fatal starts this one off with a dope verse. EDI kills the chorus and his verse same with Young Nobles verse. Noble had a dope verse. Outlawz keeping it lit for sure, giving us that fire.

Fast Lane (Feat. Malakai) - 10/10
This track is that traditional Outlawz motivational go on your grind track. Track on this beat is off the chain, goes hard and fits the track well. Young Noble kicks this one of with a dope verse and the chorus on this track is hella dope, Noble killed that shit for real. Fatal & EDI did there thing on this track to, this track one of my fav tracks for sure as well.

Pay Off (Feat. Young Buck, Kastro) - 8/10
This beat has a dark hard feeling to it. Noble kicks this track of with a hot verse with Young Buck on the chorus. Kastro spits his verse 2nd with Young Bucks verse straight after that. Fatal & EDI end this track making an overall classic. This track will def grow on you over time and is an important track as it will be one of the last songs with all the Outlawz on it.

Paranoid (Feat. Z-Ro, Trae Tha Truth, June Summers) - 9/10
This beat sounds like a typical southern style beat but sounds hot. June Summers is the guy singing on the hook and he did a good job. Z-RO & Trae on the same track means its sure to be fire! Z-RO & Trae both spit hard real dope verses on this track. Dope song concept and idea plus lawz killed it.

Pushin' On (Feat. Scarface, Lloyd) - 10/10
We all know this classic track which previously came out with Outlawz, Aktual & Tru Life. This mix up of the track is dope tho, they replaced Aktual with Lloyd and Tru Life with Scarface making an already classic track into an even more classic track. Listen to the lyrics Noble/ EDI & Scarface spit on this track, all of them spit dope/deep real lyrics. Overall this track is a beast in every aspect.

Tell Me Sumthin' Good - 9/10
This track is fast paced with a feeling that lifts you up. This type of track would be ideal for a single if they get around to it. Regardless if you listen to the Outlawz lyrics on this track they still kept it real and spit that fire on this track.

Once In A Lifetime (Feat. Aktual) - 10/10
Something about this track & beat makes me go damn this is dope as hell. The beat is something different and still sounds dope as hell. Fatal kicks it off with a classic dope verse as well. EDI & Noble killed this track as well. Dope track

So Clean (Feat. Stormey) - 8/10
They couldn't forget about there homeboy Stormey Coleman whos been down with the Lawz for a while now and went on there world tours with them. Beat goes hard on this track to, love the horns on this one. To me Stormey spit one of his best versus-es on this track, Outlawz killed this track to. Nice track overall.

100 MPH (Feat. Bun B, LLoyd) - 9/10
This track droped as the single a while back and ever since it dropped its been a dope track. Bun B & The Outlawz are a deadly combination as we first saw in the Outlawz 4 Life AP album on track "Big Ballin". Noble/EDI & Fatal all did there thing on this track and same with Loyld. This the perfect single and would of been dope as hell if it took of on the radio but we all know the Lawz have been black balled since pac passed and they aint guna pay half a mill to get there tracks played all the time.

Remember Me (Feat. Tony Williams) - 7/10
Some people will love this track but this isnt my cup of tea. Still this track is one that will grow over time and fits the album well.

Borrowed Time (Feat. Livya Lee) - 9/10
This track is a straight up banger, could imagine this track popin off at parties and at the clubs. I don't know if its me but this beat sounds like "LL Cool J - Baby ft. The Dream". Overall this track is dope and I will be banging this at parties I goto for sure.

Don't Wait (Feat. Krayzie Bone) - 9/10
Dope beat/ track concept and idea. Highlight of this track is definitely Krayzie Bones verse! He completely destroyed this track for the Lawz. Overall this a dope chilled out deep track.

New Years (Feat. Tech N9ne) - 7/10
Interesting track this is, I can tell this track will grow on me and become one of the doper tracks of the album. Goes hard & Tech Nine kills it. This a certified banger. EDI killed this track.

All The Time (Feat. Belly) - 10/10
Final track of the Outlawz album, beat goes hard and reminds me of a swizz beats/ DMX style beat. And damn, if DMX was on this track it would be KRAZYYYYYYYY!. Still this track goes hard, all the Outlawz spit dope verses on this track. But I gota give it up to Young Noble on this track, his flow and lyrics were on point on this track and go hard.

Overall I can definitely say this is the Outlawz best album hands down. I can listen to every track from beginning to end, lyrics were dope, features were tight and production was crack on this album. This album easily deserves a 9/10 as a whole piece of work and they should definitely not stop and bring us more Outlawz albums like this! This album is also up there with "Outlawz - Still I Rise" for sure

The Outlawz Interview With The Source

2011-09-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Lets talk about Perfect Timing.
E.D.I - 'Perfect Timing' is what it is September 13th.
Noble - It was just time. The album was actually supposed to come out sooner. You know a few different situations we may have ran into but, picking a September date that was the most fitting one. You know and Perfect Timing symbolizes the Perfect Time for some real soldiers with a real story and a real message step to the forefront. We are the epitome of that.

Whats the overall outlook and creative vision of the album?
EDI - A little bit of everything that folks have grown to love from The Outlawz. Its got messages, its got street shit, the uplifting music and its 100% real. Its all real non of that extra shit we're not pretending to be anything were not.
Noble - This is our first official album with Fatal with us so thats a blessing. He brought his crazy energy and lyricism to the table. But as far as production wise we elevated, in the past we were more focused on the message rather then production. This is a great album from the beginning to the end.

Fatal your back with EDI and Noble. What retracted you back to The Outlawz?
Fatal - Man I was going to kill someone or someone was going to kill me. I was running around doing all of the wrong shit. So I gave Noble a call and it just so happened they were working on something, so I just jumped on the highway and bounced with one change of clothes. Guess it was PERFECT TIMING.
Noble - Just to add something to that. I grew up with Fatal, even going through riffs it was still all love. Like fuck rap, we bump together and I care about his well being and visa versa.

"Tupac Back" has streaked across airwaves and even spun remixes. Whats your thoughts on the younger generation of Hip-Hop making reference to Pac?
E.D.I. - When I hear that, I feel its a tribute to Pac. All the work he put in and the message he put into his music. If he was just an ordinary guy we wouldn't see artists who were only 3 or 4 years old when he died making tribute to him.
Noble - I love hearing Pac's name being slinged from these ni**a's. When "Tupac Back" dropped folks were begging us to jump on that, told us that record needed us. We did our remix cause the streets were basically begging us. But to continue to hear his name on the radio and in the club, its a beautiful thing.
E.D.I - Yo the fucked up thing about it is had we done that record first or whatever the media would've said we were just riding off Pac's name. So I guess its better someone came before us and did it because I just don't want to hear the garbage that comes out of peoples mouths.

As veterans in the game, whats the Outlawz overall outlook on Hip-Hop today?
Noble - Theres a lot of garbage in Hip-Hop today, but theres a lot good music thats being overshadowed by the garbage. That being said our music speaks for itself and we want the credit we deserve as true artists. Not just motherfuckers Pac rapped with. How many rappers you seen come and go in the past 15 years, yet the Outlawz are still here. More real then we ever fucking been. Time for people to just fuck with this real ni**a shit as they should.
Fatal - I'm going to sum it up, Hip-Hop is fucking dead. It use to be about the culture now its about all of this other shit. We need to do something to bring this shit back not just us but everyone. Done real talk... Done.

What do you think about if Pac was on Twitter?
E.D.I - I don't think Pac would be on Twitter. I don't think that ni**a would be into non of that shit. It probably would've been somebody else sending shit out for him.
Fatal - I think it might have been good for him to peace up any beef he might've had. Maybe Twitter would've kept him from going off on a record. Private DM's could've settled a lot of shit.

The Outlawz Interview With West Coast Sound

2011-09-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Who used to do Pac's tattoos?
Hussein: 'Pac probably got them all over the place. There was this spot on Sunset [Mark Mahoney's Shamrock Tattoo, surely], but I can't remember the name. They were some cool cats in there -- Irish guys who wore zoot suits, greaser type dudes. We could be driving past the ink shop and he would suddenly pull over. "Where you going?" we'd ask. He'd say: "I'm going to get tatted."
Young Noble: Shit was always sporadic, whenever motherfucker felt like going to get a tattoo. He loved getting tattoos. I remember back then there wasn't too many rappers with tattoos; we looked like aliens, to me. Us and 'Pac seemed like the only rappers we'd really see with tattoos. I think 'Pac really started the whole tattoo trend, and we was right there with him.
E.D.I. Mean: Absolutely, he inspired the whole culture to start getting tattoos. I also got to give Jodeci some credit on the R&B side, since they both started doing it at the same time in the early '90s. 'Pac had been getting tatted when he was still a teenager, before he got his record deal. When he started doing photos with his shirt off, people noticed he had a lot of tattoos. We come from the era when every tattoo means something. It was a way to deal with pain, or trials and tribulations in your life. I think nowadays the younger generation gets tatted just to get tatted.

Hussein, you've got "Thug Life" across your stomach like Tupac did. Did he inspire you to get that?
Hussein: Yeah, he had his first -- before I even met him - and I got mine with his permission. Mine is a lot smaller than his.

The authors of Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon and others assert that "Thug Life" it's actually an acronym for "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fuck Everybody." Did you know that?
Hussein: Nah. Maybe he said that. Thug Life will mean whatever you [want it to] mean. If you're a thug, you're a thug. I don't know about naming the letters and all that. I doubt if that's what it really meant when he first got it.

Did anyone else in the group get the Thug Life tat?
Hussein: Nah, I think I was the only crazy, goofy one who wanted to get that on my stomach. But ee got a lot of tattoos together. We all got tatted on our neck together when he got Makaveli on his neck. 'Pac had his "Outlaw," and [eventually] we all grabbed it on our left arms, one at a time. The name [of the group] had to have been in his mind, because that's all he talked about: "The Outlawz, the Outlawz." It was between that and another name, the Lil' Homies. That couldn't happen. Thankfully we chose the Outlawz. [Laughs]
Young Noble: I also got "Outlawz" across my stomach. I got some prayer hands, and I got "Thugs Pray Too" under it. I have a Makaveli cross on my right arm that says, "Heart of a Soldier With a Brain To Teach a Whole Nation," and I got a Hail Mary tattoo in memory of Kadafi on my right arm.
E.D.I. Mean: I have "Thug Life" down the middle of my forearm, opposite the "Outlawz." I got that from 'Pac's line, "Thug life running through my veins so I'm strong," from "Bomb First" off of the Makaveli album. So for that reason it goes right down my vein on my left arm.

Why are there always rumors that 'Pac is still alive?
Young Noble: Because he's a legend. He's like the black Elvis, but really he's "Tupac the first." He has a cult following that loves him and appreciates him. They wish he was still here, and don't want to let him go.

When he died, did you have had any idea his legacy would still be so strong 15 years later?
Young Noble: Yeah, because he was a legend when he was living. When he passed, I knew it wasn't going to dwindle at all. To be honest, he used to say things like that when he was alive, the people would not let him rest in peace [when he was dead], that they were still going to say he was still alive. We didn't want to hear it; we said we'd die before him. Any of us would have taken a bullet for him. He was just one of those souls, sent here from God, to put inspiration in people.

Tell us about your new album. How is it the same as old Outlawz music, and how is it different?
Hussein: In the '90s we was a bunch of little kids rolling around. I felt like we was out there on some thug life shit. I was getting tatted like it would be my last time. Now I got three daughters. I look at life differently. I want to live life, and you'll be able to hear that in the music.
E.D.I. Mean: When I listen to Perfect Timing, the thing I hear most is diversity. There's no two songs alike on the album. We didn't just get features because they were big names, we brought them into our world. We're going to put a period on the era. We'll still do music, but as far as the Outlawz this will be the last one. Now it's time to pass the torch to the next generation.
Young Noble: Hands down, this is our best album, and the fact that it's our reunion album with [Hussein] Fatal makes it more sweet. It will feature Scarface on there, Bun B, Lloyd on two songs, Trae, Tech N9ne.

Outlawz On Burying The Hatchet With Lil Cease

2011-09-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

E.D.I Interview With Vibe

2011-09-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

In remembrance of Tupac, fifteen-years after his passing, his original group The Outlawz released a brand new project today, dubbed Perfect Timing. VIBE caught up with ringleader E.D.I. Mean to discuss the new album, Pac’s legacy and his influence on the hip-hop generation.

VIBE: What do you guys have in store for us with this new album?

E.D.I. Mean: The album is called Perfect Timing. We got about 15 songs on there, just high-level Outlawz music. We got features on there from everybody from Lloyd, Scarface, Krayzie Bone, Trae da Truth, and Z-Ro –we got them on the same record (:52-:54). We also got production from a lot of exciting, new up and coming producers. We also got one on there from Focus, who used to be down with Aftermath, who still is. It's our best work to date.

Seems like this album was a long time in the making, the group is all back together.

This project actually took us some months to do and it also marks the return of Hussein Fatal back into the group format. He was the first to go solo pack in '96, after Pac passed so this is 15-years in the making for him being back in the group and it's just perfect timing for some real music and some honesty to come back.

Rap music has changed so much since Pac left us, are we getting some of his warrior spirit with this project?

Absolutely and our album is going to take you through the gamut of emotions that we go through even in a day, like the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the goods and bads. This album reflects all of that. You're going to be album to party on this album and reflect. You're going to be able to reminisce about the people you've lost or any emotion as all that you might go through.

So are we going to hear any totally unreleased Tupac verses?

Nah, nah we don't do that anymore. Pac has put in enough work and then some. He's the hardest working dead man in the history of music. We're putting it to rest right now. In this album you're going to get 100% Outlawz along with features of the people that we vibe with musically and that we respect in the game and that's why they're all a part of this project. You want some more Pac go back to that old stuff; it still sounds new.

Can you tell us about one of your most personal or one of your favorite tracks on the album we should look out for?

I got a few, man, but right off the top of my head I would say the title track. "Perfect Timing" is the first song on the album. It's quintessential Outlawz music. It's what people come to know and love from us post-Pac. That's one of my favorites. Also the one Focus did for us called "Keep it Lit." It takes it back to the 90s era. The album kind of gives you a 90s vibe mixed with what's going on nowadays.

It's like an updated perspective from the Outlawz about what's going on today?

Absolutely.

Were there any “Dear Pac” letters or tracks dedicated to him?

Being that our work is heavily inspired by Tupac, you get that vibe on every song. Like on "Perfect Timing," I can almost hear Pac on this track. We got a song on there called "Remember Me" and I think a lot of people, when they hear it it's going to remind them of a Tupac song. So I'll point to that one as far as being a somewhat dedication to him or something like that.

Do you see his influence in young rappers today?

It's all through the rap game. It's definitely going to be all through us because we were the ones that knew him for real. Of course Pac's spirit is going to loom over this industry for many more years to come. So people probably didn't think it would last this long and we see they were wrong about that.

How hard was it for you guys to actually put the album out on Tupac's 15 year anniversary? Was that something you guys planned for a while or did it kind of come up recently?

It kind of came together like that. Actually we were planning on putting this album out in early 2011, but you know how the music industry goes –clearances and paperwork kind of delays projects sometimes, so it delayed our project and our label was like "September looks like the ideal month," and we were like "Damn the 13 falls on a Tuesday, so why not." Let's turn a negative into a positive for us and everybody else.

So this album is like a celebration of his life?

We never had an album that dropped around that anniversary or his birthday. We never wanted to play to that kind of thing, but this year it just felt right to put it out on September 13. Like I said the loyal listeners and the diehard Outlawz fans are all anxiously waiting and they're ready to celebrate on September 13.

This year Pac’s name was everywhere in hip-hop with Meek Mill and Ross' "Tupac Back” record. How do feel about it?

It's one of the hottest records out right now. We did own special G-mix for it and put it on our last mixtape Killuminati 2K11. That's all over the streets and all over the internet. That record did a lot for it. You got Pac popping up in everybody's verses, lines. People trying to remake his movies and turn them into videos. Soulja Boy was talking about doing Juice over. Pac is just one of those figures in music, not just rap, but in music period, that’s his legacy, his spirit, just won't die, no matter how hard people try. The more you try to stop it the bigger it grows. I think Meek Millz' "Tupac Back" record helped it, but it was kind of already going in that direction and I think they just picked up on the energy and did it themselves.

Did you have a chance to meet up with Meek?

Nah, nah, we never had a chance to meet up with Meek, but we ran into Ross on Pac's 40^th birthday party that we do every year down in Atlanta, hosted by my homeboy Mike Epps and he came to the show and we showed appreciation for him for doing what they do to keep my homebody's name. They helping keep it alive in these streets and Rick Ross sent the love back. It's all love. We appreciate the gesture. If I know Pac like I know him, he would appreciate the fact that his name is still beating out of everybody's car, on the radio every day. I think he would appreciate that.

Even with Soulja Boy, he must've been like five years old when 2pac was popping. What were your initial thoughts when you heard he wanted to remake Juice?

You know what's crazy? I heard Justin Bieber say Tupac was his favorite rapper because his mom used to play Tupac when he was a little boy so it's no surprise to me man because when you make music for the people and you got a message in your music, it's going to impress generations to come. We've already seen it with Bob Marley and how people that love Bob Marley weren't even alive when he was alive and doing his thing When you're a great artist and you write music for the people and there is a message in it, your message is going to endure for decades to come and if these up and coming rappers want to learn anything through Pac–learn that from Pac, don't learn all the bravado, all the shit you've seen on TV, don't take that and emulate that; emulate the fact that this man cared enough about the people. He wanted you to dance half of the time, but for the most part he wanted you to learn something and take something from his music at the end of the day that could enrich your life.

He had so many sides to him I think a lot of the times some of the younger kids get caught up in the Thug Life imagery and not even get into his whole story and everything that he stood for.

Absolutely and that's the mistake being made. I guess Pac's charisma and his in your face attitude kind of blinds people to the fact of what was really going on under the surface and that's unfortunate. I also feel people should dig a little digger and don't just go for what you see on the screen, dig a little deeper into the man and really get to know him and what he was about.

Is there a story that you would want to share with people about Pac that would surprise people?

Pac literally saved lives. He never did it for press or for media. I've seen this man pay people's rent when they were about to get evicted. He'd go to the desolate part of downtown LA and hand out hundred dollar bills. His heart was as big as a house, literally. I don't think people really know that about Pac. I wouldn't even call it charity because he felt like it was his responsibility. He did it because it was because it had to be done. I also don't think people know the comedian side of Pac. Pac was a comedian. He loved to laugh and loved to have a good time. He wasn't just always serious and militant and ready for war.

I heard that behind the scenes, Pac was like a jokester, playing pranks on everybody, trying to get people to laugh all the time.

Absolutely, if the mood was down in the room he would absolutely pick it up. That's one of the things that I miss about him, probably top two or three, is the fact that he loved to laugh. He wanted to make everybody else laugh and have a good time.

I wished more people would have saw his other side.
Unfortunately, he had to get up out of here too soon.

Do you think Pac would still be rapping if he was still here or do you think he would have shifted into doing more charity work or movies?

It's hard to say. We've gotten that question a lot over the years and one thing I never try to do is speculate what Pac would be doing right now because he was an ever evolving person. We're always evolving, but Pac kind of evolved a little bit faster than some of the rest of us. The stuff he did and had to go through at 22, 23, 24, most people don't really have to go through that shit until later on in their life, so it's hard what he would be doing right now or where he would be at. I know one of the things he was talking about before he passed was getting into politics. You could definitely maybe say that would be one of the things that he would be doing at 40, but like I said it's hard to say and I don't like to speculate.

All of us at VIBE are really looking forward to the next Outlawz project and see how hot you guys grow because you guys are really like his students, his soldiers...

Absolutely and we went from soldiers to generals and now we're trying to lead another generation of people. That's what we're here for. We're not just about taking money from the game and taking fame from the game. It's really about giving back at this point in our career because honestly we've gotten everything that we've ever wanted out of the game already; Pac made sure of that, so now it's up to us to give it back.

Is there anywhere where fans can see Outlawz on tour?

We're definitely going to be in a ghetto near you, touching the people. We're not going to be up in VIP away from the people; we're going to be with the people, so look for us after this album drop. We've been doing shows up in Canada all year because they've really been showing a lot of Outlawz love to us. Definitely look for us on the road. We're going to do a promo tour and we'll make sure everybody have the dates.

Is there anything else you want to let the people know?

Follow us on Twitter @TheOutlawz, get the mixtapes Killuminati 2K10 and 2K11 and pick up Perfect Timing September 13.

The Outlawz Interview With Planet ILL

2011-09-13T06:21:00.000-07:00