News of November 15, 2007
Napoleon's Path to Islam (Part 1): The Encounter with Kadafi
From childhood trauma via the Outlawz to Islam: how Napoleon found Tupac through Yaki Kadafi. A 2007 archive interview, newly contextualized.
On November 15, 2007, the first part of a remarkable video interview appeared on this site’s blog (then Thuglove.de / United-Tupac.Com): Napoleon, a former member of Tupac’s group Outlawz, spoke about his childhood, Kadafi, and his path to Islam. Back then, the blog published a lightly smoothed German text version; here are the core statements.
Childhood Trauma, Kadafi, and the Road to Death Row
Napoleon recounted that his parents were murdered when he was three years old. He was at home during the crime and was wounded in the foot. He attributed the perpetrators to the Nation of Islam. Afterward, he grew up with his Christian grandparents in New Jersey.
As a teenager, he began writing lyrics, inspired among others by Queen Latifah, who frequented the house as a family friend. Contact with Tupac came about through his childhood friend Yaki Kadafi. Following Tupac’s release from prison in 1995, the young rappers went with him to Los Angeles to Death Row.
Documented Tragedy and Two Corrections to the Group’s History
Napoleon’s legal name is Mutah Wassin Shabazz Beale and he was born in 1977; he grew up in Irvington, New Jersey. The murder of his parents in their apartment is documented by press reports; the Los Angeles Times described it in 2003 as an execution in front of the child’s eyes. His attribution of the perpetrators is his own account.
Two details of that earlier translation need clarification: Yaki Kadafi was Tupac’s godbrother, not his half-brother. Furthermore, the Outlawz in their familiar form only emerged in late 1995 after Tupac’s release; before that, there had been a predecessor group called Dramacydal. The Outlawz became known primarily through their appearances on Tupac’s Makaveli album.
Farewell to Rap: Faith, Lectures, and Coffee in Saudi Arabia
Napoleon converted to Islam in 2001 and gave up alcohol and drugs. In 2006, he released his only solo album, Loyalty Over Money, and subsequently retired from music.
Since then, he has appeared as a motivational speaker; in 2014 and 2017, media outlets reported on a coffee business he runs in Saudi Arabia. Continued: Part 2.