As of October 2026: Malcolm Greenidge testified as a prosecution witness on August 25, 2026, at the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis. Davis was found guilty in Las Vegas on August 31, 2026, of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon. Sentencing is set for October 13, 2026. Davis denies the crime and has announced an appeal; the verdict is not final.
He was sitting in the car behind Tupac when the shots were fired in Las Vegas. Nearly 30 years later, he stood in court as an eyewitness. Malcolm Greenidge, known as E.D.I. Mean, was there when Tupac’s childhood friends became a rap crew. As the only member of the Outlawz, he accompanied the group from their very first verse.
Two Families Become a Crew
Greenidge was born in New York in 1974. In his words, his family and the Shakur family have been connected “for over 50 years.” In third grade, he became friends with Tupac’s cousin Katari Cox, who later performed as Kastro. Through him, he met Tupac. In 1992, he formed a rap trio with Kastro and Tupac’s godbrother Yafeu Fula-the future Yaki Kadafi. They initially called themselves Thoro Headz, then Young Thugz. Greenidge rapped as Big Malcolm. Their base was on the East Coast, primarily in New Jersey.
Tupac brought the teenagers into the studio early on. As early as February 4, 1993, they made their record debut on Flex, the B-side of the single Holler If Ya Hear Me. In late 1993, Mutah Beale-the future Napoleon—joined them, and the trio was now called Dramacydal. On Me Against the World (1995), the group can be heard on the title track and on Outlaw.
A Dictator’s Name for a Fresh Start
After his release from prison in October 1995, Tupac formed the Outlaw Immortalz from Dramacydal and additional rappers. Each member was given the name of a dictator or enemy of the United States. Greenidge received that of Ugandan ruler Idi Amin: E.D.I. Mean.
On All Eyez on Me from February 1996, he raps on Tradin’ War Stories, When We Ride, and Thug Passion. In June 1996, alongside Hussein Fatal and Kadafi, he was among the guest voices on Hit ‘Em Up, the diss track aimed at Bad Boy. He can also be heard on the posthumous Makaveli album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory on tracks including Bomb First (My Second Reply) and Life of an Outlaw.
In the Car Behind Suge Knight
On September 7, 1996, Greenidge came to Las Vegas for the Mike Tyson boxing match. In court in 2026, he recounted having ridden earlier in a Lexus with Tupac and Tupac’s fiancée. He missed the fight itself because he was waiting for a call from Tupac that never came. Later that evening, he rode in the car directly behind Suge Knight’s BMW. Tupac’s bodyguard Frank Alexander was at the wheel; Kadafi was also in the car.
When shots were fired from a light-colored Cadillac at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, Greenidge saw an arm and a gun, according to his own account. According to police records, in his taped statement that very same night, he answered the question of whether he could identify the shooters with a curt “Nope.” The exact sequence of events of the shooting is described on the page The Las Vegas Shooting 1996.
Contradictions and Mistrust
In late February 1997, Greenidge and Alexander told the Los Angeles Times that they had seen the perpetrators and had never been asked to look at photos of suspects. Greenidge described four men in a white Cadillac. He had not seen who pulled the trigger, he said, but had seen all four faces for a split second: “I can’t promise you I could identify them, but nobody has ever even asked me to try.” Las Vegas police countered that the statements made by both men on the night of the crime did not match at all what they had told the newspaper.
In March 1997, investigators met both men in Southern California. According to police, Greenidge stated at the Compton police station that he had never seen the shooter, and he refused to look at the photos. The episode illustrates the mistrust between Tupac’s circle and the police that crippled the investigation for years. The Los Angeles Times spelled his name “Greenridge” at the time. That is the origin of the incorrect spelling frequently seen elsewhere.
To the Witness Stand by Court Order
Greenidge did not come voluntarily. He told Complex afterward that he had not responded to inquiries from the prosecution. Investigators then contacted his children, until a process server finally showed up at his door with a subpoena. In court, he confirmed that he was testifying only under court order.
On August 25, 2026, he described to the jury what he had seen: an arm and a gun, no faces. The shooter appeared to be Black, and the shots came from the back seat. This detail matched Davis’s earlier accounts. He also recounted how the gravely wounded Tupac shouted to him at the second stop: “Get on the ground. They’re going to shoot you.” When he turned around, a police officer was holding a shotgun to his face (more under Last Words). On a photo of the sidewalk after the shooting, he pointed out himself and another Outlawz member. Tupac, he stated, had intended to found his own label at the time and had talked business with Quincy Jones.
After the verdict, he said he was relieved that “this part of the saga” was over. For him personally, closure had come long ago: “The streets had spoken many years ago, and spoken loud.” He called the trial “a show for the people” and a bit of closure for Tupac’s family. On the proceedings themselves: The Trial of Duane Davis.
Solo Career and a Belated Grammy for Tupac
Following Tupac’s death and the murder of Kadafi in November 1996, Greenidge helped hold the group together. He can be heard on every Outlawz album, starting with Still I Rise (1999). In 2002, the duo album Blood Brothers with Kastro was released, followed from 2010 by solo albums such as The Stash Spot (2010) and O.G. Est. 1992 (2013).
On July 4, 2025, he publicly announced the death of Young Noble, his partner of more than 30 years. He asked for privacy for the family and wrote that mental illness was “a real battle being fought by so many.” More on Young Noble can be found under Other Outlawz.
On May 8, 2026, at the Grammy Hall of Fame gala evening in Beverly Hills, E.D.I. Mean accepted the honor for All Eyez on Me—on behalf of Tupac, the family, the estate, and the fans. Tupac was “more than an artist,” he said: “a poet, a revolutionary spirit, and one of the most fearless voices of his generation.”