Outlawz

這支西岸Gangsta Rap團體Outlawz首次得到人們注意還是由于2Pac的關(guān)系，正是在2Pac的專輯中，嘻哈圈才第一次聽說Outlawz這個名字。在2Pac死后出版的專輯《Still I Rise》中，Outlawz無私的貢獻也讓他們終于有了一展身手的機會。千呼萬喚使出來，2000年，Outlawz自行出版了他們的首張專輯《Ride Wit Us or Collide Wit Us》。無疑，這是一張向2Pac致敬的專輯，我們可以在專輯的封面上可以看到2pac那張消瘦的面龐，當(dāng)然是在涂鴉墻上，那個智者，那個英雄。所有人都知道他們?yōu)槭裁匆@樣做，為了死去的靈魂，人們希望Outlawz可以續(xù)寫傳奇。一年之后，Outlawz發(fā)行了專輯《Novakane》，這又是一次遲到的紀念。 在專輯《Novakane》的封面上，我們依然可以依稀的看到背景天空中2Pac那炯炯的雙眼，Outlawz繼續(xù)為了2Pac而存在。專輯的音樂已經(jīng)絕對的匪幫說唱，四個MC輪番上陣，氣勢逼人，比起《Still I Rise》更為冷靜。但客觀的講，作為西岸的匪幫饒舌樂手，Outlawz的音樂并沒有任何突破，只是他們傳承了人們所想要聽到的，看到的，以及人們至今還依舊懷念的。即使是作2PAC的影子，也是足夠的。 by Jason Birchmeier West Coast rappers Outlawz are known primarily for their affiliation with 2Pac. It was on 2Pac's Makaveli album that Outlawz first came to the greater rap community's notice, appearing on a few songs. In 1999 they were co-billed on the posthumous 2Pac album Still I Rise, granting them even more recognition and furthering their short-lived affiliation. It wasn't until late 2000, though, that they finally got the go-ahead to release their debut album, Ride wit Us or Collide wit Us. Featuring a cover that placed 2Pac's image in the foreground, along with numerous references to the deceased legend, this debut made the most of Outlawz's reputation for being 2Pac's supposed protégés. Unfortunately, the album didn't prove to be much of a success, and neither did the group's follow-up album a year later, Novakane, also released on the group's Outlaw Recordz label (distributed by Koch). While Outlawz no doubt retained 2Pac's West Coast thug/gangsta style, they unfortunately were fairly average rappers in terms of skills and too often fell back on their 2Pac affiliation and descended into generic thug motifs. And it didn't help that they weren't aligned with any of the West Coast's better producers. In fact, Outlawz weren't really aligned with anyone on the West Coast -- not Snoop Dogg and his Dogghouse clique, nor the Bay Area scene centered around E-40 and Spice 1. Member Young Noble collaborated with Layzie Bone in 2006 for the album Thug Brothers, released by the Real Talk label. The label also released the Outlawz album Against All Oddz later that same year.