Stretch (rapper)
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| Stretch | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Randy Walker |
| Also known as | Stretch |
| Born | April 8, 1972 |
| Died | November 30, 1995 (aged 23) |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
Randy Walker known as Stretch (died 30 November 1995) was an American rapper and producer from New York City, New York. He is most famous for his close association with Tupac Shakur during the early 1990s and was part of the hip hop group, Live Squad. He was murdered on November 30, 1995, exactly one year to the day after Shakur's first ambush and shooting.
Stretch was introduced to 2Pac in October of 1991 by Digital Underground head Shock G, and the two became close friends almost immediately. They became roommates and Stretch, who carried guns and wore thick gold necklaces, would influence Shakur's image. [1] He would take a large part in 2Pac's first two albums, both solo and as part of The Live Squad and their larger collective, the Underground Railroad.
Stretch produced and rapped on the song "Crooked Ass Nigga" and rapped on "Tha Lunatic" from 2Pac's first album, 2Pacalypse Now; he also produced several songs on Pac's followup, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. He was also good friends with the Notorious B.I.G. and, along with Pac, appeared on the song "Runnin" with 2Pac, Biggie, Dramacydal and Buju Banton for the One Million Strong compilation album. This would later be remixed by Eminem into a better-known version for the Tupac: Resurrection soundtrack, featuring only Biggie and a different 2Pac verse.
The three also recorded a song called "House of Pain" intended for Big's first album, Ready to Die, but the song was left off due to 2Pac's incarceration. This song was also to be remixed and released on the latest Biggie album, Duets: The Final Chapter, featuring Nas in Stretch's place. Stretch recorded a verse for "So Many Tears," a song from 2Pac's 1995 album Me Against the World , but was removed before the album was released.
He was featured on the song Pain by Tupac and even performed it live with Mr. Shakur.
Stretch would be one of Shakur's entourage when Shakur was robbed and attacked at a recording studio in Manhattan. Shakur was shot while Stretch wasn't, which would later raise his suspicion that he was set up and that Stretch, Biggie and others were involved. Stretch and 2Pac had a falling-out afterwards, and the date of his death has bred rumors that 2Pac carried out or influenced the shooting. On the song "Against All Odds" from the Makaveli - the Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory album, he raps a supposed reference to Stretch:
- And that nigga that was down with me
- Rest his head
- Switched sides, guess his new friends wanted him dead
On this song he also raps about Jimmy Henchman, Haitian Jack and King Tut, the men that supposedly carried out 2Pac's 1994 shooting. [2]
Stretch also had small roles in Shakur's films Juice and Bullet. He also appeared in the film Who's the Man?.
On November 30, 1995, Stretch was killed in an execution-style murder in Queens. This was exactly one year after Tupac's first shooting.
