Yaki Kadafi

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Yaki Kadafi
Birth name Yafeu Akiyele Fula
Also known as Young Hollywood
Born (1977-10-09)October 9, 1977
Origin Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
Died November 10, 1996(1996-11-10) (aged 19)
Genres Hip hop, gangsta rap
Occupations Rapper
Years active 1993–1996
Labels Death Row Records/Interscope
Associated acts 2Pac, Outlawz, Tha Dogg Pound

Yafeu Akiyele Fula (October 9, 1977 – November 10, 1996), better known by his stage name, Yaki Kadafi, was an American rapper from Irvington, New Jersey. Kadafi's parents, Yaasmyn Fula and Sekou Odinga, were both members of the Black Panther Party.[1] The mothers of Kadafi and Tupac Shakur shared a close friendship, this made Yaki Kadafi and Tupac Shakur close childhood friends until their untimely deaths in 1996. Yaki Kadafi was credited for co-writing some very significant hits with the late rapper Tupac Shakur. ASCAP holds the respective records under the name "FULA YAFEU A".[2] Among these 53 records kept by the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers are such notable titles as: Hit em up, Still I Rise, All about U, Gangsta Party and Me against the world, which charted at #1 of the Top 200 Billboard Charts[3] in 1995. That same year, Kadafi and the late rapper Tupac Shakur founded the rap group Outlawz.

Outlaws

When 2Pac was in prison in 1995 on sexual assault charges, Kadafi visited him daily, at one of these visits, 2Pac and Kadafi decided to form the rap group "Outlawz". That same year, upon Tupac's release from prison, Kadafi met with Shakur to sign with Death Row Records. He guest starred on Tupac's 9 times platinum album titled "All Eyez On Me" (#1 on the U.S. Billboard 200) and featured on 3 songs, one of them was the single Hit 'Em Up released June 4, 1996 (Death Row/Intercope). The song is also included on the compilation album Death Row: The Singles Collection, on 2Pac's Greatests Hits, and on the compilation album Death Row Greatest Hits. The Outlawz burst onto the scene in 1996 as the ‘Outlaw Immortalz.

Tupac's death

On September 13, 1996, Tupac Shakur died after being shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7. Yaki Kadafi was in the car directly behind Shakur, and claimed to have seen the white cadillac pull up alongside Shakur and open fire.[4] Kadafi said that he could identify one of the shooters. Stunned by his loss, he immediately returned to New Jersey before any detectives had the chance to interview him.

Death

On November 10, 1996, two months after Shakur's death, Kadafi was found slumped in the third-floor stairwell of an apartment building at 325 Mechanic Street, in Orange NJ. According to the news report in the Las Vegas Sun,[5] Fula was found by New Jersey police at 3:48 a.m. Fula had been shot once in the head. The news report names him a witness in the shooting of Tupac Shakur.

It has been reported that he was visiting his girlfriend in New Jersey when he was struck dead by a bullet.

The Washington Times named Fula in their List of Rappers gunned down, which looks at 20 notable rappers gunned down.[6] His death has been written about in numerous printed publications including the book by Cathy Scott[7] and several others.[8]

Discography (posthumous)

Solo album

  • Son Rize Vol.1 (2004) (Havenotz Entertainment)

Collaboration album

Compilations

Guest appearances

References

  1. ↑ ""IMDb Biography of Yafeu Fula" IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 25 May 2012. 
  2. ↑ ""ASCAP Records of Yafeu Fula" ASCAP". ASCAP. Retrieved 22 May 2012. 
  3. ↑ - Me against the world ""Billboard Top 200" Me against the world". Billboard. Retrieved 22 May 2012. 
  4. ↑ ""Witness to Rapper's killing is shot dead"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 May 2012. 
  5. ↑ Scott, Cathy. "Shakur shooting witness found dead in N.J.". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 22 May 2012. 
  6. ↑ "List of Rappers gunned down". Washington Times. Retrieved 22 May 2012. 
  7. ↑ The Killing of Tupac Shakur. Retrieved 5 June 2012. 
  8. ↑ "Published books about Yaki Kadafi". Retrieved 5 June 2012. 

External links

Outlawz
Albums
Collaboration albums
Related albums
Singles
Related articles
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