Twenty years after rapper Tupac Shukur started The Outlawz – the group he formed months before his death after being released from jail – will return to Australia for a national tour.
One of the original, ten rappers that Tupac selected to join The Outlawz, Young Noble really loves Australian crowds. “In America, there are performances by artists every day of the week and there are only certain spots which appreciate it as much as they should.
“Australia is great, because you guys don't get as many acts as the States. This usually makes you guys hungrier for a top-shelf performance. I can tell you now, the crazier the crowd goes, the crazier we go. “I like Melbourne and Sydney, but the other places like Brisbane and Perth are the best because you guys always go hard when we come out.”
The Outlawz as a collective have released more than 50 albums. “I think we got a little mixture of everything,” he says from his home in Atlanta. “If you listen to our projects we try to keep the classic Outlaw feel.
“When you been [sic] in the game for 20 years, you need to be able to keep the creativity flowing and to try new things. Sometimes you might hear something from us you never heard before. We're not trying to keep up with the times for the sake of it, but we are definitely combining a lot of the old with a bit of the new. We just do what we do, these youngsters have to keep up with us.”
Noble's musical journey began in 1994 when he was hanging with Yaki Kadafi, Shakur's half-brother. When Shakur was released from jail in late '95, Noble was introduced to Shakur and later, after recording verses on 'Don Killuminati', was accepted into The Outlawz as the final member. “Tupac told me I was the last Outlaw, that I made the group complete. From then on I was dedicated to being a team player and to keeping this momentum up. I haven't stopped since day one. I'm carrying this Outlaw flag until I can't carry it no more.”
Noble also has a lot of opinions about the new generation of artists. “I salute all the young brothers making music. I salute anyone who can make a way in this cold, cold world doing what they love. “But as far as the state of the music, most of it is not that good – everyone is rapping about the clubs and the happy times. They are stealing each other's sound.
"Back in the day, if you sounded like someone else, it wasn't going to work for you. Everybody has a mixtape, everyone is a rapper. It seems like there is no soul left in the music. None of these dudes are speaking on this, which is unfortunate.”
Although Noble isn't looking for a return to the classic west coast sound, necessarily. “This is a young and old head game. I like great music and don't get me wrong, a lot of young dudes [sic] make great music. I'm not trying to resurrect any old sound, I like the soul music sound. Something that will touch my soul and I think the world is craving for that as well.
“Instead of telling different artists to do that, that's what I do, with myself and with The Outlawz. That's why The Outlawz are still here. There isn't a way in the world we would still be doing what we do if we weren't talented, or without Pac's guidance.”
