Outlawz’s Young Noble Insists 2Pac Could’ve Survived Shooting: “[Afeni] Let Her Son Go”
Outlawz rapper Young Noble recently sat down with the Art of Dialogue for his first interview in more than seven years. Naturally, his Outlawz brethren/Hip-Hop icon 2Pac was a heavy topic of discussion.
At one point during the conversation, Young Noble looked back on the 1997 shooting of The Notorious B.I.G., which took place mere months after 2Pac was gunned down in Las Vegas.
“It was crazy,” he said. “Biggie dying affected us, too […] I was almost questioning like, ‘Damn man, maybe I should have stayed in school and figured something else out.’ Like, ‘I don’t know if I made the right decision getting in the car with [Hussein] Fatal and Yaki [Kadafi] that day. This doesn’t feel good.’
“I left the hood to come to California. I was tired of death and all this b#######. Two of my friends just died back to back. It was horrible. Horrible for Hip-Hop.”
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Young Noble then questioned if anyone learned anything from the deaths of 2Pac and Biggie considering the shocking number of murders in the rap community still happening.
“That’s why I haven’t done an interview in seven years,” he admitted. “2Pac said it best, I’m gonna save my f#####’ breath, spend time with my family, go on vacation.” He concluded, “It was horrible when Biggie died just all around the board.”
From there, Young Noble started reflecting on seeing 2Pac at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he ultimately died, and the numerous conspiracy theories that suggest he’s still alive.
“No, he really died,” he said. “He was really in the hospital. I saw him with tubes in his body. I saw his body full of fluid. He was real big. He wasn’t skinny with the six-pack. Body was full. He really f###### died on us.”
Despite 2Pac’s grim condition, Young Noble believes he could’ve survived, but his mother Afeni Shakur decided to take a more compassionate route for her son.
“He probably could have lived,” he added. “His mama said, ‘Nah.’ F### all that.’ I think he lost his finger. I think he was gonna lose a lung, trying to do all these surgeries. You know how strong your mama gotta be to say, ‘Damn, he probably could make it. I don’t want my son to endure no more pain in this world. Y’all tear him down.’
“That s### is devastating. She let her son go. ‘Pac ain’t die. Afeni said, ‘Let my son fly.’ That’s it. Bruh, can you imagine that? A guy as amazing as him. The world in his f###### palms. His mama like, ‘F### that. Let him go. Let him fly. Y’all don’t even f#####’ deserve him. He been gone since I was 18. I’m 46. All muthafuckas want to do is get on camera and dissect his f###### life. N#### was amazing.”
He ended with, “That n#### was everything. Died at 25” before walking off the set with tears in his eyes.
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The Outlawz (also known as Outlaw Immortalz) were founded by 2Pac in 1995 and became widely known for their collaborations with him, especially on his later works. ‘Pac wanted the group to embody rebellion and resistance.
Members were chosen from his close friends and associates, many of whom he knew from his youth or through the music scene.
The group contributed significantly to 2Pac’s albums, including All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Their most famous feature was on the song “Hit ‘Em Up,” a vicious diss track targeting Biggie Smalls and Bad Boy Records. After 2Pac’s death, the group continued to release music but never achieved the same level of success as they had under their mentor’s guidance.