Yaki Kadafi

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. The mothers of Kadafi and 2Pac Shakur shared a close friendship, this made Yaki Kadafi and 2Pac Shakur close childhood friends until their untimely deaths in 1996. Yaki Kadafi was credited for writing some very significant hits for the late rapper 2Pac Shakur. ASCAP holds the respective records under the name "FULA YAFEU A". 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 in 1995. That same year, Kadafi and the late Rapper 2Pac Shakur founded the rap group Outlawz.

Outlawz
When 2Pac was incarcerated 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’ – They consisted of 2Pac, Hussein Fatal, Kastro, Napoleon, Mussolini, E.D.I. Mean, Kormaini and Yaki Kadafi.

Tupac's death
On September 13, 1996 Tupac Shakur died after being shot in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. Yaki Kadafi was in the car directly behind Shakur, and claimed to have seen the white cadillac pull up alongside Shakur and open fire. 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. According to the news report of the Las Vegas Sun, 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 2Pac Shakur.

It has been reported that he was visiting his girlfriend in New Jersey when he was struck dead by a bullet. Outlawz member Napoleon had admitted to hip hop magazine The Source that his cousin Roddy had shot Yaki Kadafi while the two of them were intoxicated with alcohol and drugs. The Washington Times named him in their "List of Rappers gunned down", which looks at 20 notable Rappers gunned down.

Discography (posthumous)

 * Solo Album:
 * Son Rize Vol.1 (2004) (Havenotz Entertainment)


 * With Outlawz:
 * Still I Rise (1998) (Death Row/Intercope)
 * Compilations:
 * All About U
 * Collaborations:
 * Me Against The World (Tupac Shakur album) (Me Against The World; Outlaw)
 * All Eyez on Me (Tupac Shakur album) (All bout U; When We Ride)
 * The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (Tupac Shakur album) (Hail Mary; Just Like Daddy)
 * R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (Tupac Shakur album) (Enemies With Me)
 * Greatest Hits (Tupac Shakur album) (Hail Mary; Me Against the World; Hit 'em up; All About U)
 * Until the End of Time (Tupac Shakur album) (M.O.B.; Runnin' On E; U Don't Have 2 Worry)
 * Better Dayz (Tupac Shakur album) (Fuck 'Em All; Late Night; Fame; There U Go; Who U Believe In; They Don't Give a Fuck About Us)
 * Tupac Resurrection (Tupac Shakur album) (Secretz of War; Starin' Through My Rear View)
 * Pac's Life (Tupac Shakur album) (Don't Sleep; Soon As I Get Home; Don't Stop; Untouchable)