The
Outlawz
deny allegationsthat they tried to pick a fight with Puffy while rehearsing
for MTV’s 20th anniversary at the Hammerstein Ballroom
in New York. This contradicts reports from mainstream
media like the NY Post (Pagesix.com) and the Fox News
Network who claimed the group “tried to revive
the old feud between East and West Coast rappers”
and declared Outlaw member Napoleon was a “fan”
of Tupac.
Group member
EDI said in an interview with Allhiphop, “We lost
two of the greatests of all time and it’s ridiculous
to assume we came to rekindle old beef. We are telling
everybody from our mouths, that there is no beef.”
Instead, he said the group has been focused on working
on their new album, Novakane, set to drop in Oct 23.
Below is the exclusive press release from
The Outlawz.
OUTLAW
RECORDZ
August 3, 2001
The Sensitivity Of
The Tupac and Biggie
Legacy Continues
New York,
NY… Hammerstein Ballroom, in response to the glut
of stories that ran regarding the words between The
Outlawz and P. Diddy at the MTV 20th Anniversary party
on Wednesday, August 1… miscommunication erupted.
A spokesman
from Outlaw Recordz feels their side of the story needs
to be heard. The Outlawz were invited guests of Treach
from Naughty By Nature because Treach was close with
Tupac and he felt that the Outlawz should be there to
shed a tear for their mentor and family member (the
number one selling rap artist of all time) the late
Tupac Shakur.
During sound
check for the MTV 20th Anniversary Hiphop medley…
The Outlawz and Treach from Naughty By Nature came on
stage for Tupac’s tribute at the end of the medley.
Napoleon from The Outlawz received the mic from P. Diddy
so he could represent for Tupac. After the tribute was
done P. Diddy received the mic back. However, Napoleon
from The Outlawz felt the need to pay respect to other
fallen Hiphop artists such as: Easy E, Big Pun, Freaky
Tah, Big L, etc. Both entourages thought there were
words being exchanged and there weren’t. Unfortunately
it turned into something that it really wasn’t.
Because of the sensitivity of the history, people who
weren’t involved overreacted. Afterwards both camps
went behind closed doors and cooler heads prevailed.
A spokesman
from Outlaw Recordz adds, "It was Hammerstein Ballroom’s
security who asked The Outlawz to vacate the premises
because of the sensitivity of the situation."
EDI from
The Outlawz spoke with Allhiphop.com and said the following,
"we lost two of the greatest rappers of all time
and it’s ridiculous to assume that we came to rekindle
old beef."
