2Pac would likely still be alive had he signed with J. Prince and Rap-A-Lot Records, according to former Outlawz rapper Napoleon.
During a recent interview with The Art of Dialogue, Napoleon was asked about Prince wanting to sign the late Hip Hop legend to his Houston-based label while he was still behind bars, but Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight beat him to it. From there, he discussed that fateful day in Las Vegas when 2Pac got into an altercation with suspected killer Orlando Anderson just hours before he was shot.
Napoleon believes had 2Pac been signed to Rap-A-Lot, he would’ve reacted differently. As he explained, “Hypothetically, let’s say the situation was different. To be honest, I think if Pac was signed with J. Prince, that wouldn’t have happened. ‘Pac wouldn’t have run off. Me knowing the mentality of J. Prince, me being around J. Prince, I don’t think he would allow ‘Pac to just run off and take off on somebody.
“Even though ‘Pac was his own man; ‘Pac was a wild individual. The problem with ‘Pac is that — and I remember Big Syke said this in an interview before — he said that we was like the big brothers of ‘Pac. We were his big homies, but he don’t listen to nobody. He was treatin’ the big homies like they the little homies.”
Napoleon went on to say Prince and other Southerners are “a little more laid back,” so Prince wouldn’t have let ‘Pac wild out like he was at the time of his death.
“J. Prince, I don’t think he would’ve allowed that,” he continued. “If ‘Pac was hypothetically on Rap-A-Lot, he would have been moving differently. Suge, West Coast, Suge had straight killers around him. These were wild gang members. Suge had him there for protection. The way J. Prince rolled, the way we saw that he has street dudes for protection, but he was trying to better their lives.
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“That’s what the difference is. It seemed like Suge, all the dudes he had around — don’t get me wrong, Suge did a lot of good for people […] but I think the mistake he did, he didn’t set his homies up right.”
J. Prince caught wind of Napoleon’s comments and quickly co-signed the sentiment. On Monday (August 29), Prince shared a clip of the interview to his Instagram account and added in the caption, “Facts, the homie @mutahbeale is correct. I believe Tupac would still be alive if Rapalot was with him that night.”
2Pac was shot on September 7, 1996 shortly after he and Knight left the Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He died six days later at the University of Nevada Medical Center at just 25 years old.
Meanwhile, Orlando Anderson — who was the prime suspect in 2Pac’s murder — was killed in a gang-related shootout just two years later.
J. Prince wouldn’t have stopped that shit. Instead of Crips, it would have been Vice Lords he would have been gotten into it with. Napoleon was a young one back then, so maybe he can’t recall how much shit Pac used to get into. Pac used to get into shit like everyday. He was beefing with GDs in Milwaukee after a show. He got into it with some gangstas in Ohio after a show. He would get into random shit all the time where he was just wild as fuck. Crips wanted to kill him in 1994, but Mutulu and Geronimo had to squash that shit with the OGs when that shit popped off. Pac just didn’t respect any of that street shit and was wilding out. Throwing bricks through people’s buildings and shit because he thought the business owners were racist. It’s why people still love him because he had that Panther spirit and didn’t respect anything, and none of that shit was an act. That’s just how he was.
Having J Prince on your side would have definitely upped your chances though. But yeah ‘they’ probably still would’ve got him.
Yeah, I see what people are saying because J. Prince’s reach is long and he did it in a more low key way, and nobody respects his gangsta more than me. But without social media, people don’t understand how much shit Pac used to get into. Dude literally used to be doing 15 days or a month in the county every other month. He was about that action.
What???
I will say that J. Prince might have appealed more to his activist side rather than lighting a match to his shit like it seemed like Suge did because they were like a match and gasoline together. But even on this tip of that J. Prince couldn’t change people, we just had an alleged situation between two of his old artists, Z-Ro and Trae, this weekend. Z-Ro hasn’t changed in all these years, and neither has Trae, and that shit apparently went down this weekend when they ran into each other. Being around J. Prince didn’t change either of their mentalities.
That’s a different situation. Trae and Ro were family and Ro crossed him over a hoodrat. They were never the same after that then Ro gets locked up with JayTon and they start beefing over who’s fault it was.
J Prince was a real street dude so he understood rules and principles. Everyone says how Suge because a gangster after he got rich. If you’re not used to power you don’t know how to wield it or understand consequences that come with it.
Suge got in trouble for running dope when he was at UNLV. Suge was a street dude too. Just two different types of street dudes, and J. Prince is more disciplined.
Surge became rich because he was a gangster… J Prince too.
Tupac woulda lived if he didn’t stomp Orlando. Jeez people
I would’ve loved to see Big and Pac do an album, with Jigga, Nas, Big L…it would’ve happened….trust me…maybe not big, but even that would’ve possibly cooled down if Pac would’ve gotten away from Death Row (Suge) before he got murdered
But I know why he chose Death Row, it was because they were on the West Coast, and they had more star power with Dre & Snoop running things back in the 90’s as they did…
Nah, Suge had been after him for years. Pac always told him he wasn’t ready to make that move yet. He worked on Interscope, so he was familiar with the bullshit that went down over there. Everybody was. Jimmy had suggested it before, and it’s probably the only label he would have allowed him to go to since they were under the Interscope umbrella. People have to remember these dynamics too. A move to Rap-a-Lot would have been trickier.
You could say this about anyone. J Prince that guy.
Did tupac get his eye lashes done? It looks like in that picture?
Man….. Pac was as booty bandit as they come. Back in the 90’s there was a pic of him getting it on with Danny Boy. But it mysteriously dissappeared and since the internet and digital photography wasnt what it was today there were no copies or Suge made sure they all got “secured”. He was also known for throwing it around in jail too… Anyone who was in the cell next door can vouch for that. Just like Bambaata and R Kelly he had an army of enablers around him who kept it secret all along – which wasn’t that long so the secret never came out. The truth would have come out a long time ago if he stayed alive. Watch this comment get deleted in 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1….
I guess you would know? Did you know the boys that fucked him in the cell? You sound like a hater from the east coast
Napoleon Is Right,I was Hoping for this back In ‘95 bein A Fan of Rap-A-Lot records (R-A-L Mafia 4Life) ‘1988- 4Life… Ghetto Boyz raised.Convicts,Terrorist,O.G.Style,Raheem,DJ Ready red,Lord 3-2,Big Mike,Big Mello,Ganksta N-I-P,(S.P.C),Too Much trouble,5th Ward Boyz,DMG,Devin tha dude,Odd Squad,Almighty RSO,Blac Monks,Do or die,Snypaz from tha Chi,Tela,UGK,Choice,Ghetto twins,Tim Smooth & too Cool,CJ Mac & Poppa Lq,Menace Clan,Yukmouth,True blk records – Seagram Although He Also was Murder,close after PAC,Was Already reppin tha Bay (East Oakland) Connected Pac would’ve fitted right In.Just would’ve needed that Daz & Dre Stamp – On (Production)…
Man shut up. So sad to see a man like J Prince succumb to the daily internet garbage spam like a ho clout seeker. Everyone keeps saying he a real one and he was “raised by wolves”, but he act like a regular twitter fingers biznatch just like the washed up shell of his former self Snoop and all the rest of them washed up rappers. And he aint even a rapper. Watcha talkin about willis????
J Prince wasn’t the one being asked this question, it was Napoleon a former Outlawz member
No. Luciane Crooks was going to get himself kilt regardless of any move, shit was inevitable. Gemini characteristics is making the same mistakes until you get yourself kilt. It’s in your dna…LOL
ANOTHER 2PAC WHAT IF STORY PRESENTED BY THE OUTLAWZ
Just shut the fuckup
We will never know. Plus 2pac would have probably never put out the joints that he did.
All facts, only these new school wet behind the ears clowns wanna speak in Prince and Pac articles like yall was around then…
Go clean your room son.
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