Katari Terrance Cox (born December 30, 1976) better known by his stage name Kastro, is an American rapper. A cousin of

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

, Kastro would perform alongside him in the former's rap group, the

Outlawz Outlawz was an American hip-hop group founded by Tupac Shakur and Yafeu Fula in 1995. Originally known as Thoro Headz and Young Thugs, the group attracted attention with their appearance on Tupac's song "Flex", which was the B-side of his singl ...

, and is featured on many of the late rapper's songs such as " Made Niggaz", and "

Hail Mary The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the ...

". When he was in

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, he introduced his friend, and future Outlawz rapper, Malcolm Greenridge, later named E.D.I. Mean, to Tupac.

Career

Kastro began rapping under the name K-Dog, in a rap group with Big Malcolm ( E.D.I. Mean), and Young Hollywood ( Yaki Kadafi). He later rapped on some of

's songs during the studio sessions for his album '' Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.''. Eventually, Mutah (

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

) was added to the group and they became known as Dramacydal. K-Dog was featured on the song "Outlaw" from Tupac's

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

album ''

Me Against The World ''Me Against the World'' is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope Records and Out da Gutta Records and distributed by Atlantic Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impend ...

'', released on March 14, 1995. He was also featured on the songs "Tradin War Stories", "When We Ride", and "Thug Passion" from Tupac's

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

-certified double LP '' All Eyez On Me'', released on February 13, 1996. During the recording sessions for this album, Tupac gave K-Dog the name Kastro, naming him after Cuban revolutionary

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

. On June 4, 1996, Kastro featured on Tupac's "

Hit 'Em Up "Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by American rapper 2Pac, featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single " How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, chiefly Shakur' ...

", appearing in the music video, alongside the rest of the

. The song was the B-side to Shakur's " How Do U Want It" single and was a vicious diss song aimed at

Bad Boy Entertainment Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American independent record label. The label was founded in 1993 by rapper and record producer Sean Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip-hop and R&B artists, beginning ...

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo formed in Queens, New York (state), New York in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy (rapper), Prodigy and Havoc (musician), Havoc, they are considered to be among the pr ...

, and

Chino XL Derek Keith Barbosa (April 8, 1974 – July 28, 2024), better known by his stage name Chino XL, was an American rapper and actor. He released five solo studio albums. His album '' Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary'' (2012) won the 2012 HHUG Alb ...

. The song is widely considered one of the most aggressive hip-hop diss tracks ever recorded. Kastro's other features include "Hail Mary" and "Life of An Outlaw" from Shakur's multi-platinum album '' The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory,'' which was recorded over the course of seven days in August 1996. On September 7, 1996, Tupac was fatally wounded by gunshots on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...

and was rushed to a hospital at the University of Las Vegas. He died six days later on September 13, at the age of 25. Kastro was present when the shooting took place. He was in the car directly behind Tupac but could not identify the shooters.

Discography

With
Outlawz Outlawz was an American hip-hop group founded by Tupac Shakur and Yafeu Fula in 1995. Originally known as Thoro Headz and Young Thugs, the group attracted attention with their appearance on Tupac's song "Flex", which was the B-side of his singl ...

;Studio Albums: *'' Still I Rise'' (1999) *'' Ride wit Us or Collide wit Us'' (2000) *''

Novakane ''Novakane'' is the third studio album by American hip-hop group the Outlawz. It was released on October 23, 2001, through Outlaw Recordz with distribution via Koch Entertainment. Production was handled by Reefologist Da Street Criminologist, ...

'' (2001) *'' Neva Surrenda'' (2002) *'' Outlaw 4 Life: 2005 A.P.'' (2005) *'' We Want In: The Street LP'' (2008) ;Mixtapes: *''Outlaw Warriorz Vol. 1'' (with DJ Warrior) (2004) *''New World Order'' (with DJ Ipodd) (2005) *''Can't Turn Back'' (2007) *''Outlaw Culture Vol. 1'' (2009) *''Outlaw Culture Vol. 2'' (2009) *''Outlaw Culture Vol. 3'' (2009) ;Other albums: *''Still I Rise (Part 2)'' (2002) *''Retribution: The Lost Album'' (2006) *'' Ghetto Monopoly'' (2007) *''The Lost Songs Vol. 1'' (2010) *''The Lost Songs Vol. 2'' (2010)

With E.D.I.

;Studio Albums: *'' Blood Brothers'' (2002)

References

External links