Real name Rufus Lee Cooper III, born March 21, 1978 in Sierra Madre, California, Young Noble was an American rapper best known as the last member to join the Outlawz group, founded by Tupac Shakur in 1995. Selected by Shakur himself in early 1996, he appeared on four key tracks on the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - including the classic "Hail Mary". He then pursued a solo career with albums such as Noble Justice (2002), Son of God (2012), Powerful (2016) and 3rd Eye View (2019), alongside several collaborations with Layzie Bone, E.D.I., Stic.Man, Hussein Fatal, Deuce Deuce, Gage Gully and Krazie Bone for the Thug Brothers series. Four more solo projects were released before his death: Outlaw University and Lucky Number 7 in 2023, followed by Positive Vibes Only and The Last Outlaw in 2024. On July 4, 2025, Young Noble committed suicide by firearm in Atlanta, at the age of 47.
