Motivational speaker and recently converted Muslim, Mutah Beale, also known as Napoleon, came to Cerritos College for a conference on September 29. He was a former member of Outlawz, a group led by the late Tupac Shakur. Beale was once Tupac’s protege, but now carries on his legacy through his practice of Islam.

“I’d like people to know about the beauty of this religion; letting people know this isn’t a relgion of terrorism, it doesn’t oppress women and I’d like to speak about the misconceptions about the religion. This religion has been a part of the Hispanic and African-American community for years,” Beale said.

President of the Muslim Student Association and engineering major, Mubarak brought the idea to Student International Center coordinator, Danita Kurtz, about having Beale come to Cerritos College for a conference. Unaware of Beale’s past fame, Kurtz looked up background information on the former rapper and decided it would be a good idea.

“The Islamic religion is very much in the news. There are all kinds of questions, arguments and controversies with Muslims. It’s a good chance to have someone who is very motivational and positive to come to our campus,” Kurtz said.

As International Student Center sponsored the event, Mubarak got in contact with Beale, since he knew him personally from his mosque. Due to time constraints in Beale’s schedule, there was only a week available to host the talk. Kurtz, who is also the adviser for the Muslim Student Association, asked history instructor John Haas if he would have his 2 p.m. class attend the meeting.

Within a week of planning the conference for Beale’s visit, an invitation was sent out to whoever wanted to attend the meeting. The conference started at 2 p.m. and Mubarak introduced Beale and fellow Muslim speaker, Najeeb Al-Angeles.

Angeles opened up by giving a brief description of the Islamic faith and culture, then Beale was given the mic, telling people his story of how and why he converted to be Muslim.

Beale witnessed his parents’ murder at the age of three and had to grow up quickly in a neighborhood riddled with crime. After being involved in so much trouble in his early teenage years, Beale decided to pursue a career in the music business. Beale wrote songs, tales about the crimes that went on right outside his home. He later bumped into a childhood friend, Kadafi, who turned out to be Tupac Shukar’s half-brother.

Tupac and Beale would later form the rap group, Outlawz, whose fame grew internationally in the early 1990’s. After signing with one of the hip hop record label Death Row Records, Tupac and the Outlawz were on top of the billboard charts. However things quickly started to unravel for them when their fame was overcome by the fast lifestyle of drugs, money and violence.

“It had a negative and a positive side. The positive side of it took me to a transition to a boy to a man very fast when I went into the music industry because I was around certain types of people that I had be mature with. It had a lot of negative sides as well, because I lost friends due to this business. It took a side of me that I never knew was in me. I believe the music industry brought out the evil side of me,” Beale said.

At the height of his fame, on September 13, 1996, Tupac was shot 13 times and killed during a visit in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the same year, Beale lost his grandmother, his friend Kadafi and his brother, who committed suicide. Beale went back to New Jersey, where he took time to grieve. He decided to continue his music with the two remaining members of Outlawz, selling more than two million albums. It was at this point that Beale thought he was going to find true happiness.

Throughout this stage of his life, Beale was making an income that allowed him to have all the luxury in the world, but he started to notice the painful depression that he felt deep within.

Driven into the world of addiction, Beale was constantly drinking and doing drugs in order to ease the sadness that he was going through. All the money in the world didn’t make him happy and it started to make Beale suicidal.

In this state of mind, there was an incident when Beale had gotten into a violent brawl with his younger brother. After attacking him, Beale sent his brother into the hospital to get staples in his head.

It was at the hospital, when a Muslim calmed him down and asked Beale, “What if you were to wake up the next morning, to find out that you had murdered your own brother?” It was these very words that intrigued Beale into taking interest in the Islamic religion.

When Beale converted to a Muslim, he found true happiness. He now has a wife and two children. He travels around the world as a motivational speaker to spread his message, by telling his story of the Islamic faith helped him overcome addiction and depression.

The conference ended with multiple students asking questions about Beale’s religion and  his music career.

“I lived a life that many young people aspire to live and it doesn’t bring happiness. I believe the only way you can find contentment is by worshipping your creator.”

Knowing what his destiny is, Beale is producing a movie that will come out January of 2011, about his life story and how he discovered his true calling as a Muslim.