Eazy-E
Template:Infobox musical artist 2
Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1963 – March 26, 1995) aka Eazy-E aka Eazy-E "The Hip-Hop thugsta" was an American rapper, hip hop producer, record executive, and the founder of gangsta rap from Compton, California who initially rose to fame as a member of the group N.W.A. Eazy-E's style is gangsta rap, marked by his youthful, high-pitched voice and his lyrics focusing on guns, drugs, the police, pimps, prostitutes, violent acts against those who disrespected him, and abundant sexual activity.
Life and music
Eazy-E was born in Compton, California to Richard Wright and Kathie Lolis. As a teen, he was bussed from South Central Los Angeles to Taft High School in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles. He was a schoolmate of fellow hiphop musician and future N.W.A. crewmate O'Shea Jackson a.k.a. Ice Cube. During those years, he was a Kelly Park Compton Crip and began selling drugs such as Crack Cocaine and Marijuana . Following this period, his grandmother died and he used some of his inheritance, along with proceeds from drug sales, to start Ruthless Records with his business partner and manager Jerry Heller. He recruited Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella, The D.O.C. and Arabian Prince to form the group N.W.A.(Niggaz With Attitude): the first act signed to the label.
When N.W.A. was first started, Eazy-E never planned on rapping in any songs; he was set to provide the money, not the talent. After hearing Eazy rap, however, the other N.W.A. members liked his distinct, almost child-like voice and Ice Cube gave some lyrics he had already written (for the song "Boyz-N-The-Hood") to Eazy for him to rap.
Eazy-E's first solo album, Eazy-Duz-It, went double-platinum, selling 2.7 million copies[citation needed]. This album had three hit singles: "We Want Eazy," "Eazy-Er Said Than Dunn," and "Boyz-N-The-Hood." Fellow N.W.A. rappers Ice Cube and MC Ren and the group's ghostwriter D.O.C. wrote the lyrics for Eazy's first songs.
Eazy-E's creative vision was not always shared by his fellow N.W.A. members. Dr. Dre was especially critical of the direction Eazy-E was leading the group[citation needed]. Eazy-E wanted to portray a rough, realistic image using stark production and minimal beats; Dre preferred to incorporate more mainstream elements into his production.
The subsequent period saw the release of several EPs as both group and Eazy-E solo efforts, plus a side project from The D.O.C. On the final N.W.A. album, Efil4zaggin (1991), some of the lyrics provoked outrage from many critics and conservative circles, but this served to increase the group's audience. Eazy-E included even more of the elements which Dr. Dre considered cartoonish, such as the use of pistols and shotguns in videos for Always into Somethin' and Appetite for Destruction.
These differences of opinion led to a rocky relationship; a break-up ensued when it was revealed that Eazy and Jerry Heller were stealing money from the group, as Ice Cube had previously discovered, causing him to leave N.W.A. Subsequently a feud erupted between Eazy and Dre which grew to embroil most of Ruthless Records and Dre's new label, Death Row Records.
Dr. Dre/Death Row rivalry
In August 1991, Eazy-E filed a state court complaint against Dr. Dre, Death Row Records executive Suge Knight, and The D.O.C. alleging that the defendants used "duress" and "menace" to get Eazy-E to void his exclusive contracts with Dre and The D.O.C.[citation needed]. In October of the next year Ruthless Records sued Dr. Dre's Death Row Records and accused Dre's label of racketeering. The suit was dismissed on August 9, 1993, and is currently under appeal[citation needed]. During the feud, Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg blasted Eazy-E on his famous solo debut The Chronic, most notably in the hit single "Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" (commonly called "Dre Day"). Also, the words "HIV pussy having Motherfucker" and "Eazy come, Eazy go" appeared on Doggystyle, an album produced by Dr. Dre that was released 16 months before Eazy revealed he had AIDS.
In response, Eazy-E released a second solo album, It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa which eventually sold over 2,000,000 copies and was certified double platinum. One of Eazy-E's videos shows Dre during his days as a member of The World Class Wreckin' Cru, dressed in drag and wearing eyeshadow, lipstick and sequins. Eazy-E slammed him and Snoop Dogg in songs such as It's On, Real Muthaphukkin G's, and Down 2 Tha Last Roach.
This rivalry with Death Row Records and Dr. Dre carried well into 1995, when on their debut album Dogg Food Tha Dogg Pound dissed Ruthless act Bone Thugs-N-Harmony with the line "Ain't got no love for no hoes in harmony," though Bone never responded and later collaborated with Kurupt and Snoop. Tha Dogg Pound also dissed B.G. Knocc Out on What Would You Do on one line saying "Oh yeah, fuck B.G. Knocckout and every nigga down with him". Also with the line "For instance let's take these Ruthless fools, these Ruthless fools and the Pound in one room".
On their debut album entitled "Real Brothas", duo B.G. Knocc Out & Dresta recorded the vicious diss entitled D.P.G./K. Also on Eazy's next album, he dissed Dr. Dre, Snoop, and the Dogg Pound on "Ole School Shit" and his own version of "What Would U Do".
In 1996, prominent Death Row artist 2Pac was featured on Bone Thugs' second album Art of War, signaling to many the end of the feud.
Criticisms
Eazy-E was heavily criticized by many rap fans in Los Angeles, especially in Compton, after vocally supporting Theodore Briseño, the only non-white police officer to take part in the Rodney King beating. Eazy-E was also criticized for attending a Republican Party fundraiser. Eazy claimed:[citation needed]
"So what they did was picked my name off for giving donations and they sent me an invitation to come down there, an invitation that said "We want to invite you to the Republican's party". I'm not no fuckin' Republican you know. When we went down there, and as soon as I got off the plane, we had CNN and all these people like 'Eazy-E: gang member, drug dealer..' and they just blew it up. Basically, what I did was paid $1,500 for $1,000,000 worth of press"
Death
In 1995, Eazy-E entered the hospital with what he believed to be bronchitis. Instead he was diagnosed with AIDS, and soon, announced his illness to the public. He died soon after, on March 26, 1995 at approximately 6:35 PM at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. [1]
Eazy's death from AIDS was probably due to his history of unprotected sex with multiple partners. During the week of March 20, Eazy E drafted his last message to fans. One week after making that announcement, Eazy succumbed to the disease. He was 31 years old when he died. [2]
During a March 10, 2002 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tha Row (Death Row) Records CEO Suge Knight insinuated that Eazy E's contraction of AIDS was the result of his being injected with HIV infected blood from a syringe. The validity of these claims, and whether or not Suge Knight played a role in such an action, is inconclusive. [3]
Some believe that before his death, Eazy had made amends with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre (although others believe that only DJ Yella saw Eazy while he was in hospital). Dre believes that their history together overshadowed the feud. Four years later, Dr. Dre publicly discussed the death of Eazy in the song "What's The Difference" from 2001 with his lyrics, 'Eazy, I'm still wit' you. Fuck the beef, nigga I miss you. And, that's just bein real with you.'[4]
Legacy
Two posthumous albums were released, Eternal E in 1995, and Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton in 1995. Both releases proved to be successful. Following Eazy's death, his record label was taken over by his wife, Tomica Wright. It is currently a division of Epic Records. Ruthless Records has also found considerable success with Above the Law, MC Ren, B.G. Knocc Out & Dresta and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, among others. The last group has dedicated a few of its songs to Eazy, mainly their 1997 Grammy Award winning single "Tha Crossroads" and also their performance at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.
Eazy's oldest son,Lil Eazy-E, released a documentary about his father entitled The Life and Times of Eric Wright. Another documentary called Impact of a Legend was produced and sold along with the CD of the same name. Lil' Eazy also plans to release his own rap album in honor of his father, working with Bone Thugs and some of Eazy-E's old N.W.A. cohorts. The album is scheduled for release in August 2006. [5]
Today, many of Eazy-E's rare and posthumous materials have been remixed by fellow Compton rapper The Game, notably Still Cruisin' and Still Cruisin Part 2 featuring 50 Cent. The combination of Eazy's rare vocals and original material from The Game became an underground hit and helped The Game early in his career[citation needed]. The track "Still Cruisin'" has appeared on several mix tapes including G-Unit Radio Part 8. "How We Do (Remix)" is another rare track featuring Eazy ,50 Cent and Tupac. The Game often mentions Eazy-E in his songs, most notably on his album The Documentary and even has a tattoo of him on his right arm.
In 2001, post-grunge band Dynamite Hack released "Boyz-N-The-Hood", a cover of the 1986 original written by Ice Cube and performed by Eazy-E. Eazy is also mentioned in the songs "Pass Me By", "The Staleness", and "Terrible" by Insane Clown Posse. Rapper South Park Mexican has released a song called "Boyz On Da Cut" which is a Houston, TX version of Eazy-E's "Boyz-N-The-Hood".
Before Eazy-E died, he was scheduled to make music with artists such as Guns N' Roses, Tupac Shakur, Scarface, Dirty Red, Brotha Lynch Hung, Kid Frost and Bizzy Bone[citation needed]. The character of Lance "Ryder" Wilson in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was modeled after Eazy-E. [6]
Trivia
- He was 5'5".
- He lived in the same house in Compton his entire life.
- He used to drive a red Suzuki Samurai.
- Soul legend Charles Wright (the original performer and writer of "Express Yourself") is his uncle (his father's brother).
- Eazy-E is being honored at this year's annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006 along with other legendary hip hop artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Afrika Bambaataa and Ice Cube.
Quotes
- "I don't give a fuck what color you are. The color of money is green."
- (in response to charges that his recordings were instigating crime and violence) "Records don't make anybody do nothing. You make yourself do that."
- "I use condoms. I don't want to fuck around with AIDS and herpes and all that. But, if I need it, I got a big-ass bottle of tetracycline and another gang of pills."
Discography
Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
 |
Eazy-Duz-It
|
5150 Home 4 Tha Sick
| |
 |
It's On (
|
 |
Str8 Off Tha Streetz Of Muthaphukkin Compton |
Eternal E
| |
| Impact Of A Legend | |
Eternal E - Gangsta Memorial Edition
| |
 |
In Loving Memory |
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | UK singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "We Want Eazy" | - | 43 | 7 | - | Eazy-Duz-It |
| 1988 | "Eazy-Er Said Than Dunn" | - | 84 | - | - | Eazy-Duz-It |
| 1988 | "Boyz-N-The-Hood" | - | - | - | - | Eazy-Duz-It |
| 1988 | "Eazy-Duz-It" | - | - | - | - | Eazy-Duz-It |
| 1992 | "Only If You Want It" | - | - | - | - | 5150: Home 4 tha Sick |
| 1992 | "Neighborhood Sniper" | - | - | - | - | 5150: Home 4 tha Sick |
| 1993 | "Real Muthaphuckkin G's" | 42 | 31 | 2 | - | It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa |
| 1993 | "Any Last Werdz" | - | - | - | - | It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa |
| 1994 | "Foe Tha Love Of $" (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony featuring Eazy-E) | 41 | 33 | 4 | - | Creepin On Ah Come Up |
| 1996 | "Just Tah Let U Know" | 45 | 30 | 4 | 30 | Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton |
| 1996 | "Tha Muthaphuckkin' Real" | - | - | - | - | Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton |
| 2002 | "Switchez" | - | - | - | - | Impact of a Legend |
References
- Burbank, Luke (March 6, 2006). "Terror, Hope on the Streets of Compton, Part 2". National Public Radio.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Lil Eazy, Semtex (DJ) (March 2005). "Special radio presentation devoted to Eazy-E". BBC Radio.