On September 7, 1964, Eric Lynn Wright, better known to the world as Eazy-E, was born in Compton, California. Today, the man affectionately known as the “Godfather of Gangsta Rap” would have celebrated his 62nd birthday. Although Hip Hop lost Eazy more than three decades ago, his fingerprints remain all over the culture. From N.W.A. and Ruthless Records to the business blueprint he established for independent West Coast Hip Hop, Eric Wright’s impact went considerably further than his unmistakable high-pitched voice behind the microphone.
Before becoming a rapper, Eazy came out of the streets of Compton and eventually invested his money into music, co-founding Ruthless Records in 1986. That decision would ultimately help change the direction of Hip Hop. Eazy linked with Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby and Lorenzo “MC Ren” Patterson to form the classic lineup of N.W.A., the group that would eventually earn the title “The World’s Most Dangerous Group.”
Released through Ruthless/Priority Records in 1988, the landmark album Straight Outta Compton brought the realities, anger and language of Compton directly into living rooms across America without depending on traditional radio or MTV support. Records including “Straight Outta Compton,” “Gangsta Gangsta” and the controversial “Fuck Tha Police” helped make N.W.A. one of the most important—and feared—groups of their generation.
Eazy wasn’t simply the group’s frontman; he was the businessman behind the label. His entrepreneurial instincts helped establish Ruthless as one of Hip Hop’s most important independent imprints, creating a platform that extended well beyond N.W.A. Ruthless would become connected to artists including J.J. Fad, The D.O.C., Above the Law and, later, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. As a solo artist, Eazy also established an identity completely separate from the group with his 1988 debut Eazy-Duz-It.
Following the fracture of N.W.A., which saw 50 Cent-era contemporaries and beyond influenced by the label’s trajectory, Eazy continued building his legacy. One of his final and most consequential moves was signing Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Their success would explode following Eazy’s death on March 26, 1995, from complications related to AIDS. In 2016, N.W.A. was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Kendrick Lamar presenting the group and recognizing the enormous impact its members had on generations of artists who followed. Today, The Source salutes the Compton original, Ruthless Records visionary, and one of the architects of West Coast Hip Hop. Happy 62nd birthday, Eazy.
