What happened to eazy e. Dr. Dre and Ice Cube talk for the first time about Voice of the Streets, Suge Knight's murder charges and the reunited N.W.A tour
12.11.2015 Tatyana Siegel
N.W.A. are no longer the same: 50-year-old Dre became a tycoon, 46-year-old Cube became a force in Hollywood. Besides, the guys who rapped lines like “Fuck tha Police” and “One Less Bitch” have been married for many years. What to do after you woke up America 30 years ago? Hot biopic Voice of the Streets has the answer: “All that crap really happened.”
I'm just gathering the strength to ask Dr. Dre and a question about the murder that happened during the filming of the trailer " Voices of the streets" - about that January day when Suge Knight arrived at the set and seemed to crush two people with his pickup truck, including the film’s technical consultant. And then the light goes out.
We're in a Hollywood photo studio, it's mid-July and before the release of Universal's $29 million budget movie, which tells the mostly true story of hip-hop's seminal group N.W.A., which Dre, Cube and three other rappers - Eazy-E, MC Ren And DJ Yella- created in the eighties, exactly a month remains. Dre, 50, sits on a comfortable couch and fiddles with his designer denim jacket. 30 years ago, he recorded N.W.A.'s signature song. “Fuck tha Police.” Now he is the owner of a headphone company, living in a former mansion Tom Brady (player of the New England Patriots American football team - Approx. THR) In Los Angeles. Cube, now a 46-year-old actor and producer of comedy and action films (“ Shared trip», « Macho and nerd"), leaning against the wall and sipping a cappuccino. The others are loading up on their plates of Caesar salad and fried chicken when suddenly there is a loud bang and the room is plunged into complete darkness.
“It’s the zombie apocalypse,” another voice replies. - Project " The Walking Dead vs N.W.A." started."
It turns out that a transformer on a nearby street has been knocked out and the entire block is without power. And he will sit like that for at least another half hour. That's why interviews with Dre, Cube and other actors " Voices of the streets» - Corey Hawkins(playing young Dre) O'Shea Jackson Jr.(Cube's son) and Jason Mitchell(as Eazy-E) - I take it in pitch darkness. Only the twinkle emanating from Dre's Rolex accompanies the film's producers and stars' thoughtful and sometimes angry account of the arduous 13-year odyssey it took to bring "Street Voice" to the screen. The film changed two studios, buried the hatchet of a decades-long feud, and endured endless script rewrites - not to mention an alleged vehicular homicide (which was "a very sad event," according to Dre). Moreover, the film is still filming in North Hollywood, and the premiere is just around the corner - August 14th.
“Years ago we were criticized for this in such a way that it would drive you crazy,” Dre says of N.W.A’s provocative songs. about city life. “But now the attitude is different: “OK, we understand everything.” This film sheds light on issues further, especially with the situations in Ferguson and here in Los Angeles. He will definitely fix this situation in people’s heads so that everyone knows that this problem continues to be relevant today.”
In 1986, morning came for America. The middle of the second presidential term has arrived Ronald Reagan. In the box office he broke all records " Best shooter" With Tom Cruise. Bill Cosby was the country's most beloved TV presenter. And in Compton, California, there are five black guys, including Andre Young(Dre) O'Shea Jackson(Cube) and Eric Wright(Eazy-E), invented gangsta rap in clubs, created an entirely new form of music consisting of shockingly true stories of police brutality and other urban misfortunes. Because of their incendiary lyrics (“Young nigga's on the warpath, and when I'm done, the cops in L.A. will have a bloodbath”), N.W.A. (short for Niggaz With Attitude) earned the FBI's attention, earned the wrath of moral crusaders like Tipper Gore, and got their music banned from many record stores and radio stations. Despite this, their debut album Straight Outta Compton 1988, managed to sell 3 million copies and become triple platinum. If there was one sudden moment of birth in hip-hop, like the Big Bang, after which it became clear to everyone that we had a serious and sustainable art form6, this was it.
“It was about freedom of speech, the ability to express your feelings, whether people like them or not,” Cube recalls of N.W.A’s early stuff. (the band released four albums before breaking up in 1991). “The best thing about this country is the ability to speak out without any censorship.”
Of course, a lot has changed in thirty years. In America, an African American became president, Cosby is no longer everyone's favorite (and does not teach rap stars good behavior). But much remains the same. Police brutality and racial uprisings remain, Tom Cruise is making a sequel Best shooter" But the world has changed enough for a major Hollywood studio to spend $29 million on a movie about a band that once rapped about violence against police and wrote songs with titles like " One bitch less" Somewhere between the eighties and 2010s, N.W.A. from public enemy number one to mass entertainment available in multiplexes across the country.
“I’ve always been very interested in the history of N.W.A.,” says Universal boss Donna Langley. “It was just a matter of finding a reasonable business model to greenlight this project.”
Long before Universal got involved, a sound business model was hampered by the fact that former members of N.W.A. they did not always communicate with each other, not to mention the desire to cooperate. There were always squabbles and quarrels between them. The biggest feud dates back to 1996, when Dre relinquished his co-ownership stake in Death Row Records, leaving $50 million on the table and infuriating his label partner. Suge Knight- they clearly still have a grudge against each other. One of the founders of the group and its label, Ruthless Records, Eazy-E, who controlled the rights to N.W.A.'s music, died of AIDS in 1995 at the age of 31. He left the rights to the group's musical heritage and his life to his wife, Tomike Woods-Wright. And anyone who decided to make a film about N.W.A. would have to first come to an agreement with her, and then with the rest of the gang. (“In the end, I was very happy with the film,” says Woods-Wright, who became a producer on Street Voices).
The first to try was a screenwriter named Alan Venkus and documentarian S. Lee Savage. They began writing the script for Street Voices together in 2002, focusing primarily on Eazy-E's story, enlisted Woods-Wright's help, and sold it to New Line in 2006. Cube joined the project in 2007 as a producer, but demanded that the character based on him play a larger role in the plot (a completely logical requirement). Cube hired a new writer ( Andrea Berloff, who wrote “ Twin Towers» Oliver Stone) involved Dre in the project and turned the film into a drama with three equal heroes - Eazy-E, Dre and himself. (The fourth and fifth members of the group, DJ Yella and MC Ren, are present in the film, but as minor characters). Was placed in the director's chair F. Gary Gray, who directed " Italian Job", who hails from South Central and has worked with Cube since 1991, when he directed the video for his solo track, "True to the Game." It seemed that the green light for the project would certainly and inevitably come on.
“We spent hours, even days, sitting with Dre and sorting out past events,” Gray says. - “Tell me this story again. Who was there? Why did it happen so? What were you thinking? What do you think Easy was thinking?” I didn’t want those who watched the film to think that they didn’t get anything new out of it other than what they could Google anyway.”
But just as things started to come together, New Line's existence as a standalone studio was over. In 2008, all distribution affairs of the office were transferred to Warner Bros. A Jeff Robinov, who was managing Warners at the time, did not want to spend money on a film about N.W.A. more than 15 million. At the time, it was believed that films about African Americans performed poorly overseas. Cube immediately offered Robinov a great place to put his 15 million. "It's not worth the trouble," he says of New Line's budget. “We would have treated the project unfairly; it didn’t deserve this.”
At Warner Bros. decided that they didn’t want to make Voice of the Streets with the budget that Cube and Dre saw. But it turned out that Langley from Universal decided to do it. “My response to everyone was that hip-hop is a popular name everywhere,” says Langley, explaining why she was convinced Voice of the Streets would sell out both at home and overseas. - There is probably no culture in the world that does not intersect with rap in any way. We looked through this prism, and were not going to force the project into the framework of “contemporary urban cinema.”
Langley put her money where her mouth is, shelling out $29 million (for an R-rated film) and keeping Gray in the director's chair. But she was not delighted with the script: it seemed to her not sharp enough. She hired another screenwriter Jonathan Herman, make big changes. It was he, a 42-year-old gay, Jew and scribbler from Greenwich, who finally managed to crack the nut of the plot. He spent several weeks with Dre and Cube, milking them for memories and studying their conversational styles. Dre was hostile to this additional research. “He could have really screwed up and ruined our creativity,” he says. “And our heritage is very dear to me.”
Filming began before Gray had found the actors. To qualify for tax credits in California, Gray had to have filmed at least one day before April 2014. He decided to film an interview with Cube and Dre in South Central (it was featured during the film's end credits). In many baopics, hip-hop stars play themselves - Eminem V " Eighth Mile», Fifty Saint V " Get rich or die" But in 2014, Dre and Cube were no longer old enough to play the roles of budding rappers. Gray conducted a massive nationwide search for unknown actors to play Dre and found Washington-based Hawkins. He didn't have to look for young Cube for long. “I understand that many people will think that I just grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and ordered him to film with us,” Cube says about casting his 24-year-old son in the role. - But it wasn't like that. I understood that he was suitable for this role.”
Says Jackson: “My dad would call me before every scene and tell me what he was thinking. All this was done so that I would not play. Even without this, I already have so many of his mannerisms and characteristics inherent in me that I would not want to pretend to be him on the screen. You can pretend, or you can become this character. I tried to break down these walls of acting and be natural."
Filming on the film—with real actors instead of just producers interviewing each other—began in Compton in August 2014. “I hadn't lived in Compton for quite a while, but it was a great experience,” says Dre, who was on set almost every day as a producer. “Everyone was just really excited about the fact that we weren't just making a movie, we were doing it in Compton. It feels like Compton has become one of the characters in the film."
And sometimes a rather unpredictable hero: although most of the filming went smoothly, at the very beginning there was a shootout near the film crew, during which one citizen was injured.
The biggest problem when creating " Voices of the streets” was to contain three decades of struggle, victories, internal squabbles and the collapse of N.W.A., as well as the death of Eazy-E in two hours and twenty-two minutes. Initial versions lasted over three hours. For example, a scene mentioning Cuba's sister, who was killed by her police officer boyfriend in 1981, was cut. “The main thing was not to get lost in all these nooks and crannies,” Cube says, shrugging.
But even after such important subplots were cut in the final cut, Gray, Cube and even Universal realized that something important was missing. Viewers at test screenings were confused by Dre's break with Knight's record label in 1996. Why did Dre leave Death Row, sparking a long-running feud? This was not clear from the film. So in late June, a couple of weeks before the project was shut down for the August release, Gray filmed a scene in which Dre walks into a room and sees Knight (played by R. Marcos Taylor, a former stuntman very similar to the real Knight), coolly puffing on a cigar, mocks a man in his underwear shaking with fear with the help of an angry pit bull. “I was like, ‘What the hell is this?’” Dre recalls the incident that inspired the scene. - I was about to leave anyway. This was an extra push. The guy in the shorts - all this bullshit really happened.”
Everyone claims that Knight never tried to come to the set of Street Voices. But the 50-year-old rap mogul showed up while filming a promotional trailer for the film in Compton on Jan. 29, months after filming wrapped. Knight was escorted from the set by security. But he didn't go far. A few blocks away, he got into an argument with Cle "Bon" Sloan, technical consultant for the film. At some point, Knight climbed into his pickup truck, turned on the engine and drove around Sloane, as well as Terry Carter, Cuba's former business partner. Sloane was sent to the hospital but eventually recovered. Carter died at the scene.
"I was there. But I was already leaving, so I didn’t realize what happened until I got home,” says Dre, who has lived with his wife of 19 years Nicole Young at a mansion in Brentwood. - They called me on the phone and told me. During the filming of the film, everyone supported us and we didn’t have a single problem.” It’s crazy that this happened while filming a damn commercial!”
Cube, who was not on the set, is philosophical about it. “It's dangerous to live in South Central,” he says. - Some people don’t care that you’re making a movie. It’s a shame that this happened, because the film is so good and brought together so many talented creative people.”
Knight, who has had numerous brushes with the law in the past - including serving a five-year sentence for a parole violation - claims he accidentally ran over people while trying to avoid confrontation. He is currently being held at the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail awaiting trial on murder charges, and faces life in prison if convicted. At a recent hearing on July 17, a judge declined to lower his bond to $10 million.
"It's just a very sad incident," Dre says. - Maybe Knight was looking for trouble. Don't know".
The tragic episode underscored how carefully Universal must handle Voice of the Streets. Now the founders of N.W.A. may be respected people in society - one of them earned $500 million from the sale of his Beats headphone company to Apple, the second starred in films with George Clooney And Kevin Hart. But the rap group they created thirty years ago still carries echoes of past cruelty. And this past resonates in today's newspaper editorials, from the Ferguson riots to the murder Eric Garner in New York and Isella Ford In Los Angeles. “It confirms that we're not only ahead of our time, but we're ahead of our time,” says Cube. - The situation between the security forces and our neighbors in the area is not changing. No matter how you look at it, someone will always abuse power.”
Langley agrees that "some of the things in the film are similar to what they show on the news." But he immediately notes that “the film in no way calls for armed resistance to the police or anything like that. It's a very classic story here. You fall in love with these guys. You love heroes. You are at one with them. And it’s clear that this music is born out of frustration with what surrounds them.”
When asked if law enforcement officials will find the film provocative, Cube responds sarcastically: “They will be delighted. This is a true story. They influenced her. What's not to love? It shows everything they did. Nobody showed them in a bad light. Everything is to the point."
Dr. Dre.
Despite the controversy, Langley is so wildly excited about the film that her studio plans to pull off something no one in the rap world ever hoped for - re-creating N.W.A. for a European tour in support of the film, with Eminem
The famous rapper and showman Eazy-E neglected this, and almost five years ago at 6.35 am on March 26, he passed away... Eazy became famous on this earth as the godfather of gangsta rap, the creator of one of the most important rapper groups of all time. He had his own label, was one of the prominent figures in the US Republican Party, he had many fans all over the world and he was also a big player in life. And like any player fueled by passion, he firmly believed the myth that he would be lucky, that he would win (otherwise he would have given up after the first setbacks). But you see what these games led to. I’m not sure that now we have any right to condemn him for this (after all, he became a victim of his own carelessness), but I think the fatality of this way of life is obvious. Now you will find out how his life events developed, and, I hope, the majority will draw their own conclusions... Eric Wright (Eric Wright = Eazy-E) was born on September 7, 1963 into a middle-class black family in the Californian city of Compton and, it seems, was sent by higher powers to glorify this place, if not throughout the world, then certainly throughout America. In his teenage years, Eric and his friends were involved in crime, but becoming a tough gangster was not part of his plans for the future. As soon as he graduated from school, he was attracted to the music business. In 1985, under the pseudonym Eazy-E, he opened his own label, Ruthless Records, using drug money to make it a hotbed of West Coast rap talent. At the very beginning, all the discs of the musicians who recorded there were produced in a modestly equipped factory, mainly by hand. Many now agree that without Eazy's help and without the existence of Ruthless Records, West Coast rap would never have achieved the massive sales figures of rap in America and the worldwide notoriety it enjoys today. Dreams began to come true when, in 1986, Easy assembled the dream team N.W.A., which had no analogues in the power of influence in hip-hop. It is unlikely that these “oppositionists” were the first to shed light on the pressing problems of the ghetto to modern society; rather, they were the first to take a firm position to tell only the truth. Don't think that as soon as N.W.A. with their songs, all the blacks of the States stood under their banners and the riots on the streets of the US cities settled down by themselves, because the black population sat at home and listened to the music of their new heroes, instead of selling drugs, organizing showdowns and conflicts with the police. Remember: rap does not eliminate problems, it only states that they exist! In order to change the psychology of the mature black population at least on the west coast, some N.W.A. It was not enough, and it was hardly even possible to carry out a major overhaul of the consciousness of a fully mature person. Young people are another matter. If anyone ever manages to grasp her problems, her ideals, it will be a great power in the hands and lips of a musician. And N.W.A. this was accomplished brilliantly. Remember their cool attack on the police in "Fuck Tha Police". I agree: rudely, with an abundance of anger and through obscenities, but at the same time honestly and fairly. The Los Angeles police (which, in particular, were discussed) really went too far and were very prejudiced against black teenagers on the streets. Why, “Fuck Tha Police”, the entire album “Straight Outta Compton” (Compton, although considered a city, is still the southern part of Los Angeles) seethed with the voice of humiliated black youth. It's no surprise that on August 1, 1989, N.W.A. received a note from the FBI regarding the obscene content of this album, which raises non-existent issues. Gaining enormous support among blacks, N.W.A. clearly scared the authorities. That's not what these gentlemen were talking about. I didn't have enough courage. And the scandals only benefited the rappers, whose records began to enjoy phenomenal success, and the earnings of these five in the same 1989 amounted to very decent amounts with six zeros to the right. One of the band's biggest hits was "Express Yourself", which was based on an old song of the same name. It was composed back in 1970
ode to Easy's father Charles Wright for his band, and N.W.A. added more bass, and she became a poetic symbol of the new black America. The call to “express yourself” in every possible way has pierced through black culture. In another monumental achievement, N.W.A. was giving a completely new meaning to the concept of "Niger". From being a name-calling word, it has become a synonym for the word “man.” Moreover, with the birth of N.W.A. Gangsta rap also appeared as a type of hip-hop. In 1990, Ice Cube's departure marked the beginning of the demise of N.W.A. Then N.W.A., and therefore Ruthless Records, left Dr. Dre to start Def Row Records/Priority Records with Serge Knight. Def Row began to compete with Eazy's label and signed such black cats as Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound. As his writing and producing partner, Eazy was devastated by Dre's departure, and the remaining members of the project also went their separate ways. Everyone started solo careers, but before that they quarreled and squabbled with each other. Dre's new label bought the rights to all N.W.A albums from Eazy's label. and agreed to pay Ruthless Records $1 million annually for this. As for Eazy-E's solo work, the success of N.W.A. fully determined the popularity of his own albums. “Eazy-Duz-It” went platinum, “5150 Home 4 Tha Sick” (a mini-album, although it was quite worthy of a full-length disc) also went platinum, while the next “It”s On (Dr. Dre ) 187um Killah" (with a funky-feminine image of Dre with lipstick on his lips and mascara on the cover) went double platinum. Eazy rarely recorded his albums. This is understandable. He was a member of the team and practically ran the affairs of N.W.A.. Let's not Also forget that his Ruthless Records also took care of the solo career of MC Ren and produced projects such as Above The Law and some others. Eazy, unlike many musicians, owned his own business, controlled himself. Among other things, Eazy was also a radio DJ His "Tha Ruthless Radio Show" on KKBT 92.3 was played every Saturday night, and Eazy always said, "The only reason I'm here today is because of my fans." And, of course, Eazy's story is not It would be complete if we didn't mention his famous dinner with President George W. Bush and all the bigwigs of the Republican Party in 1991, when Eazy-E shelled out a hefty sum ($2,490) just to accept the invitation and show up in jeans , sneakers, sunglasses and a cap with the "L" logo. A.Kings" into a company of assholes, all dressed in tuxedos. Imagine famous senators Bob Dole, Phil Gramm and our hero in such an outfit at the same table! It was worth paying such money for such a pleasure! Such increased attention to the figure of one one of the leaders of black music was by no means accidental. The Republicans used the name of the famous rapper for their own purposes, although they came to Easy quite by accident after he transferred a round sum to one charitable foundation (“City Of Hope”). Little did they know then, that they invite to such a confidential meeting a rebel, a defender of the rights and freedoms of the black population of America, who is also foul-mouthed and is, along with his cronies, on the FBI's hook? Most likely not. But when did they find out who Eazy-E is, who N.W.A. With their multimillion -dollar batch of black -faced fans, they would never have forgiven themselves if they had missed such a bright and influential person in the constituency where the Republican Party had not yet “hunted” before the elections. Easy came to Washington with conflicting feelings and agreed to meet with the press (however, he received 100,000 greenbacks for his kind of Republican advertising). What, easy money, because he is a businessman! But he was never bought or sold! After altercations with the rest of N.W.A., which resulted in an open feud with Dre, Eazy turned to sex and production work. Until recently, Eazy and Dre did nothing but exchange jabs in their records (Eazy-E even released the single “Real Muthaphukkin” G’s,” a parody of Dr. Dre “Dre D
ay"), but this senseless feud ended when he realized that N.W.A. could not be brought back and that it was worth looking for young talent. In 1994, he discovered a very promising young group from Cleveland, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. And it became clear to everyone that The maestro has not yet dulled his sense of talent, which again left Ruthless Records afloat with millions of copies of his debut album sold. Now this group has no fewer fans than N.W.A. did in their time, but without Easy these guys “wouldn’t have happened” at all. Also under the wing of Ruthless Records were Tairrie B and Blood of Abraham, but they are not so famous. On March 26, 1995, at the age of 31, Eazy-E became another victim of AIDS and the first rapper whose discography included posthumous albums. Nothing foreshadowed trouble On February 24, Easy went to a Los Angeles clinic complaining of pain in his lungs. The most they could find for him was pneumonia. But a blood test unexpectedly gave a positive result for AIDS. To the surprise of the doctors, Easy did not attach much importance to this. He continued to lead an active lifestyle, as everyone without exception remembered him, but when his condition worsened sharply, he decided to get married (so that his hitherto illegitimate son would have an official father) and did this two weeks before his death. Shortly before his death, he wrote a message to the fans. He died with a smile on his face in a hospital bed, with his wife and son with him until the end. In his posthumous monologue, he was very modest and did not show off his life achievements. Before leaving, he really wanted to atone for the sins that he committed on the streets of his native Compton. Despite his recent controversies, he fondly recalled the old days when N.W.A. and began to tell the truth to people. He did not deny that for a long time he basked in the luxury of cool cars, spectacular women and expensive outfits, while most of the listeners of his songs lived on the verge of poverty. He denied being religious and wanted people not to judge him harshly. But most importantly, he wanted thousands of his young fans to understand, at least through his sad example, what carelessness as a lifestyle results in and what happens when you have AIDS. He wanted people to understand this before the consequences became irreversible. Naturally, he blamed no one but himself for his death. Only in the last days of his life did he realize that this thing (AIDS) is the fairest judge in the world, he condemns people without any discrimination. He saved especially kind words for his family. He dated his girlfriend Tomika for four years and only before his death they got married. They left behind a one-year-old son. Izy loved him very much and called Tomika the kindest and most gentle person in the world. With regret, he recalled that before her he had many women. Being very careless, Easy "made" seven children with six of them. He loved all his children immensely and took care of them as best he could. In the end, he added that he does not regret anything and is grateful to everyone who loved him and was with him all his life. He got into trouble, from which there is hardly a way out... Easy lived his short life easy-going (in many ways justifying his pseudonym). Friends and fans remember Eric Wright as a man with a unique, in some sense even absurd, sense of humor. Watching his videos, you catch yourself thinking that this guy knew how to make fun of not only everyone and everything, but also himself, and was not afraid to appear in a bad light, to seem stupid. This is a very valuable human quality, you will agree. He lived exactly 11,523 days, a number his proteges Bone Thuds-N-Harmony immortalized on their penultimate album. According to official data, Easy left behind a fortune of about $30 million, but people especially close to his financial affairs advise at least doubling this amount. Such a tasty morsel became the object of furious redistribution the very next day after his death. In his will, the rapper made Tomika Woods, his former lawyer Ron Sweeney and his parents co-administrators of all his securities, real estate, cash and other valuables
oil. The first lawsuit regarding the fair redistribution of property was filed by the former commercial director of Ruthless Records, Michael Klein, who questioned the legality and, most importantly, the legality of the wedding of a bedridden dying millionaire and his girlfriend, with whom he had previously had a big quarrel. Thus, Klein and Ruthless Records were also able to get in on the deal. The second lawsuit was filed in April of the same year by the mothers of Izy’s two illegitimate children. As a result, the case was left for further investigation; employees of Izy’s former label did not receive salaries for six months. These mothers are understandable. During his lifetime, Izy practically supported all his children, but now they got nothing. The case is still under legal proceedings, and statements from the mothers of Izy’s other children are expected to be included in it. On September 26, 1995, Tomika Woods gave birth to Easy’s seventh child, a girl named Daijah Nakia, who will live with her mother and brother in the villa that Easy purchased for Tomika for $1 million 5 months before his death. After a solid financial boost, Ruthless Records continued to exist and announced that it intended to release about 70 songs that Eazy had recorded (in varying degrees of completion). In 1995-96, three albums were released with his best and new songs, and you probably heard them and, I hope, still listen to them. Then, and even now, many compare his life with the life of another idol of the alternative masses, Kurt Cobain. They both changed the world around us through their music. Both had unique voices and died at the dawn of their powers for reasons that depended only on them. And who knows, if it weren’t for AIDS, Izzy might also have committed suicide one day, unable to withstand the stress of life. But he laughed at life and played very dangerous games with it. He was a very temperamental lover and, like many of us now, he neglected the “gum” (that “little thing”) that interfered with the thrill of sensations. From the standpoint of modern society, he led an anti-moral lifestyle and in the end paid with the most precious thing - his life. Now many preachers (who only know how to teach wisdom to an impersonal herd) can proudly cite Izy’s case as an example in their lectures, saying: “I told you that safe sex is the only panacea for AIDS! “, but the question arises whether they have the moral right to use the name Izy for their highly “spiritual” purposes and whether people will listen to them. You know, geniuses are very different from preachers. Their ideas enter our heads quietly, imperceptibly, as if they were our own thoughts. This is why we respect them. Preachers can hammer into you for half a day in the simplest words (chewing the most elementary things) the same truths, but the result will be the opposite. It's all about the personality of the person who is talking to you, about trust in him. The preacher is a stranger from the street who needs you to believe him (his reasons are unknown to you). You perceive an idol, a genius, a prophet - whatever you want - you perceive differently. He belongs to the board, dear, whom you want to be like, the truth of whose words is automatically implied. Think about it, and at the same time think about who you worship and whose nonsense you listen to every day...
Why Eazy-E died
- Media dated March 16, 1995: The most famous hardcore rapper, glorifying sex, crime and violence, was hospitalized and diagnosed with AIDS. He himself says that he has no idea how he became infected.
The veil of secrecy has long been lifted - that rapper was Compton native Eazy-E, founder of Ruthless Records, co-founder of N.W.A., who discovered Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and brought millions of listeners to the West Coast product of gangsta rap.
To those who knew him well, he was Eric Wright, the father of nine children, a lover of women, a boy with a tight wallet, the contents of which he generously shared with everyone, be it distant relatives, bros or just casual acquaintances. At the same time, the fate of Eazy-E is the clearest example of how AIDS can destroy an ordinary guy who is not a drug addict or a fag.
The disease wiped out Eazy-E in just a matter of days. On February 16th he was working at Audio Achivements studio in Torrance, California. Suddenly he began to wheeze, and he felt that he was about to collapse from weakness. Eazy-E's bodyguards, twins Jacob and John Tovio, took him to the nearest hospital, Norwalk Community Hospital, where he had to stay for several days. On the 24th, he was back in the hospital, this time at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. On March 1st he was diagnosed with AIDS. And less than a month later, on March 26, he was gone. Eazy-E is 31 years old.
http://www.rap.ru/reading/1596
Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1963, Compton, California - March 26, 1995, Los Angeles), better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed in the rap group N.W.A. Eazy-E has sold over 60 million albums worldwide. Creator of the music label Ruthless Records (together with Jerry Heller).
Biography
Eric Wright was born on September 7, 1963, to Richard and Kathy Wright, in Compton, California, a suburb of Los Angeles known for crime and gangs. His father was a postal worker and his mother was a school administrator. Eric was kicked out of school in 10th grade and began selling drugs on the streets. He was also a member of the Kelly Park Compton Crips gang. Later, he received a high school diploma. In 1979, at the age of 16, Eric claimed to have earned $250,000 from drug dealing. However, he decided that he could make a better life in the Los Angeles hip-hop scene, which was rapidly growing in popularity . In the mid-80s, he began recording songs in his parents' garage.
In 1987, Eazy-E used drug profits to create Ruthless Records. Jerry Heller became his manager. Ruthless was signed by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, who released his track “Boyz-N-Tha-Hood” there. With them, as well as MC Ren and DJ Yella (then later Arabian Prince), Eazy-E formed N.W.A. During this period, Ruthless released N.W.A and the Posse (1987). Then in 1988 their best work was released - Straight Outta Compton. On the album, Eazy performed on eight songs and co-wrote four.
His debut album, Eazy-Duz-It, was released on September 16, 1988 and had twelve tracks. This marked the beginning of the music genres of West Coast Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap and the Golden Age. It sold over 2.5 million copies in the US and peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200. The album was produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, and lyrics were written by Ice Cube, MC Ren and The D.O.C. After the release of Straight Outta Compton, Ice Cube left the group due to internal differences and the group became a quartet. In March 1991, Eazy-E was invited to a Republican Inner Circle dinner hosted by President George H. W. Bush. The rapper's representative claimed that Eazy-E supported Bush and advocated for control of the Gulf War.
N.W.A began to fall apart after Jerry Heller became the group's manager. Dre sent Suge Knight to check on Eazy's financial situation because it was suspiciously starting to grow in the same way as Jerry Heller's. After this, Dre personally asked Eric to give him the contract containing the Doctor's copyright, but Eazy refused. The relationship finally came to a standstill after a conflict occurred between Suge and Wright at the studio in which Niggaz4life was recorded. Soon after, Suge told everyone that Eazy had kidnapped Jerry Heller and kept him locked in a van for two days. However, the rumor did not convince Eric that any action needed to be taken in the matter, and Knight decided to make a threat to his family. Shug slipped Wright a note containing his mother's address and the words: "I know where your mom is hiding." Eazy couldn't risk his family and finally signed the departure of Dr. Dre from Ruthless Records. N.W.A has ceased to exist.
Feud with Dr. Dre continued after his first solo "The Chronic" was released, which contained songs insulting Eazy-E. Eazy responded with an entire album called “It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa,” which included the tracks “Real Muthaphukkin G"z” and “It’s On.” The release was released on October 25, 1993, the inside of the album contained an insert with photographs Dre, made several years ago while he was a member of the electro-hop group "World Class Wreckin' Cru", and showed scenes of Dre dressed in lace outfits and wearing makeup. The album was a success and it became Eazy-E's most popular album, going double platinum.
Legal issues
After Dr. Dre left Ruthless Records, label heads Mike Klein and Jerry Heller went to court for help. Although Knight secured Dre's full release from Ruthless, LZE and Ruthless Records received the right to receive a portion of the proceeds from Dr.'s future releases. Dre on Death Row. In 2011, the FBI conducted an investigation, and their documents indicated that Ruthless Records was subject to extortion attempts by LZE. This led to a public statement from LZE spokesman Irv Rubin: "There was nothing but friendly relations between Eazy-E and LZE."
Death
On February 24, 1995, Eric was admitted to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with suspected asthma. However, the final diagnosis turned out to be much more serious - AIDS. The disease was in an advanced stage, and the rapper’s condition was deteriorating. On March 16, Eric announced this publicly and died ten days later. March 20 Eazy makes up with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. In the hospital, Eric marries Tomika Woods, the future heiress of Ruthless Records.
On March 26, 1995 at 6:35 a.m. Pacific Time, Eric Wright passed away and was buried in Rose Hills Cemetery. A year later, his last, unfinished album, Str8 Off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton, was released. He planned to add 60 tracks to this album, thus dividing it into two discs, but due to death, he did not even complete 1 part.
Musical influences and style
Eazy's influences include Ice-T, Redd Foxx, King Tee, Bootsy Collins, Run-D.M.C., The Egyptian Lover, Schoolly D, Too $hort, Prince, The Sugarhill Gang, and George Clinton. Many critics have compared his unique style to All Music Guide's Steve Huey. The documentary The Timez and Life of Eric Wright mentions that Eazy collaborated with many of them.
Reviewing Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton, Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted: "... Eazy-E seems animated, but the music isn't innovative. Instead of moving forward and creating a new original style, he treads the familiar gangsta road of boundless bass, whining synth beeps, and mindless braggadocio." Reviewing Eazy-Duz-It, Allmusic's Jason Birchmeier said, "From a production standpoint, Dr. Dre and Yella brought together P-Funk, Def Jam-style hip-hop, and many of the new mid-'80s electro sounds once popular in Los Angeles, creating a tight, funky, and completely unique style of their own." Birchmeier described Eazy-E's style as "tight, unique, and funky" and stated that it seemed like a completely revolutionary innovation in 1988.
Heritage
Eazy-E has gone down in history as the godfather of gangsta rap. MTV's Reed Shahim has called Eazy a "rap pioneer", and is sometimes cited by critics as a "legend". After his death in 1995, many books and videos were released about him, and Eazy-E Day was born in Compton. Jerry Heller wrote the book Ruthless: A Memoir, where he shares memories of Eazy, Dre, Eazy-Duz-It, and Heller's experience working with Eazy. When Eazy was diagnosed with AIDS, many magazines reported on it. Although Eazy has never won any awards in his life, all of his albums have charted on the Billboard 200 and many of his singles have topped the charts in the US.
Several members of N.W.A wrote lyrics for Eazy-Duz-It: Ice Cube, The D.O.C and MC Ren. The EP 5150: Home 4 tha Sick, was recorded with Naughty By Nature. The song “Merry Muthaphuckkin" Xmas" was recorded with the participation of Menajahtwa; Atban Klann and Kokane were invited as vocalists in the track "Neighborhood Sniper". Many novice performers appeared on the album "It's On (Dr. Dre) 187 um Killa", but more the most famous of them were Gangsta Dresta, BG Knocc. Kokane, Rhythum D. BG Knocc Out, Gangsta Dresta, Sylk-E. Fyne, Dirty Red took part in the recording, mixing and subsequent digitization of the album “Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton” , Menajahtwa, Roger Troutman, as well as ex-members of N.W.A - MC Ren and DJ Yella.
Personal life
Eric had 7 children. The first son is Eric Wright Jr., better known as rapper Lil Eazy-E. After his father's death, he inherited nothing, and he, along with his brother and Eazy's second son, Derrick, grew up in Compton. Currently he runs his label N.W.A Entertainment and is preparing his debut album Prince of Compton. Erin Bria Wright (aka E.B), daughter of Eazy, appeared on MTV's Sweet 16 and previously planned to release an album. Marquis Wright (Yung Eazy) is also involved in musical activities. Eric had 6 women, among whom the most famous was Tomika Woods-Wright, whom he married before his death.
Biopic
The premiere of the film “Straight Outta Compton”, which tells about the members of the group N.W.A. took place on August 13, 2015. The biopic started with extremely high box office receipts, topping the list of US box office leaders for several weeks. The film was also highly praised by both critics and audiences.
