Eazy-E

Eazy-E
Eazy-E in 1993
Born
Eric Lynn Wright

(1964-09-07)September 7, 1964[1]
Compton, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 26, 1995(1995-03-26) (aged 30)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Burial placeRose Hills Memorial Park
Other namesEazy
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • record producer
  • entrepreneur
Spouse
Tomica Woods
​
(m. 1995)​
Children11, including Lil Eazy-E
Musical career
Genres
Years active1985–1995[2]
Labels
Formerly ofN.W.A

Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964[1] – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap".[3]

Born and raised in Compton, California, Wright had several legal troubles before founding Ruthless in 1987.[4] After a short solo career with frequent collaboration with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, they joined, forming N.W.A, later that year. N.W.A's debut studio album, Straight Outta Compton, was released in 1988. Controversial upon release, it is now ranked among the greatest and most influential albums ever. The group released its second and final studio album, Niggaz4Life, in 1991, and soon after disbanded.

During N.W.A's splintering, largely by disputes over money, Eazy-E became embroiled in bitter rivalries with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, who had departed for solo careers in 1989 and 1991, respectively. Resuming his solo career Eazy-E released two EPs,[5] yet he remained more significant behind the scenes, signing and nationally debuting the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from 1993 to 1994.

  1. ^ a b Westhoff 2017, p. 284: "Though most obituaries list his birth year as 1963, that is likely not accurate. The funeral program gave his birth year as 1964, as do most official court documents. That would make him thirty at his death, rather than thirty-one as was widely reported"
  2. ^ "Lonzo Williams: Dre & Eazy Were Supposes to Co-Own Ruthless Records". DJVlad. August 26, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Vladislav Lyubovny, interview with Lonzo Williams, "Dre & Eazy were supposed to co-own Ruthless Records", DJVlad @ YouTube, August 26, 2015.
  5. ^ Huey, Steve (2003). "Eazy-E Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved August 24, 2007.