The game of Hip-Hop has definitely changed over the last 15 years, but one thing is for certain on this day (March 26) in 1995 we lost a real pioneer.
Eric “Eazy-E” Wright was more than a gangster, he along with his N.W.A. counterparts helped birth a movement that established not only a coast in the game, but redefined Hip-Hop as we knew it.
In a time where originality was the key to success, N.W.A exploded on the game giving people everywhere a glimpse of what it was like growing up in Compton, California.
No stranger to controversy, Eazy-E took the message one step further being the first rapper to talk about selling drugs and the adverse effects on wax, with his 1987 hit “Dopeman.”
After N.W.A split, Eazy-E continued with his entrepreneurial spirit, helping launch the careers of Bone Thugs and Harmony as well as Black Eyed Peas (who were then known as Atban Clan).
Despite the significant contribution within the industry, Eazy-E also contributed to the community as well when he became the public face of AIDS awareness.
Before succumbing to the disease, Eazy-E raised awareness that HIV/AIDS was not just for homosexuals, but it could affect your mother, sister, brother or father and our homeboy.
R.I.P. Eazy-E… Mourn You Till We Join You
