Eazy-E

Eric Lynn Wright known professionally as EazyE was an American rapper record producer and entrepreneur Dubbed the Godfather of Gangsta Rap he gained prominence for his work with NWA where he has been credited for pushing the boundaries of lyrical and visual content in mainstream popular music Born and raised in Compton California EazyE faced several legal troubles before founding the Ruthless Records record label in 1986 After beginning a short solo career where he worked heavily with Ice Cube and Dr Dre the trio came together to form the group NWA later that year As a member of the group he released the controversial album Straight Outta Compton 1988 which tackled many sociopolitical issues The album has been regarded as one of the greatest albums of alltime and one of the most influential in the genre The group released their final studio album three years later and disbanded shortly after due to longstanding financial disputes EazyE then resumed his solo career where he released two EPs which drew inspiration from funk music contemporary hiphop and comedians He also engaged in a highprofile feud with Dr Dre before being hospitalized with AIDS in 1995 He died a month after his hospitalization