Editing Eazy-E (section)

==Musical career==
===N.W.A and ''Eazy-Duz-It'' (1986–1991)===
[[N.W.A]]'s (also named as "the world's most dangerous group"<ref name="allrapnews.com"/>) original lineup consisted of [[Arabian Prince]], Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arabian Prince interview|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-brandes/kept-outta-compton-nwas-a_b_8101462.html|website=www.huffingtonpost.com|publisher=Huffington Post|access-date=September 16, 2015|date=September 8, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Arabian Prince interview|url=http://www.vladtv.com/article/214453/arabian-prince-on-being-founding-member-of-nwa-w-dre-eazy-e|website=www.vladtv.com|publisher=VladTV|access-date=September 16, 2015}}</ref> [[DJ Yella]] and [[MC Ren]] joined later.<ref name="amgnwa">{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first= Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=N.W.A.&nbsp;– Biography|url= {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p77|pure_url=yes}}|website=Allmusic|year=2000}}</ref> The [[compilation album]] ''[[N.W.A. and the Posse]]'' was released on November 6, 1987, and would go on to be certified Gold in the United States.<ref>Koroma, Salima (September 29, 2008) [http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.7795/title.vh1-airs-documentary-on-n-w-a "Vh1 Airs Documentary On N.W.A."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607084556/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.7795/title.vh1-airs-documentary-on-n-w-a |date=June 7, 2011 }}. Hiphopdx.com.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |title=Gold & Platinum&nbsp;– November 26, 2010 |publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] |access-date=November 27, 2010 |archive-date=May 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120524143006/http://riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |url-status=dead }}</ref> The album featured material previously released as singles on the Macola Records label, which was responsible for distributing the releases by N.W.A and other artists like the [[Fila Fresh Crew]], a [[West Coast hip hop|West Coast rap]] group originally based in [[Dallas]], Texas.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bynoe|first=Yvonne|title=Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofra0000byno|url-access=registration|year=2005|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=0-313-33058-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofra0000byno/page/294 294]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Brackett|first=Nathan|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition|year=2004|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster|Fireside Books]]|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/248 248]|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/248}}</ref>
[[File:Bring the Noise Tour at Joe Louis Arena 1988-12-10 (ticket).jpg|thumb|In promotion of ''Eazy-Duz-It'', Eazy-E was one of the supporting acts of the 1988 "Bring the Noise" concert tour that was co-headlined by [[Public Enemy]] and [[Ice-T]].]]
Eazy-E's debut album, ''[[Eazy-Duz-It]]'', was released in 1988, and featured twelve tracks. It was labeled as West Coast hip hop, [[gangsta rap]] and, later, as [[golden age hip hop]]. It has sold over 2.5&nbsp;million copies in the United States and reached number forty-one on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="Put Gangsta Rap on Charts"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=eazy-e|chart=all}} |title=Eazy-Duz-It&nbsp;– Eazy-E |magazine=Billboard |access-date=November 27, 2010}}</ref> The album was produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella and largely written by MC Ren, Ice Cube, and [[The D.O.C.]]<ref>{{cite AV media notes| title = Eazy-Duz-It| title-link = Eazy-Duz-It| others = Eazy-E| year = 1988| publisher=Ruthless, Priority}}</ref> Both Glen Boyd from the ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'' and [[MTV]]'s Jon Wiederhorn claimed that ''Eazy-Duz-It'' "paved the way" for N.W.A's most controversial debut album, ''[[Straight Outta Compton]]'',<ref name="Seattle Post-Intelligencer">Boyd, Glen (March 20, 2010). [http://www.seattlepi.com/pop/417146_129893-blogcritics.org.html "Music Review: Eazy E - Eazy Duz It (Uncut Snoop Dogg Approved Edition/Remastered)"]. ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]''</ref><ref>Wiederhorn, Jon. (July 31, 2002). [https://web.archive.org/web/20110925181854/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1456383/nwa-classics-be-reissued.jhtml?headlines=true "N.W.A Classics To Be Reissued With Bonus Tracks"]. [[MTV]].</ref> which was released in January 1989.<ref>{{multiref|{{Cite web|title=Gold & Platinum |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=N.W.A&ti=&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section |access-date=2025-01-11|website=RIAA|language=en-US}}|{{Cite web|title=Interview: Ice Cube Talks About The Making of Eazy-E's "E... |url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/rob-kenner/ice-cube-interview-easy-e|access-date=2025-01-11|website=Complex|language=en}}|{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox52unse_43/page/10/mode/2up?q=%22straight+outta+compton%22 |title=Cash Box |date=1989-05-27|publisher=Cash Box Pub. Co.|others=William and Mary Libraries Special Collections Research Center}}|{{Cite web |title=Ice Cube -Interview|url=http://www.bombhiphop.com/newbomb/bombpages/articles/MC/Ice%20Cube.htm |access-date=2025-01-11 |website=www.bombhiphop.com}}}}</ref> Wright's only solo in the album was a remix of the song "8 Ball", which originally appeared on ''N.W.A. and the Posse''. ''Straight Outta Compton'' featured Wright's writing and performing; he performed on seven songs and helped write four songs.<ref>{{cite AV media notes| title = Straight Outta Compton| title-link = Straight Outta Compton| others = [[N.W.A]]| year = 1989| publisher=Ruthless/Priority/EMI Records}}</ref>

Ice Cube left N.W.A in 1989 because of internal disputes and the group continued as a four-piece ensemble.<ref name="amgnwa"/> N.W.A released ''[[100 Miles and Runnin']]'' in 1990 and ''[[Niggaz4Life]]'' in 1991. A diss war started between N.W.A and Ice Cube when "100 Miles and Runnin'" and "Real Niggaz" were released. Ice Cube responded with "[[No Vaseline]]" on ''[[Death Certificate (album)|Death Certificate]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lazerine|first=Cameron|title=Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide to Hip-Hop and R&B|year=2008|publisher=Grand Central Publications|isbn=978-0-446-17820-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/rapupultimategui00laze/page/43 43–67]|author2=Lazerine, Devin|url=https://archive.org/details/rapupultimategui00laze/page/43}}</ref> Wright performed on seven of the eighteen songs on ''Niggaz4Life''.<ref>{{cite AV media notes| title = Niggaz4Life| title-link = Niggaz4Life| others = [[N.W.A]]| year = 1991| publisher=Ruthless/Priority}}</ref>

===End of N.W.A and feud with Dr. Dre (1991–1994)===
N.W.A began to split up after Jerry Heller became the band's manager. Dr. Dre recalls, "The split came when Jerry Heller got involved. He played the divide and conquer game. Instead of taking care of everybody, he picked one nigga to take care of and that was Eazy. And Eazy was like, 'I'm taken care of, so fuck it'." Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. sent [[Suge Knight]] to look into Eazy-E's financial situation as they began to grow suspicious of Eazy-E and Jerry Heller. Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. asked Eazy-E to release them from Ruthless, but Eazy-E refused. The impasse led to what reportedly transpired between Suge Knight and Eazy-E at the recording studio where ''Niggaz4life'' was recorded. After he refused to release Dr. Dre and The D.O.C., Suge Knight told Eazy-E that he had kidnapped Jerry Heller and was holding him prisoner in a van. This did not convince Eazy-E to release Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. from Ruthless, and Suge Knight threatened Eazy-E's family: Suge Knight gave Eazy-E a piece of paper that contained Eazy's mother's address, telling him, "I know where your mama stays." Eazy-E finally signed Dr. Dre and The D.O.C.'s releases, officially ending N.W.A.<ref name="Dre bio">{{cite book|title=Dr. Dre: A Biography|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=0-313-33826-4|pages=52–55|author1=Borgmeyer, Jon |author2=Lang, Holly }}</ref>

The December 1992 EP ''[[5150: Home 4 tha Sick]]'' features a song written by [[Naughty by Nature]]. The track "Merry Muthaphuckkin' Xmas" features [[Menajahtwa]], Buckwheat, and [[Atban Klann]] as guest vocalists, and "Neighborhood Sniper" features [[Kokane]] as a guest vocalist.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=5150: Home 4 tha Sick |title-link=5150: Home 4 tha Sick |others=Eazy-E |year=1992 |type=CD |publisher=Ruthless, Priority }}</ref>

The feud with Dr. Dre continued after a track on Dre's debut album ''[[The Chronic]]'', "[[Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')]]", contained lyrics that insulted Eazy-E. Eazy responded with the October 1993 [[Extended play|EP]], ''[[It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa]]'', featuring the tracks "[[Real Muthaphuckkin G's]]" and "It's On". The album, which was released on October 25, 1993, contains pictures of Dre wearing "lacy outfits and makeup" when he was a member of the Electro-hop [[World Class Wreckin' Cru]].<ref name="Dre bio"/> ''It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa'' features several guest vocalists, including [[Dresta|Gangsta Dresta]], [[B.G. Knocc Out]]. Kokane, [[Cold 187um]], Rhythum D, and [[Dirty Red]].<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa |others=Eazy-E |year=1993 |type=CD |publisher=Ruthless/Relativity/Epic }}</ref>

His final album, ''[[Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton]],'' was released ten months after his death, on January 30, 1996. ''Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton'' featured several guest vocalists, including B.G. Knocc Out, Gangsta Dresta, [[Sylk-E. Fyne]], Dirty Red, Menajahtwa, Roger Troutman, and ex-N.W.A members MC Ren and DJ Yella.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton |title-link=Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton|others=Eazy-E |year=1995 |type=CD |publisher=Ruthless, Relativity, Epic }}</ref>