and Sug e Knight that he should leave the label to avoid being ripped off by Heller and Eazy. Dre, who had issues with his contract and payment, was advised by The D.O.C. “If Eazy wouldn’t have passed away … they probably would have been the biggest group in the world … They should have wound up as rich as Jay Z.” Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, who joined Ruthless Records in the early 90s, found overwhelming success with their debut E.P. Dre and Suge Knight, was also originally signed to Ruthless Records. Singer Michel’le Toussaint, ex-wife of both Dr. Despite the loss, Eazy-E continued to grow the company by signing over 30 artists from the late 80s to the early 90s including The D.O.C., hip-hop’s first major white female rapper, Tairrie B, and Will 1X and the Atban Klann - Will 1X would later change his name to Will.i.am, and along with Apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie, go on to form The Black Eyed Peas. Ice Cube left over royalty disputes in 1989, forcing N.W.A. “I looked at him as a guy that had a lot of potential that I probably could help in the management business … Eric knew he was a problem from the beginning.” Heller said of Knight to the “Murder Master Music Show”: The disputes were further fueled by the presence of hired bodyguard and friend of Dr. was generating over $20 million a month by today’s standards. Disputes over money threatened to tear the startup company apart, however. We don’t even have a typewriter in the office.’ I said, ‘We’re the most successful start-up record company in the history of the music business … “Īdjusted for inflation, N.W.A. “ … we’re doing $10 million a month with six employees. Heller described the state of Ruthless Records at the time to “ Murder Master Music Show“ : In 1988, Eazy-E released his debut album, “Eazy-Duz-It,” followed by N.W.A.’s first full-length album, “Straight Outta Compton,” which became wildly successful with their controversial single “Fuck Tha Police.”Īt the time, Ruthless Records only consisted of Heller and the five members of N.W.A. Dre and Ice Cube, according to Billboard. Ruthless Records began with only $7,000 of Eazy-E’s own money and 5,000 12-inch copies of his single “Boyz N the Hood,” which was written by Dr. “Straight visionary … he wanted that rough, hardcore shit,” Ice Cube added. “He took all of that street knowledge and hustling on the streets and brought it to this thing we were doing. described their relationship with Eazy-E. DJ Yella said of Eazy, “He was ahead of his time.” In a Billboard interview with rapper Kendrick Lamar, the four living members of N.W.A. Eazy-E used his own money to pay for studio sessions for the group and spearheaded the label’s marketing campaign. Dre, DJ Yella, Ice Cube, and later in 1988, MC Ren, who replaced Arabian Prince. In 1986, 22-year-old Eazy-E and Heller founded Ruthless Records in Compton, California, as a platform to release music for N.W.A., the now iconic Compton rap group assembled by Eazy-E that included Arabian Prince, Dr. Likewise, ‘dope dealer’ was a role that accorded you certain privileges and respect.”Īfter the murder of his cousin, Eazy-E decided to make a better living through the hip-hop scene and began recording songs in his parent’s garage. ‘Thug’ was a role that was widely understood on the street it gave you a certain level of protection in the sense that people hesitated to fuck with you. “The hood where he grew up was a dangerous place. Jerry Heller, Eazy-E’s producer, friend and manager, described in his book, “ Ruthless: A Memoir, ” how Eazy used the image of a “gangsta” to survive growing up: Eazy-E Starts in ComptonĮazy-E, who was raised in Compton, California, was a high school dropout who supported himself by selling drugs. Responsible for putting West Coast hip-hop on the map, the N.W.A.-fueled Ruthless Records easily had the potential to become one of the greatest independent record labels in history, if not for squabbles over money and the alleged violence and ill intent of rival record companies. and “ The Godfather of Gangsta Rap,” pioneered an empire that never was but should have been when he established Ruthless Records. Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, a founding member of the seminal rap group N.W.A.
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