Students of the game remember this clip of Eazy-E on The Arsenio Hall Show* for the Hip-Hop history it rightfully represents. Showcasing Eric Wright in all of his controversial, charismatic and defiant glory (and crusty feet), those not familiar should take it as a lesson. Never will you see something like this on live television again. Read the rest of this entry »
“What can I say, even the realest n*ggas quote Pac…” – Young Jeezy
Probably more than any rapper, sensitive moments and ignorant outbursts equating to enigmatic openness defines Tupac Shakur. Credit such a veil to his Gemini personality, or better yet, through the various experiences his brief, but fast paced life afforded him. Either way, properly describing Pac is a task which is still incomplete even as we creep towards what would have been his 40th birthday. Read the rest of this entry »
Depending who you ask, Eazy-E is either one of Hip-Hop’s greatest pioneers or one of its greediest figures. For as many success stories that surround him, like bringing the world Bone Thugs N Harmony, the negative connotations, like allegedly being the reason N.W.A. split, run rampant.
I never knew the guy, just the urban legends surrounding him. Being that the man unfortunately can’t be here to defend himself, I won’t focus on the negative aspects. There’s enough negative B.S. going on in the world today anyway. When Eric Wright passed away 15 years ago today, I barely knew who he was. I was only nine. Over the years though, I’ve gotten to know the artist through his music, old interviews, documentaries and everything in between.
One thing I can say is this – he helped set one of the greatest trends of all time. Jay had the button up. Cam had the “all-pink-everything” movement. Pharrell/Clipse had B.A.P.E. But Eazy’s (and Cube’s) White Sox/Raiders fitted + black sunglasses + flannel look was the reason I wanted to move to Cali. Then I realized being light skin wouldn’t have been good for my campaign. I probably would’ve gotten taken as serious as Braxton from “The Jamie Foxx Show” when he appeared on “Original Gangstas.” Us light skin brothers didn’t recover from that until Barack showed up.
I guess what I’m really trying to say is, take a minute out and remember a legend. As the years go by and the generations pass, it’ll be harder and harder to remember people of E’s stature. That’s just a product of the game though. Time distances you from everything. To assist you with the commemoration, run back through these clips and remember when the jheri curl was a testament to your gangsta and South Central Los Angeles was America’s #1 war zone.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I include this video for two reasons. One, I still find this to be one of the better, more entertaining and controversial clips of the ’90s. Nothing will ever top the 1995 Source Awards, but this is knocking on the door, at least in the ignorance category. And two, “Damn, E, they tried to fade you on ‘Dre Day’/But ‘Dre Day’ only make Eazy’s payday/All of a sudden Dr. Dre is a ‘G-Thang’/But on his old album cover, he was a she-thang…” is one of the best diss lines of all time. Dre is my dude, but that’s just keeping it 100. Plus, how many rappers will ever be allowed to perform a diss song on national TV?
It’s readily apparent that I get all types of emails & material in my inbox. Those messages often include actual personal emails from friends & acquaintances, i.e. people I like receiving emails from. Well, Suave sent this one and, even though I’ve seen the movie more than enough, some of these stumped me. Therefore, I ask for your help in completing the “Coming To America Quiz.”
1. What is Akeem’s full name?
2. “My name is Peaches…” what is her sister’s name?
Graphics: 
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/global/images/default-avatar.jpg){kind=avatar}
