Life and music
When N.W.A. was first started, Eazy-E never planned on rapping in any songs; he was set to provide the money, not the talent. After hearing Eazy-E rap, however, the other N.W.A. members liked his distinct, almost child-like voice[citation needed] and Ice Cube gave him some lyrics he had already written (see "Boyz-n-the-Hood").

Eazy-E's first solo album, Eazy-Duz-It, sold two million copies certifying it as a double platinum album. This album had three hit singles: "We Want Eazy", "Eazy-Er Said Than Dunn", and "Boyz-n-the-Hood". Fellow N.W.A. rapper Ice Cube wrote the lyrics for Eazy-E's first songs.

Eazy-E's creative vision was not always shared by the other members of N.W.A.. Dr. Dre was especially critical of the direction Eazy-E was leading the group.[citation needed] Eazy-E wanted to portray a rough, realistic image using stark production and minimal beats; Dr. Dre preferred to incorporate more mainstream elements into his production.[citation needed]

The subsequent period saw the release of several EPs as both group and Eazy-E solo efforts, plus a side project from The D.O.C.. On the final N.W.A. album, Efil4zaggin (1991), some of the lyrics provoked outrage from many critics and conservative circles, but this served to increase the group's audience.[citation needed] Eazy-E included even more of the elements that Dr. Dre considered cartoonish,[citation needed] such as the use of pistols and shotguns in videos for "Alwayz into Somethin'" and "Appetite for Destruction".

These differences of opinion led to a bumpy relationship; a break-up ensued when it was revealed that Eazy-E and Jerry Heller were borrowing money from the group. Ice Cube had previously discovered this causing him to leave N.W.A., and he referenced this in his diss song, "No Vaseline". Subsequently, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre started feuding - a feud that grew to embroil most of Ruthless Records and Dr. Dre's new label, Death Row Records.


[edit] Criticisms
Eazy-E was heavily criticized by many rap fans in the Los Angeles area for supporting the lawyer of Theodore Briseño, one of the police officers that took part in the Rodney King beating. Eazy was also criticized for attending a Republican Party fundraiser. Eazy-E claimed:[citation needed]

“ "So what they did was picked my name off for giving donations and they sent me an invitation to come down there, an invitation that said "We want to invite you to the Republicans' party". I'm not no fuckin' Republican you know. When we went down there, and as soon as I got off the plane, we had CNN and all these people like 'Eazy-E: gang member, drug dealer..' and they just blew it up. Basically, what I did was paid $1,500 for $1,000,000 worth of press" ”


[edit] Illness and death
In March 1995, Eazy-E was admitted into Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with what he believed to be bronchitis. Following comprehensive tests, it was discovered that he was suffering from AIDS. The illness was found to be in an advanced stage, and his condition deteriorated rapidly. During the week of March 20, Eazy-E drafted what would be his last message to his fans: [1][citation needed]

“ "...I may not seem like a guy you would pick to preach a sermon. But I feel it is now time to testify because I do have folks who care about me hearing all kinds of stuff about what's up. Yeah, I was a brother on the streets of Compton doing a lot of things most people look down on -- but it did pay off. Then we started rapping about real stuff that shook up the LAPD and the FBI. But we got our message across big time, and everyone in America started paying attention to the boys in the 'hood. Soon our anger and hope got everyone riled up. There were great rewards for me personally, like fancy cars, gorgeous women and good living. Like real non-stop excitement. I'm not religious, but wrong or right, that's me. I'm not saying this because I'm looking for a soft cushion wherever I'm heading, I just fee

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