COMPTON, CA — The nation continued to celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop; one legacy that can not be ignored is the late great Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, where a street in his hometown was dedicated in his honor in November. Many gathered to celebrate the hip-hop pioneer, also known as “the Godfather of Gangsta Rap.” Wright passed away from complications of the AIDS virus in March 1995, and though there is speculation surrounding his death, there is no doubt the value he left on a world, a nation, hip hop, and his community of Compton.
One of his children, Eric “Lil’ Eazy-E” Wright Jr., was just ten years old when his father passed away, yet he continued to make sure to not only honor his father’s footsteps but build a legacy of his own. Wright Jr., like his father, also grew up in Compton. Throughout the ups and downs of life, Wright Jr., is grateful to be around to see his dad be honored with a street naming ceremony in his beloved hometown.
“My legacy is his legacy, the most I can do for my legacy is to teach and raise my kids the proper way and make they grow up to be something in life,” he said. “It’s really all my father’s legacy, I’m just out here pushing it. For any individuals that take sight on what I do, I appreciate it. I don’t do it for myself, I do for my daddy.”
The foundation to get the street dedication to fruition was a long road. Yet, those who contributed, such as Wright’s family, Arnold “Bigg A” White, and Lonzo Williams, who heads the Compton Entertainment Chamber of Commerce that organized the event and made sure the legacy of Wright continued with the naming of Eazy Street. Wright wasn’t just as a rapper but also as a pioneer as a businessperson and the youth to continue to be inspired by today. Eazy-E was known for putting himself and N.W.A on the map, along with starting Ruthless Records that produced such acts as J.J. Fad, The D.O.C, Michelle, Above The Law, Kokane, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
With many dignitaries from the state of California, Compton Mayor Emma Sharif, DJ Yella, DJ Battlecat, Layzie Bone (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony), Cold187um (Above The Law), and Wright’s family that included his children and his mother Kathie Wright were all on hand for the ceremony. Music from Eazy-E, N.W.A, Tha Dogg Pound, and several other West Coast artists were blasting throughout the speakers for the crowd. Later on that warm afternoon, the time for a ceremony that many the moment that many had gathered for, the official renaming of Town Center Drive to become Eazy Street.
We all could wonder if Eazy-E were alive today: what would he be doing, what business he would invest in, and what would Compton look like now? Wright Jr. shared his theory on what he thought his father would do today.
“The city would be a lot more and where the city is now, and the direction that it is going it would’ve already been there been there because my dad was about his city.”
