Eazy-E: Thug Motivation

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Tomorrow marks the passing of the late great Eazy-E.  It was on this day in 1995 that he lost his battle with AIDS and died at the young age of 31. It’s crazy sometimes the legacy people leave behind and how that manifests itself once you have been forgotten.  Most hip-hop kids 21 and under might not appreciate what he brought to the game, but they definitely are reaping the benefits.  The whole attitude of being a “real” gangsta rapper and living up to your lyrics spawned directly form him.  He also put that bravado in the game where someone didn’t have to be the best rapper in the world, but you felt his lyrics and image (.i.e.  Jeezy, Plies, Shawty Lo, Maino, etc..).  Eazy had a great business mind for the game as well, setting up deals that payed tremendously (for him) and signing two of the most successful groups in the history of hip-hop (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and The Black Eyed Peas).

The other part of his legend came in the aftermath of his downfall.  He was to the hood what Magic Johnson was to the rest of the world – a larger than life figure who could get AIDS. His tales of promiscuity and sexual prowess came to an life in a nightmare that ended with him not waking up.  He showed us rap connoisseurs that we can get it too and from that point on it really wasn’t cool to be having unprotected sex.  Also there were no conspiracy theories of him having a secret cure like Magic because he died 10 days after he found out he had contracted HIV.  There weren’t any blogs around then, so everyone couldn’t make video of the circus that surrounded him at the hospital that included groupies, people trying to get signed before he died, and him ending the beef with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.  Here is his last statement and message to the world:

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 feel that I’ve got thousands and thousands of young fans that have to learn about what’s real when it comes to AIDS. Like the others before me, I would like to turn my own problem into something good that will reach out to all my homeboys and their kin. Because I want to save their asses before it’s too late.

I’m not looking to blame anyone except myself. I have learned in the last week that this thing is real, and it doesn’t discriminate. It affects everyone. My girl Tomika and I have been together for four years and we recently got married. She’s good, she’s kind and a wonderful mother. We have a little boy who’s a year old. Before Tomika I had other women. I have seven children by six different mothers. Maybe success was too good to me. I love all my kids and always took care of them. Now I’m in the biggest fight of my life, and it ain’t easy. But I want to say much love to those who have been down to me. And thanks for your support. Just remember: It’s YOUR real time and YOUR real life.

R.I.P. Eazy-E.