Review Summary: Eazy-E’s prevailing ‘hood nigga’ mentality, vulgar sense of humor, and storytelling abilities make Eazy-Duz-It a gangsta rap classic. Probably should have added something about the Dre beats somewhere in here too…huh…?
Eazy-E’s (practically) patented voice and his gangsta lyrics made him a lovable figure within the scope of rap, but not so loved outside it. He and his Ruthless cohorts were hated by middle-to-upper class America for their violent, sex-craving, drug-obsessed, bleak outlook on life. But as Eazy said, “I don’t give a f*ck.” With some help from the N.W.A crew, Eazy-Duz-It is a great solo debut effort from the E.
Eazy E’s whiny, nasally, teenager voice was a staple of his rapping style. Combine that with his smooth, uptempo flow, his rapping style was a favorite amongst hip-hop fans. This style probably helped him gravitate to his comically inclined, but gangsta lyrics – “Take out the security guard, with the strap in my hand/Yea he’s wearing a badge but he’s just an old-ass man” –as it just somehow fit the mold. Never the lyrical wiz, Eazy-E more often than not, relied on his story-telling abilities to compensate for that. Nobody Move, Boyz-N-The-Hood (Remix), and Chapter 8 Verse 10 are all examples of this, as he tells tales of an armed robbery, life in Compton, and a driveby (respectively) full of vivid images.
In addition to that, early in his career – before N.W.A broke apart – Eazy-E had lots of firepower on the boards. N.W.A member Dr. Dre produced the entire album (with some help from DJ Yella.) Rather than the typical, chill G-funk Dr. Dre beats, all the tracks on the album are of the same typical West coast gangsta rap format in terms of sound. However, rather than being slow-moving, they are uptempo, matching Eazy-E’s rapping style. The high speed, drum-tastic beat of 2 Hard Mutha’s and roaring bass, frequent claps and twinkly synths of Boyz-N-The-Hood (Remix) are just two examples of this.
For my conclusion, rather than giving a long, drawn out, detailed reiteration of the summary, I’m going to substitute it with the following.
R.I.P Eric Lynn Wright (October 7th, 1963 – March 26th, 1995)
