A Compton street has been renamed in honor of the rapper Eazy-E. Friends, family, and fans gathered to celebrate the occasion on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 28 years after the founding NWA member's death. The road in the Compton Towne Center shopping mall is now officially known as Eazy Street.
A street in Compton was renamed in honor of the rapper Eazy-E during a ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
"My father finally got what he deserves, a monumental street in the city he put on the map," the rapper's son Eric Darnell said at the event covered by ABC7. "It's a long time coming, but again, I always say it's God's timing."
Eazy-E, real name Eric Lynn Wright, created NWA with fellow Compton natives Dr. Dre and Arabian Prince in 1987. Ice Cube, DJ Yella and MC Ren were added to the project later on. The group played a key role in the popularization of the gangsta rap genre. Their 1988 album Straight Outta Compton went triple platinum in the U.S. and their 1991 follow up N***az4Life made it to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. Both records were released on Eazy-E's label Ruthless Records, which he created with the group's manager Jerry Heller.
Eazy-E was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in February 1995 and died less than one month later at age 30. His second solo album Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaph**kin Compton was released the following year. It made it to the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 and the No. 1 slot on the Hip-Hop/R&B chart. The rapper was buried in a gold coffin, the Los Angeles Times reported. Thousands of people watched the funeral proceedings.
Eazy-E performing the track 'Real Muthaf**kin G's' live in 1994.
NWA helped put Compton and California as a whole on the map in the rap scene. Prior to the group's popularity, the genre was commercially dominated by artists from the East Coast.
"Compton has a lot of history, but nobody knows about it," said Alonzo Williams, the president of the Compton Entertainment Chamber of Commerce who helped spearhead the renaming effort. "Being this is the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, I thought it'd be a great idea to approach the City Council, talk about possibly doing this and they loved the idea."
NWA performing the track '100 Miles and Runnin'' live in 1990.
With the 50th anniversary of hip-hop sparking multiple celebrations throughout 2023, there have been multiple efforts to officially commemorate the genre's landmarks. Earlier this fall, a Manhattan intersection was officially renamed Beastie Boys Square.
