Remembering Gangsta Rap Pioneer Eazy-E

When N.W.A.’s debut album, Straight Outta Compton, came out in 1988, it struck a nerve within the rap community and with young people of all stripes.

Though many parents worried that the music glorified violence, drugs and misogyny, the album was a major success, kickstarting the careers of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E.

Eazy-E wasn't just a member of N.W.A.; it was his label, Ruthless Records, that launched the group and would later discover acts such as Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

For his style and business sense, Eazy-E is known as the Godfather of Gangsta Rap. Twenty years after his death at age 30, we're looking back on his life, career, and continuing influence.

• 20 Years After His Death, Eazy-E Deserves a Spot on Rap's Mount Rushmore
• Eazy-E: The Ruthless Life Of An American Gangsta
• His children reflect on the late gangsta rapper’s legacy
• His son thinks Suge Knight killed his father by infecting him with HIV
• Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Detail Eazy-E's Impact & Remember His Death

Ice Cube remembers Eazy-E:

The 2015 biopic "Straight Outta Compton" told the story of N.W.A.: