Music > Interviews

Lil Eazy E

The Adrian Flux Waterfront

by Lizz

28/06/17

“You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge..”

When your dad is one of the most influencial and raddest hip hop pioneers in the world, and your family friends include bodyguards, Ice Cube and MC Ren, the likelihood is that you’re gonna follow in his footsteps. Lil Eazy E is not only the CEO of NWA Entertainment but also a talented rapper. He’s touring the world with DJ Yella, the original NWA DJ, playing tracks from the classic album Straight Outta Compton as well as some other hip hop classics. I had the honour of speaking to Lil, aka Eric Wright about his father Eazy E’s legacy, who his favourite rappers are and the work he does with HIV/AIDS charities.

What does a usual day look like for you at the moment?

It usually can be busy if it’s a productive day. At the moment I’m trying to get a production deal for the production side of NWA Entertainment, so I’m looking for an office space for a pre-production studio that we can base it out of. I’ve been working on production a lot when I’m in the country and not travelling.

You’re the eldest son of gangsta rap pioneer Eazy-E, born and raised in Compton in the family home of your father. What’s your dearest memory of your father?

Man, I have numerous memories of my father. He used to come and visit me in the house where I lived, which was his parents’ house where he was born and raised also, and taught me different things, like how to shoot a Red Rider BB gun back in ’88. I have really fond memories of him…I could go on and on.

You’ve worked with a lot of huge hip hop names including Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and The Game. Who for you are the best rappers of all time?

Yeah, working with Bone was like a dream come true, and The Game was one of the first people I worked with. That track, Confessions, on The Game’s first mixtape was one of the coldest sixteens I ever wrote (ed’s note – a sixteen means a verse in a hip hop track). I might have to go back and look that up! Ice Cube, E-40, DJ Quik…in terms of those who are still alive, they’d be my favourites. My father was a pioneer, I don’t really consider him just a rapper, and Tupac of course, but when you ask that question I really just thought of those who are still living.

On this tour you’re playing with DJ Yella from NWA, who with your dad right from the beginning with Boys In The Hood. I guess that growing up with such a famous rapper for a dad you must have had some pretty well known family friends that have stuck with you through the years into adulthood?

Yeah, a lot of my father’s bodyguards and childhood friends have been around all my life, and DJ Yella and I have been real close since I was young. He’s my brother’s baby’s godfather. Ice Cube has always been a good mentor, MC Ren goes back to those old stories and the undercover street cats of my youth! It’s great to hear the stories and things you didn’t know about your father from friends like DJ Yella, so touring the world with him has been a real blessing. He’s always been there to support me…and keep a nigga paid!

Was it quite a challenge to find your own voice and rap yourself and to find your own unique style being the son of Eazy E?

My voice is deeper than my father’s but I never tried to mimic his. He had a unique voice. I did try to follow the same criteria and thoroughness of my father. So I never set out to sound like him although members of my family will say “Damn, you sound like your daddy”. When I first started I probably did sound more like him but as I developed I created my own sound just naturally, you know.

You are involved in helping to raise awareness of HIV, your dad sadly died of AIDS. I understand that many more African Americans have it than other groups. When did the grief from losing your dad turn into wanting to help others?

Because my father passed away from it I strived to know more about it. HIV and AIDS really attack us as African Americans, and these days it’s attacking even younger people and they’re likely to die, whereas when I first found out about AIDS was at the start of it, and people started dying in their mid 20’s. Nowadays they’re dying aged 16-24 in certain regions in America. It’s a very sad epidemic and it makes me want to strive to educate individuals and to try to understand what their situation is so you can try to stop it. They have some cures now, and you can still have a life and live. I just felt like it was my mission – I learnt about it in high school, and people said my father died of AIDS, and then that was my mystery to solve, to find out what really happened. When you see the statistics come out and you realise it’s attacking a lot of children and in particular African Americans you have to do what you can.

Would you like your legacy to be to work in music to the benefit of others?

I tell my brother, I want to catapult this, I want to get him, Baby Eazy E out there. I am solely about my family, it’s everything to me. I didn’t get into this so I could tell people I’m the best rapper. What I can tell people is that I’m the most thorough rapper, and the most real, and the hardship and struggle that I went through is where I get my drive from. We’re just trying to tell our story and also keep my father’s legacy alive. Before The Game came out my father wasn’t getting any recognition as a rapper, for ten years, and that’s where I got my struggle and pain and push for music from. Now I feel like a lot of things have been accomplished in terms of what I want to do in life. People say “E kickin’ the scene” but the NWA movie made two billion dollars and now children know about my father and his legacy has been revived. Now when I make music I feel relaxed and comfortable and I’m just gonna give you my story. I’m not that young aggressive knucklehead running around anymore, I had a lot of anger, but to be able to travel the world, represent my father and be happy that I have cemented his legacy. Now fans come up to me and say “Now we want to know about you” and that inspires me to relax. My pops did it for all of hip hop, did it for Tupac, for Biggie, for Master P, for Snoop, for 50 Cent, for P Diddy, for everybody. He set the trend for everybody in this hip hop game, and I feel he should be represented and remembered.

You travel the world these days and recently visited Russia, Sydney, Indonesia. What’s your favourite place in the world?

So far my favourite place in Australia but I haven’t been to Europe yet. It’s my first time in the UK. Indonesia and Bali are beautiful but to this day Australia got it.

You recently attended at event at the Newseum about celebrating the freedom of expression and music. Is this at the heart of your career?

Yeah it was cool to see rappers performing for a roomful of 70-80 year old Caucasians, cool to celebrate the freedom of expression and carry on what my father started with NWA, and which DJ Yella and Ice Cube ran with Dre. It’s really just educating people on the First Amendment, freedom of speech. We got into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame too! That was a bucket list for me.

What are your favourite tracks from Straight Outta Compton that you’ll be performing?

Man, Straight Outta Compton the song is one of my favourites for sure, Eazy Duz It, and Fuck The Police…of course we’ll give you a taste of that as well! Ha ha! Basically we’ll be doing all my father’s hits.

What did you think of Straight Outta Compton, the film?

Hollywood did what it did, you know what I mean? You can have your nays and says, and it may not get what you want but overall it resurged my father’s career and put him in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. The movie served its purpose and broke records. All eyes on E!

Straight Outta Compton comes to the Waterfront on 19th July. Tickets available from ueatickets.ticketabc.com.