ON RECORD, he was the hip-hop thugster, but family and friends say there was a lot more to the late Eric "Eazy-E" Wright than his image portrayed.

Wright was born Sept. 7, 1963, and died due to complications from AIDS on March 26, 1995. His short stature, dark sunglasses, gun-toting publicity photographs and alleged connections to illegal street activity created an image of a hardcore villain whose raps personified life on the turbulent streets of Compton. But that's just one side of the story, says friend and former N.W.A member Antoine "Yella" Carraby.

"He was just a regular person," Carraby says. "Money didn't change him. Charity was his thing, you just didn't hear about it. That other stuff; that was his character. He wasn't phony. He was a real thug, but he was also one of the nicest people you'd ever know. Yeah, we looked the part, but when the video camera stopped or that record stopped, he was back to normal."

The discrepancy between on record and off isn't limited to Wright, says Ebony Utley, an assistant professor in the department of communication studies at Cal State Long Beach. Utley, who began researching hip-hop in graduate school, teaches students to look at "the subtle nuances in hip-hop

text" and focuses on African-American social identity formation.

"For some artists, it's a job," Utley says. "Rap has a history of making itself look real. That's the distinction between reality and performing. Most rappers are performers and they are constructing a social identity that will allow them to be successful businessmen."

Wright earned worldwide recognition with his role in seminal Compton rap group N.W.A (which stood for N***** With Attitude) and as the founder of Ruthless Records. N.W.A's 1987 debut "N.W.A. and the Posse" and its successor, 1988's "Straight Outta Compton," along with Wright's first solo album, "Eazy-Duz-It," turned the quintet from local act to bona fide superstars. With Wright at the helm, the imprint went on to issue key West Coast hip-hop records by J.J. Fad, the D.O.C., Above the Law and Michel'le, along with six more Eazy-E solo releases (four posthumously), three solo albums from former N.W.A rapper M.C. Ren and seven records by Cleveland, Ohio's Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The label's most recent release, an N.W.A greatest hits package titled "The Strength of Street Knowledge: The Best of N.W.A," was issued in December.

Building a business

Ruthless was at the forefront of the West Coast gangster rap scene throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The label's influence helped launch the solo careers of N.W.A. members Ice Cube (who later went on to star in the films "Friday," "Barbershop," "Boyz N the Hood" and "Are We There Yet?"), M.C. Ren and Dr. Dre and laid the foundation for such artists as Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik and the Game. Wright's oldest son, Eric "Lil Eazy-E" Wright, is a Compton rapper whose major label debut, "The Prince of Compton," is scheduled to hit stores this summer.

N.W.A's song "(Expletive) the Police" garnered criticism from Assistant Director of the FBI Milt Ahlerich, who sent a letter to Ruthless that took exception to the lyrics. The episode resulted in a publicity boost for N.W.A.

A similar twist occurred when Wright was invited to a Republican fund-raiser. His acceptance drew criticism from fellow rappers, but the business savvy Wright explained the situation before his death: "So what they did was picked my name off for giving donations and they sent me an invitation to come down there, an invitation that said, 'We want to invite you to the Republican's party.' I'm not no (expletive) Republican you know. When we went down there, and as soon as I got off the plane, we had CNN and all these people like 'Eazy-E: gang member, drug dealer' and they just blew it up. Basically, what I did was paid $1,500 for $1,000,000 worth of press."

Wright was beloved in his hometown, Wright Jr. says, and was given the key to the city of Compton.

"He was like Elvis in our city," Wright Jr. says. "He's loved. Despite all the negative stuff people say about him, think about him as a businessman and what he did with kids. They look at the bad; they don't look at what he did for the city."

The unsolved shooting deaths of rap icons Shakur and Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace continue to make headlines in the mainstream press, but it's the blueprint set by Wright that has had more to do with shaping the current climate of contemporary hip-hop than anything else. Such popular figures as Eminem, 50 Cent, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Master P all have expanded their horizons to include the behind-the-scenes part of the industry. This merging of rapper and record label executive can be traced back to Wright, his son and Utley say.

"You can continue to draw the line from Eazy to (Death Row Records co-founder) Suge (Knight) to Master P to Juvenile to Ludacris," Utley says. "I can't think of anyone who had a deal like Eazy had before Eazy had it."

"He set the trend for Puff Daddy, Master P and all of them," Wright Jr. says. "He showed them how to run a record label."

The reason behind this type of entrepreneurial branching out has a simple explanation, Utley says.

"You can't make any money as a rapper," Utley says, "but you can make money on clothing lines. Hip-hop is all about the come up. It's nothing without emphasizing the success story. Money has never been divorced from the endeavor, and when you have that kind of visibility to capitalize on your cultural icon status, you don't have to re-establish yourself as a brand you already are one. You can release your album and clothing line on the same day."

Street sense

Carraby attributes Ruthless' success to Wright's business sense, which he says came from growing up on the streets and a penchant for learning on the job. Wright knew how to make his company grow, even without any formal business training, Carraby says.

"We were making $100,000 videos that never got played," Carraby says. "It was ahead of its time. Me and Dre wanted to go to Island Records, but Eric held out. We wanted to sign up and make some money right away. The knowledge came from the streets, selling stuff or whatever. It's a ghetto way, but he learned. As the business went on, he learned more and more about publishing and all this stuff."

Carraby and Wright Jr. agree that the hip-hop community has not done enough to remember the legacy of Eazy-E. The downplaying of his importance to hip-hop is a large part of why Wright Jr. decided to pick up a microphone at the age of 18. Both speculate that Wright's AIDS-related death might be the reason the rapper isn't put on the type of pedestal they feel he deserves, but neither knows for sure.

"I'm here to put a stamp on that," Wright Jr. says. "How can the father of gangster rap be overlooked when 2Pac and Biggie get as much respect and glory as they do when they wouldn't be nothing without him? He started all of this. He's the founder of two of the biggest groups in hip-hop ever."

"His death wasn't handled right," Carraby says. "The record company didn't capitalize on it the way they did with the other ones. Eazy was bigger than both of them 2pac and Biggie. He was the originator of all this hard rap, hip-hop, gangster rap, whatever."

Study guide

This story about rap music is presented as part of the Newspaper in Education observance of Black History Month. Newspapers are provided to the schools through the generous donations of our readers. The following activities are for teachers, students and families to adapt or adjust to any grade level or ability. An effort has been made to include Content Standards for California Schools in each task.

1. Students write clear, coherent and focused essays. Today's feature story is about rap music and the obstacles Eric "Eazy-E" Wright overcame to start a business. His family and friends are concerned about the image the public has of this performer. After you read about Wright and the lifestyle of rap musicians, think about what image you portray to your friends and the community where you live. Write an essay describing your life and the values you embrace and describe how you put those values to work. Include obstacles you have in your life and your plan for overcoming the roadblocks.

2. Explore the significance of personal experience. Use pictures and words from the Press-Telegram that represent how you feel about yourself and the image you want to present to the people around you. Using a piece of construction paper as a background, paste on the items you chose that tell about your family, hobbies, beliefs likes and dreams. Use large letters from the headlines to put your name at the top or center of the collage you have created, and you have a mini-autobiography.

3. Students become aware of a variety of styles of writing in the media. The interviews with Antoine Carraby, Ebony Utley and Eric "Lil Eazy-E" Wright are used in this feature story. Feature stories are different from news stories in many ways. They generally are not breaking news but cover subjects that are timely. They may be written in different styles. Feature stories are "people" oriented. They are more descriptive than news stories. Find other examples of feature stories in today's Press-Telegram. Compare a feature story with a news story. A news story begins with the five W's. A feature story is more likely to be a narrative or expository and the five W's are not necessarily at the beginning. After you have read both news stories and feature stories, develop some ideas for feature stories that you would like to see in the newspaper, based upon news stories. Look around your school or neighborhood for an interesting event or personality and write a feature story about it.

4. Evaluate the role of the media in focusing attention on events and people and in forming opinions on the issues. The comics in today's newspapers often reflect American values and value systems through the use of humor, dramatic conflict and narrative fiction. Spend some time reading the comics and getting acquainted with the characters. Looking at your favorites for several days will help you get to know the issues they deal with or the statements the artist is making about our society. Sometimes you will recognize an experience or relationship that is familiar to you. Sometimes it will be something silly, and sometimes it will be a play on words to make you laugh. Traditional elements of fiction such as plot, character, setting and dialogue are apparent in adventure strips and family stories. Look for examples of stereotyping in the comics, especially with regard to the gender and ethnicity.

5. Black History Month. Use the "U" section in today's Press-Telegram to read the movie listings. Identify movies being shown locally that feature prominent black actors/actresses and entertainers. Look at the TV pages and circle all the programs that star black performers. Summarize the plot of one of these movies or TV shows you have seen using the five W's: who, what, when, where and why. Make a list of personal traits attributed to each main character. What are some similarities and differences about these real-life heroes? Discuss with your class or family what you admire about the characters.

6. Students understand the interactions of animals and their environments. Use the Guide to Inside to locate the Mini Page. Read silently or aloud with your class about "Polar Bears in Trouble." What did you learn about polar bears? Where do they live? Why are they in trouble? Why is ice important to polar bears? Describe the characteristics thata polar bear adapted to a life in cold sea areas. What is the size of a mother bear's den where she cares for her cubs? Now that you know the problem that is facing the polar bears, what are some things you can do to help save the environment and make a difference? Have you ever seen a polar bear at a zoo? What is your memory of the animal?

7. Scavenger hunt for fun. This activity can be done in teams or by individuals. Find each item in the newspaper, cut or tear it out and paste it on a large piece of paper with a number beside it. The first team to get all the items correctly is the winner. 1) A face with glasses. 2) A compound word. 3) A letter from someone. 4) A TV show that a family can watch together. 5) Name of a person in government. 6) The high temperature in Hong Kong. 7) A number greater than a million. 8) The name of the newspaper you are using. 9) Comic strip character who is not a real person. 10) An ad for something you would like to own. (Note to teachers: Make items easier or harder based on your grade level.)

For information about other educational programs using the Press-Telegram, call the Newspaper in Education office at (562) 499-1448 and ask for Educational Services Manager Gayle Knapp or [email protected].