And it’s not just me. Artists today wouldn’t be able to talk about the things they talk about if it wasn’t for Eazy-E and if it wasn’t for gangsta rap. Period. You don’t even have to be ...

In 1995, rap artist Eazy-E, a major figure in the commercial development of "gangsta" rap and co-founder of the group N.W. A. announced that he had AIDS and was in dire condition. AIDS would be the ...