Ice Cube was a huge part of the West Coast hip-hop scene in the 1980s and ’90s. The emcee (real name O’Shea Jackson) is widely considered one of the forefathers of gangsta rap and, alongside figures such as Ice-T and Eazy-E, paved the way for lyricists such as Snoop Dogg and even 2Pac.
N.W.A. had a profound impact on hip-hop culture. Not only did they create fantastic music, but they were one of the first collectives from the West Coast to break into the mainstream and put California on the map. During the ’80s, political hip-hop had really begun to take hold of the charts. However, it was crews such as Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions that were turning heads and selling records.
While Ice-T and rhymers from North California, such as Too $hort and E-40, were making some waves nationally, N.W.A. were unparalleled concerning their popularity. Originating in Compton, the crew was a merger of the trio C.I.A and the World Class Wreckin’ Cru. C.I.A, comprised of Sir Jinx (Dr Dre’s cousin), Ice Cube (real name O’Shea Jackson) and K-Dee. However, through Jinx, the emcee would get recruited to become an official member of N.W.A. around 1986.
As part of N.W.A., Ice Cube achieved tremendous success. Jackson quickly became an LA household name and a gangsta rap pioneer. However, despite the fame and fortune that came with being part of a renowned supergroup, Jackson ended up becoming unhappy with his predicament, and before long, he and Eazy-E were butting heads.
Eazy-E (real name Eric Wright) founded Ruthless Records with Jerry Heller so N.W.A. could release their tracks and even sign other artists. However, Heller was a polarising figure and after years of success, with little money in his pocket, Ice Cube became wary of the industry executive.
Ice Cube grew frustrated with the fact that Dr Dre, Eazy-E and MC Ren were happily subservient to Jerry Heller when he was, in fact, exploiting them and robbing them of a lot of money. In 1991, Cube released his ‘No Vaseline’ diss track, taking aim at his former bandmates, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella and their manager.
Following this, N.W.A. suffered a massive downfall, and in 1995, as the only member left on Ruthless Records, Eazy-E died after tragically contracting AIDS. However, before he perished, Wright was on good terms with every member of N.W.A.
In an interview with UK newspaper The Guardian, Jackson spoke about what he wished he could have told Wright before he passed away. Looking back on his relationship with Wright, Ice Cube revealed he would have said, “I love you for being a fearless leader. That’s probably the words I would’ve wanted to say to him before he died.”
He spoke about one of their last interactions, disclosing, “I saw him before he passed away, in New York at a club called Tunnel. He was with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, I was with Biggie and Puffy. I saw Eazy by the bar and we just started talking to each other like nothing ever happened.”
The rapper added, “He was just telling me that he wanted to do another record together. I was down to do it, but I knew he had a situation with Dr Dre at the time, so I told him, ‘If you clear it up with Dre, I’m down, just let me know’. The club closed, it emptied out, and we were still talking.”
Vividly detailing their final interaction, Cube concluded, “We went outside, it was freezing and we couldn’t get a cab, I remember that, and I went inside. I was like, ‘I’m gonna go talk to the club owner and see if he’ll give us a ride to the hotel’. He said ‘Nah’, and he was by himself, he just started walking. And that was the last time I seen him.”
