The Source July 1994 issue featuring Eazy-E

I first heard Eazy E (and Ice Cube) back in the fall of 1987.  My cousin’s friend went to visit his family in L.A. for the summer and brought back a tape of songs he recorded from the radio.  We had never really heard hip-hop music that way before but we liked it.  Even Eazy’s weird voice didn’t bother us.  Along with Eazy and Ice Cube, we heard the likes of Arabian Prince, Rodney O and Joe Cooley and some other people I can’t remember. Let’s suffice to say that we gravitated toward “8 Ball”, “Fat Girl”, Boyz in the Hood”, and “Dope Man” more than anything because they described our crazy neighborhood almost perfectly.  I made a copy of the tape to listen to in my walkman but I don’t think my cousin ever returned the original tape to his friend.  It was a wrap that next year when we finally saw the “We Want Eazy” video and ran to the store to buy the tape.  I’m sure you know the rest of the story.  But by 1994, the world of hip-hop wasn’t as good as it had been for Eazy.  While Dr. Dre received the majority of the fame, accolades, and love, it always seemed as if Eazy received little to none for the part he played in hip-hop.  Eazy possessed none of the artistic talent of Dre, Ice Cube, Ren, Bone Thugs, etc., but he possessed an incredible entrepreneurial spirit and drive.  He couldn’t produce or rhyme but his ability to bring people together that had talent, made them all famous (and Eazy rich) in the end.  He basically followed the Bill Gates plan.  If you’re not able to do something yourself, you should lie, use your friends, and hire people to do it while you play puppet master.  I think millions of Windows users and Xbox players later have proven that theory.  So why do we hear so little about Eazy today?  I personally believe that if it weren’t for his original blueprint and hard work, labels like Bad Boy, Death Row, No Limit, So So Def, Cash Money, etc. would have had a heck of a time getting started and eventually partnered with major distributors.   

 

Some other highlights from this issue:

 

– The three part “Tenth Summer of Crack” begins – includes the “Ten Crack Commandments” that I’m sure Biggie read before recording the song.

– Cee Lo (from Goodie Mobb) with the hip-hop quotable for “Git Up, Git Out”

– Microphone Check with Raw Fusion and Conscious Daughters

– Results from the 1^st Annual Source Awards

– Dre and Snoop perform in Hawaii

 

Record Report highlights:

 

– Outkast – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (4.5 mics) – I’d still give it just a 4.

– Coolio – It Takes a Thief (4 mics)

– Top Quality – Magnum Opus (3.5 mics)

– Ahmad – Self titled (3.5 mics)

– Public Enemy – Muse Sick N Hour Mess Age (2.5 mics)

– Da Brat – Funkdafied (3.5 mics) – This album went platinum, right?

– Warren G – Regulate…G Funk Era (3.5 mics)

 

July 1994 issue part 1
http://www.zshare.net/download/1339649339d9daf7/
 
July 1994 issue part 2
http://www.zshare.net/download/133969887b8f3843/

 

~Vincent~