The Messages in the Death of a Rap Artist

The hospitalization and death of AIDS-stricken rapper Eric (Eazy-E) Wright serves as another unwelcome reminder of how little we understand one another.

Eazy-E was a self-declared “gangsta” and by definition a controversial figure. His life and music reflected the vast gulfs between races and generations in America. The full name of his former band, N.W.A., is too controversial to be broadcast. And the anti-police title of their most notorious song is far too controversial to be published and even prompted an FBI response. The everyday language and perceptions of his world are bitterly offensive to polite society but they echo the sentiments of an alarmingly large segment of the population who find themselves unwelcome in that same society.

Eazy-E’s death highlights that same gulf. The Times reported that the hospital had been flooded with more calls from fans of Eazy-E than had been received from fans of Lucille Ball when she died. The volume of calls to Eazy-E is reported as news because it surprises people who would not expect that he could have so many fans.

Perhaps the most die-hard positive thinkers in the world may claim that some good has come from this tragedy if the community of rappers and fans are being brought to the belated realization that they are not beyond the reach of AIDS. If that is a silver lining, it is one that comes encrusted with the tarnish of how far we have yet to go to bring people together.

CHRISTOPHER MANAHL

Glendale