A Ruthless Life • Eazy-E & Aaliyah

Suge

Eazy's House

The year is finally 1992. So much has changed in my life these last couple of months. I got myself into another relationship, went to Hawaii, my kids are growing up, and now N.W.A. is no longer a rap group. Dre is still under a contract with Ruthless Records. It doesn't matter what he releases, I'm going to always make money off of it. He's like my bitch. He's out there making the E some money. So him going solo doesn't bother me at all.

Last year in 91, a man by the name of Rodney King got the shit beat out of him by LAPD after a high-speed police chase. As I sit on my couch watching the trial, I think about "Fuck Tha Police." When the world first heard it, we got so much hate. The song was even banned and we received threats from the government. We been saying fuck the police for years. No one wanted to hear what we had to say but it took a man getting beat to death for the world to know that these cops are fucked up.

The phone began to ring. Aaliyah was in the kitchen and since she was close to the phone, she answered it. She walked in the living room and handed it to me.

               "Here," she said as she gave me the phone and sat on the couch with me. 

"Who is it?" I asked.

                "I dont know. He didn't give me his name."

                 "Is this Eric?" the voice on the phone asked.

                 "Yeah who this?"

                 "This is Suge. Dre wants to speak to you. He says its urgent. Come meet him at our studio asap."

                 "Did he say what it's about?" I asked.

                 "He didn't give too many details. Just know that its aboout Ruthless," Suge replied.

                "So why can't he talk to Jerry?"

            "I mean it is yo company right? Just get over here."

               "Alright. I'll be there." I hung up the phone and headed towards the door.

             "Who was that?" Aaliyah asked.

             "Nobody."

I arrived at Death Row Records waiting to talk to Dre. I dont know what he needs to talk about, but all I know is this shit better be important because it's 11:40 at night. I walked in the studio and saw Suge sitting down with a cigar in his mouth.

"Where Dre at?" I asked.

He got up and said "dont worry about Dre. Truth be told, he doesn't even know about this."

Then he got in my face with a stack of papers in his hand. "Listen, you're gonna sign these, releasing Dre and the D.O.C from Ruthless."

            "Whatever homie, if you think I'ma sign these you crazier than I thought you was. I'm out."

I tried to turn around and head towards the door but before I could do anything, he punched me in my face.

             "Nah. That wasn't what I wanted to hear," he said.

             "Fuck you Suge! You dont scare me!" I yelled.

              "You can talk tough all you want but this aint no record."

He then pulled out a picture and a gun.

            "Now if you dont sign these papers, I'm gonna hire someone to kill your mom. You see this picture? This is her house but I'm sure you know that. I know where your moms live. Now dont make me change your life Eric. You know where I'm from. This is Bompton nigga."

Jerry's House

It was 1:20 in the morning. After my encounter with Suge, I didn't head home. I went to Jerry's house instead. I knocked on his door. 

"Who is it?" he asked. 

"It's Eric."

He opened the door and welcomed me in. He noticed that my right jaw was swollen and my lip was busted. 

"Oh my God Eric. What happened to you?"

"I gotta kill this nigga Suge Knight."

"You're not gonna do that, no."

"I didn't come here to ask for your permission. I came here to let you know."

              "Listen Eric, we dont fight back with guns we fight back with lawyers. Let Suge and his crew be thugs. This is not Compton. You're much better than those guys. If you kill Suge you're going to prison. His problems will end and yours will be just beginning."

      "Why the fuck I gotta be the bigger man?" I asked.

             "Because it's better than you being a dead man. I dont want you dead."