𝐖𝐓𝐃𝐑.

026.

' 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟏𝟕, 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟓 '
mika richardson's residence ━━
beverly hills, california !

"Rap artist Eazy-E, a major figure in the commercial development of "gangsta" rap, has AIDS, his record company announced Thursday. Eazy-E, co-founder of the Compton rap group N.W.A., is one of the first major music performers to announce he has the disease. Health experts and AIDS activists said his declaration forces the public face of AIDS into another community, just as the AIDS death of tennis star Arthur Ashe, the HIV diagnosis of Magic Johnson and the AIDS diagnosis of diving great Greg Louganis have touched the world of sports." My mouth dropped as the news plastered all over the television caught my attention.

"It will cause many people or kids who may have just casually glossed over information about HIV to really look closer," Bishop Carl Bean, executive director of the Minority AIDS Project, said of the rapper's condition. At a Hollywood news conference, Ron Sweeney, the rapper's friend and attorney, said the singer, whose real name is Eric Wright, learned 2 1/2 weeks ago that he has AIDS. Wright was listed in critical condition Thursday night at the intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center." I found myself tuning out five day old Amara's cries as Jewell quickly made her way over to tend to her.

It felt as if the room was spinning, nothing seemed real. The rumors turned out to be factual and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. The camera panned over to Eazy's family members as they clutched each other hands, including Tomica who was his girlfriend, or who they called wife.

"I may not seem like a guy you would pick to preach a sermon. But I feel it is now time to testify because I do have folks who care about me hearing all kinds of stuff about what's up. Yeah, I was a brother on the streets of Compton doing a lot of things most people look down on -- but it did pay off. Then we started rapping about real stuff that shook up the LAPD and the FBI," Ron read the statement that was apparently from Eazy himself.

"But we got our message across big time, and everyone in America started paying attention to the boys in the hood. Soon our anger and hope got everyone riled up. There were great rewards for me personally, like fancy cars, gorgeous women and good living. Like real non-stop excitement. I'm not religious, but wrong or right, that's me," Jewell sat me down on the sofa, my eyes never moving away from the screen. I wasn't there mentally but I could clearly see and hear everything surrounding me, such as the news.

"I'm not saying this because I'm looking for a soft cushion wherever I'm heading, I just feel that I've got thousands and thousands of young fans that have to learn about what's real when it comes to AIDS. Like the others before me, I would like to turn my own problem into something good that will reach out to all my homeboys and their kin. Because I want to save their asses before it's too late." A single tear fell down my cheek, landing on the newly installed carpeted floor in my living room.

"I'm not looking to blame anyone except myself. I have learned in the last week that this thing is real, and it doesn't discriminate. It affects everyone. My girl Tomika and I have been together for four years and we recently got married. She's good, she's kind and a wonderful mother. We have a lttle boy who's a year old. Before Tomica I had other women. I have seven children by six different mothers. Maybe success was too good to me. I love all my kids and always took care of them." I hadn't met her before but she looked broken, and I'm sure everyone across the world felt her pain as well. I didn't know what it was like to lose a lover but I just hoped and prayed that I would never have to endure such a thing.