Ruthless Records is a
record label, co-founded by
Gangsta rapper
Eazy-E and
N.W.A. manager
Jerry Heller, in Eazy's hometown of
Compton, California in
1987. The label is widely credited with helping to pioneer the
gangsta rap genre of
West Coast hip hop.
History
N.W.A. days
Ruthless Records was formed as a vehicle for releases by N.W.A., as well as member and founder Eric "Eazy-E" Wright; its first successful single was Eazy's "
Boyz-n-the-Hood", followed by N.W.A.'s "
Dopeman" and "8-Ball", introductory to the group's
N.W.A. and the Posse, a compilation album released under the group's name, albeit not on Ruthless. It also put out singles by underground California acts such as
Frost and
J.J. Fad, but the label's first full-length release was N.W.A.'s
Straight Outta Compton, catapulting both the group and the label to success.. Immediately following this was the release of Eazy's solo debut,
Eazy-Duz-It, furthering the popularity of the N.W.A. brand.
As the five members went on tour in support of their project, some began to voice their displeasure with the financial situation at Ruthless Records. According to group member
MC Ren, it was common opinion that Heller was the one receiving their due:
The label also experienced outside pressure due to the group. The success of their single "
Fuck tha Police" led to a threatening
F.B.I. letter to distributor
Priority Records. After coming off tour, group member
Ice Cube voiced his opinions on the group's finances. Though Heller continually claims that everything was in order, and has even offered the to open the account books to prove his innocence, the ensuing confrontation ended in Cube leaving Ruthless without signing on as a solo artist, which the remaining members proceeded to do.
1988 also saw the release of J.J. Fad's gold-certified album
Supersonic, singer
Michel'le's epinonymous
Michel'le, and
The D.O.C.'s critically-acclaimed
No One Can Do It Better, all produced by N.W.A. beatsmith
Dr. Dre; following these efforts, Dre returned to N.W.A., producing the
100 Miles and Runnin' E.P. and the group's sophomore effort,
Efil4Zaggin, which reached platinum status.
Above the Law's
Livin' Like Hustlers was also released during this period.
N.W.A. breakup & other Ruthless artists
Though N.W.A. was highly successful, Dre was advised by The D.O.C. and the rapper's friend,
Suge Knight, that he should leave the label to avoid any possible financial meddling by Heller and Eazy; offering to extricate Dre from his Ruthless contract, Suge became such a problem for the label-heads that at one point Eazy even suggested killing him, a move vetoed by Heller. Eventually, Suge succeeded in procuring Dre, D.O.C. and Michel'le's contracts—through reportedly illicit means--and proceeded to set up
Death Row Records with the producer.
Now short his main producer, Eazy-E signed various other acts that would assist him in a subsequent rivalry with Death Row, and specifically Dr. Dre.
Gangsta Dresta and
B.G. Knocc Out were among the most vocal of these rappers, with DJ Yella and new producer
Rhythum D producing. While MC Ren stayed neutral, he stayed on Ruthless, putting out several albums. Also on the label at this time were
Will 1X and the Atban Klann, a group including the future
Will.I.Am and
Apl.de.ap, who would later become two parts of the trio
The Black Eyed Peas after leaving Ruthless. Eazy released several high-profile albums dissing Dr. Dre, including most famously
It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa. Producer Big Hutch/Cold 187 um alleges that during this time period, with Ruthless switching distributors from Priority to
Relativity Records, even Wright began to feel as though Heller wasn't being honest with the label's finances:
Eazy-E's death, Tomica Wright ownership
In 1995, Eazy-E was diagnosed with
AIDS; he had just signed the five-member group
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, whose debut 1994 E.P.
Creepin on ah Come Up became wildly popular. While he executive-produced their first full-length album,
E 1999 Eternal, he died of AIDS-related pneumonia before the album's release. Their smash 1995 single "Crossroads" was dedicated to Wright, and helped push the album to multi-platinum success. After his death, the label was taken over by his wife,
Tomica Wright; due to a shift in promotions and marketing, the label's artists began leaving for other recording homes—into 1996, only MC Ren and Bone Thugs remained, and even those acts eventually departed, though re-releases of previous projects have appeared since then. Ruthless Records is now a division of
Epic Records.
The label has had several distributors simultaneously. Early Ruthless releases were distributed by
Macola Records, but that deal was short lived and the rights reverted to
Ruthless. All of
N.W.A's releases and
Eazy-E's first two solo releases on
Ruthless were distributed by
Priority Records, and the rights to these releases are now held by
Priority's new owner,
Capitol Records. Releases by
The D.O.C,
Michel'le, and
JJ Fad were marketed through
Atlantic Records or its subsidiary
Atco Records. These master rights are still held by Atlantic's parent company,
Warner Music Group, while
Above The Law's releases were marketed through
Epic Records. In the early 1990s, Ruthless found more exclusive distribution through
Relativity Records, formerly a heavy metal label. Relativity was later folded into its parent company,
Sony Music.
Future biopic
With the success of
Notorious,
New Line Cinema reps announced to Entertainment Weekly's "Hollywood Insider Blog" that N.W.A.'s story is in development to become a theatrical release in 2010. According to IMDB the script was researched and written by filmmaker S. Leigh Savidge and radio veteran
Alan Wenkus who worked closely with Tomica Woods-Wright. Producing the film will be Tomica Woods-Wright,
Ice Cube, and
Dr. Dre. A director has not been chosen yet; however, the producers are reportedly seeking a helmer on par with
8 Mile director
Curtis Hanson. The cast has yet to be disclosed. MC Ren and DJ Yella have not yet commented on whether or not they will be involved in the production.
Current artists
