Ruthless Records

Founding

Ruthless Records was founded on March 3, 1987 by Eric “Eazy-E” Wright and manager Jerry Heller. Wright, from Compton, used the label to release records by himself and by N.W.A, the group he formed with Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella. The company later kept offices on Burbank Boulevard in Woodland Hills. Its early records went out through the independent Macola, and it then worked with Priority Records, which distributed most of the N.W.A catalog, and with Atlantic Records for some of its other acts.

Rise

Eazy-E’s solo debut “Eazy-Duz-It,” released through Ruthless and Priority in November 1988 and produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, reached number 41 on the Billboard 200, stayed on the chart for more than 90 weeks and was certified double platinum with little radio or television support. N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton,” released on January 25, 1989 through Ruthless and Priority, peaked at number 37 on the Billboard 200 and number 9 on the R&B albums chart and was certified triple platinum. It is often cited as the first gangsta rap album to go platinum. The song “F*** tha Police” drew a warning letter from an FBI official, which added to the group’s notoriety, and MTV declined to air the title track’s video. The D.O.C.’s “No One Can Do It Better” (1989), produced by Dr. Dre and released with Atlantic, reached number 20, topped the R&B albums chart and was certified platinum. The roster also included J.J. Fad, Michel’le and Above the Law.

Key releases

Ice Cube left N.W.A in 1989 over money, and Dr. Dre left in 1991 to help start Death Row Records. Before the split, N.W.A’s “N****z4Life” (1991) reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum. In the mid 1990s Ruthless found a second major act in Cleveland’s Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Their EP “Creepin on ah Come Up” (1994), released through Ruthless and Relativity, reached number 12 and was certified four times platinum. “E. 1999 Eternal” (1995) went to number 1 and was also certified four times platinum.

After Eazy-E

Eazy-E died of complications from AIDS on March 26, 1995, weeks before “E. 1999 Eternal” came out. His widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, took over the company, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony remained with it into the early 2000s. Later releases were distributed by Epic Records. The label is now inactive, and its trademarks are held by Comptown Records, Inc. Ruthless is remembered as the company that took Compton gangsta rap to a national audience and as the starting point for Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.