Eternal E

Eternal E is the first greatest hits album by American rapper Eazy-E. It was released posthumously on November 28, 1995, through Ruthless/Priority Records, eight months after his death. Production was handled by DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, DJ Bobcat, Cold 187um, Naughty by Nature, and Eazy-E himself, who also served as executive producer. The album peaked at number 84 on the Billboard 200 and number 19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on February 21, 2003 for selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S.

Critical reception

 * Entertainment Weekly (12/1/95, p. 77) – "...hits like the groundbreaking 'Boyz-N-the-Hood' and the funky 'We Want Eazy' are enjoyably raw (and music history to boot)." – Rating: B+
 * Melody Maker (1/13/96, p. 29) – Recommended – "...those old pre-Compton solo tracks...are still the absolute f***ing bomb, even with, in fact, because of, the dated production....[His] was the first voice in hip hop that could be called weak...and thus it was petulantly aggressive in a way that was entirely new."
 * Rap Pages (2/96, p. 31) – 9 (out of 10) – "...a historical biography of Eazy-E's music that is a must-have for the archives...this compilation documents the life of one of West Coast rap's most important contributors."
 * NME (1/6/96, p. 33) – 7 (out of 10) – "...is as elegiac as it is capitalistic....[These are] graphic accounts and celebrations of streetlife designed to cause maximum offence to anyone who doesn't try to understand the social context..."

Track listing

 * Notes
 * Tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are taken from Eazy-E's album Eazy-Duz-It ℗ 1998 Ruthless/Priority Records
 * Track 2 is taken from N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton ℗ 1988 Ruthless/Priority
 * Tracks 9, 10 and 13 are taken from Eazy-E's EP 5150: Home 4 tha Sick ℗ 1992 Ruthless/Priority
 * Tracks 11 and 12 are taken from N.W.A's album Efil4zaggin ℗ 1991 Ruthless/Priority
 * Track 14 is taken from the soundtrack release The Return of Superfly ℗ 1990 Capitol Records
 * Track 15 is taken from Eazy-E's EP It's On ( Dr. Dre ) 187um Killa ℗ 1994 Ruthless Records
 * Track 16 is taken from Eazy-E's album Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton ℗ 1994 Ruthless Records