NWA's Eazy-E to be honoured in small Sussex town after local man's campaign for statue
Newhaven Town Council previously said it “no idea who Eazy-E is”, but has now stated that officials are aware of who the rapper is after conducting a Google search
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Your support makes all the difference.Newhaven, Sussex will erect a memorial bench to NWA rapper Eazy-E, following a local man’s campaign.
Guy Stevens demanded that Newhaven Town Council erect a statue to the rapper, who died in 1995, stating at the time: “Just do it. Get a statue or a plaque up. Why not?”
He added: “You just wasted money on a bandstand on Denton island no one cares about so why not an Eazy-E memorial?”
The council has now allowed Mr Stevens to build a bench in his honour. According to The Argus, Mr Stevens said: “It’s a great day not just for myself but for the future of Newhaven. I might push for someone to fly over from America for the ceremony.”
“It’s better than nothing which is pretty much all Newhaven has. If people are upset about a bench then they don’t have much going on in their lives,” he added. “It’s a bit of fun that has brought interest to the town. If they want to do something similar then they should.”
Newhaven Town Council previously said it “no idea who Eazy-E is”, but has now stated that officials are aware of who the rapper is after conducting a Google search, adding that it was “not a fan” of his music. Mr Stevens responded: “They clearly haven’t listened to his song “Sippin on a 40”. But I am grateful they’ve allowed the tribute anyway.”
Although the council ruled against a commemorative statue, it added that Mr Stevens could raise funds for an engraved bench.
He has since set up a GoFundMe page to raise £2,000 for the project, adding: “Any funds left over will be given to local Aids charities in the area so this is all for a good cause. Eazy-E is global. This is bigger than Newhaven. He and 2pac are probably the greatest rappers of all time, along with Kurupt who’s still alive.”
Eazy-E, dubbed the “Godfather of Gangsta Rap”, was a member of the hip hop group NWA, who have been credited as one of the most pivotal groups in the genre’s history, thanks to tracks such as “F*** tha Police”, “Straight Outta Compton”, and “Express Yourself”.
The rapper was played by Jason Mitchell in the 2015 biopic film Straight Outta Compton.
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