Today in Hip-Hop: MC Eiht Drops ‘We Come Strapped’ Album

On this day, July 19, in hip-hop history…

1994: West Coast rapper MC Eiht’s debut, We Come Strapped, was released today. As his most successful project to date, the controversial LP not only peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums, but succeeded in reaching a Gold certification by the RIAA.

A native of Compton, Calif., Aaron Tyler a.k.a. MC Eiht came to fame as a member of the West Coast rap crew, Compton’s Most Wanted. Releasing We Come Strapped, his first solo project in 1994, the rapper was already well divulged into the world of entertainment, even earning a role in 1993’s blockbuster film Menace II Society. In addition to premiering solely on the LP, MC Eiht also began his venture into producing on this project later attributing this phase as the formation of "EIHTHYPE Productions”. Teamed with beat master DJ Slip and William Zimmerman "Willie Z" on the keyboard, the trio pioneered into the usage of dark, yet funky beats that gave the album a concept unheard of at the time. "All For The Money" and "Geez Make the Hood Go Round" were the top singles on the album, with each of them a certified hit.

Fast forward to the present, Eiht can be heard featuring on Kendrick Lamar’s “m.A.A.d City” and is still collaborating with the likes of DJ Premier and The Alchemist. Eiht and DJ Premier just dropped their collaborative album Which Way Iz West last summer.

Props to a legend. – Miranda Johnson

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