33 Years Ago Today: Eazy-E Dropped 'It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa' — His Final Release in His Lifetime

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Eazy-E

Thirty-three years ago today, on October 19, 1993, Eazy-E released It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa through his own Ruthless Records. The EP would become the last project released during his lifetime — and one of the most talked-about records of the West Coast era.

The project was a direct response to Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic, which repeatedly took shots at Eazy. Eazy had originally planned a double album called Temporary Insanity to follow his 1992 EP 5150: Home 4 tha Sick, but he scrapped those plans to answer Dre head-on — and the feud played out on wax for the world to hear.

The lead single, Real Muthaphuckkin G's, became Eazy's most successful single, and both it and Any Last Werdz got music videos. Tracks like the title cut It's On, Still a Nigga, and Gimmie That Nutt showed off his unmistakable high-pitched delivery, dark humor, and confrontational storytelling — with Dre's name coming up on nearly every track.

Commercially, the EP proved Eazy's audience was still firmly behind him. It debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, reached No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and sold 110,600 copies in its first week. It eventually earned double-platinum certification from the RIAA, making it one of the most successful releases of his solo career.

Beyond the lyrical warfare, the record cemented Eazy-E's role as both artist and independent record executive protecting the Ruthless Records legacy — the label that introduced N.W.A and helped bring gangsta rap into the mainstream — even as Dre was building Death Row into the West Coast's newest powerhouse.

Tragically, this would be the final record Eazy-E released while he was alive. He died on March 26, 1995, at just 30 years old, following complications from AIDS.

Thirty-three years later, It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa remains a defining chapter in the N.W.A saga — a reminder of an era when rivalries were settled on wax, and Eazy-E stood as an unapologetic voice who refused to back down from even his most powerful former allies.

Read more: The Source — "Today in Hip Hop History: Eazy-E Released 'It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa' 33 Years Ago" and Wikipedia — "It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa".