Impact of a Legend (Bonus DVD)

Hip-hop culture may still be in its infancy (at best, it's a toddler), but the late businessman, musician, and cultural icon Eric "Eazy-E" Wright is already a legend. A two-disc multimedia package, Impact of a Legend honors the legacy of rap's original gangster. For better or worse (perhaps a bit of both), he redirected the music's focus by creating gangsta rap, a genre that put America's romanticized notions about pulling yourself up by the boot straps through the grinders of poverty, desperation, and violence. More significantly, Eazy-E's death from AIDS was an entire generation's wake-up call.

Disc 1 is a well-produced, informative DVD-format documentary. Disc 2 is an eight-song compilation of previously unreleased music recorded late in 1994 and just prior to Eazy's death in early 1995. The selections on Impact don't sound at all dated and are definitely worth adding to your collection. Disc 2 has two additional features: a comic book that summarizes the documentary's narrative and a PC video game called Hittin' Switchez. If you've ever wanted to be Eazy-E for a day, here's your chance. --Rebecca Levine