As the world marvels at how presidential sensation Deez Nuts is polling at 9 percent in the Tar Heel state, back in 1991 the same reaction was spawned in D.C., after the White House’s elite were graced with the presence of a “N-gga Wit Attitude.”
The day was March 18 and the event was the “Salute to the Commander in Chief” luncheon in Washington, D.C., where the National Republican Senatorial Committee gathered as President George H.W. Bush delivered a speech to about 1,400 Republicans. Among the room of mostly White, middle-aged, right-wingers was none other than Mr. “Boyz-n-the-Hood,” Eric “Eazy-E” Wright. Sporting a a Los Angeles Kings snapback, a white T-shirt, and black leather suit, the rapper quickly went from being the target of the FBI to getting lunch with the Prez. How this all happened is a story in itself.
As history tells it, Eazy, 23 at the time, had been invited by Republican Senate leader (and later 1996 Presidential candidate) Bob Dole, along with Phil Gramm (R-Texas), to attend the exclusive luncheon in D.C.. The invitation reads as follows:
Elizabeth (Dole) and I are especially excited about the news of your nomination because we will have the chance to be with you at the Inner Circle’s Spring Briefing in Washington, D.C., on March 17th and 18th.
Apparently, the N.W.A. rapper received the request after contributing $2,490 to the Republican party. According to reports at the time, Wright’s name was pulled from fund-raising lists, which listed the rapper donating $10,000 in 1990 to a City of Hope charity banquet in Los Angeles. For what it’s worth, Arnold Schwarzeneggar and George Shultz were also invited. Eazy’s spokesman at the time, Norman Winter, said that he was a big “Bush fan.”
Of course, unbeknownst to Dole, Gramm, and the other White House attendees at the time, this Eric Wright was the leader of the same group that was sent an official letter from the FBI, claiming that the song “Fuck tha Police” encouraged violence against law enforcement. In a note quoted by Bob Schieffer during a news report about the luncheon, E described the moment as “Cool” and mentioned the invite underlined one fact about politcians, “If you’ve got the money, they’ve got the time.”
Seeing as how the media machine back then wasn’t as instantaneous as it is now, by the time America realized what had actually took place, the moment was already the stuff of legend.
Ice Cube would make light of the moment on the dis track “No Vaseline,” in which he repeatedly mentions, “I never had dinner with the President.” Meanwhile, decades later, fellow Compton native Game would celebrate it on The Documentary cut “Dreams,” rapping “The dream of Eric Wright, that’s what I’m givin’ you / Who walked through the White House without a business suit / Compton hat, jheri curl drippin’ on Ronald Reagan’s shoes.”
This memorable moment was briefly mentioned in the N.W.A biopic, “Straight Outta Compton,” but seeing as how the only person that lived the unbelievable moment is no longer with us, it’s no surprise. Lucky for us, there’s footage, which can be seen in this 1991 news report below. Happy #TBT