Man campaigns for statue of NWA's Eazy-E to be erected in small Sussex town

Guy Stevens said: 'Just do it. Get a statue or a plaque up. Why not?'

A resident of Newhaven, Sussex has launched a campaign for his town to erect a statue to NWA rapper Eazy-E.

According to The Argus, Guy Stevens says the rapper, who died in 1995, deserves a monument, telling Newhaven Town Council: “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, which is yet to formally respond to his request, said it had “no idea who Eazy-E is”.

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.

Mr Stevens said: “I think it would be unique, it would stand out, and would be eccentric. It would add to the town and bring some interest. Nineties’ gangsta rap is basically the greatest music ever anyway.”

“Also he died of Aids so on a more personal level it may raise awareness of things like sexual health.

“He needs to be remembered in some way in our town. We have nothing going for us and no notable landmarks other than a fort. And Eazy-E is a legend.”

He further created an online poll to judge public support for the statue and claimed the vote was 60/40 in his favour.

The deputy mayor of Newhaven, Graham Amy, said: “I’ve lived all of my life in Newhaven and I’ve never heard of him, not a clue. I’m 72 years old and more of a Beatles fan than anything.

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“If I had my way I would have statues to them around the town.” Mr Stevens responded to the deputy mayor by claiming The Beatles “suck”.

The proposal has been criticised by Newhaven residents, with Sandy Greener writing: “He might be a legend but no one I know has heard of him. He did nothing for Newhaven so why would I want to contribute to a statue?”