Ruthless Records was founded by rapper Eazy-E (supposedly with money he made as a drug dealer) and manager (who died in 2016). It was the home of gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A., whose records were distributed through Priority Records. The majority of all Ruthless material was distributed by the ATCO Records division of Atlantic Records (particularly with acts such as JJ Fad, The D.O.C. and Michel'le), while records by the group Above The Law and a fledgling young Kokane were released through Epic. via Discogs →