Aaron Tyler (born in Compton, California), better known by his stage name MC Eiht, is an American gangsta rapper. In an interview he stated that his stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One's name. He chose Eiht for its links to "hood culture", including 8Ball and .38 caliber firearms. He's a member of the rap group Compton's Most Wanted.
Tyler grew to fame on the West Coast as one of two MCs in the four-man crew, Compton's Most Wanted. After enjoying increasing success with the group, which peaked with 1992's Music to Driveby, Eiht took a role in the hit movie Menace II Society as well as a high-profile spot on the soundtrack. The song, "Straight Up Menace," which chronicles the unfortunate downturn of the film's protagonist within the pathological conditions of American inner city life, is considered to be Eiht's magnum opus. Indeed, the movie spurred him into a solo career, although his next two albums We Come Strapped and Death Threatz would be accredited as MC Eiht featuring Compton's Most Wanted. He states that he did not wish to star in comedy films in order to maintain his public image. He later only appeared in the low-budget movies "Reasons," "Thicker Than Water" and "Who Made the Potatoe Salad?" as well as providing the voice for Ryder in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Quik only intended the reference as a shout-out, but MC Eiht interpreted it as a "diss," or gratuitous affront. The situation was exacerbated by the fact Quik was affiliated with the Tree Top Piru set of the rival Bloods street gang. Several tracks were recorded: Quik's "Dollaz + Sense", a series of songs called "Def Wish" which were four parts by Eiht, and several others by both artists.
He put out Last Man Standing, the first album accredited only to MC Eiht, then broke from the label for Big Beat/Atlantic. Eiht never ended up putting out an album on the label, instead eventually signing to and releasing the album Section 8 on Priority in 1999. Eiht would hop between record labels and one-off releases in the next years, moving between independent labels Half-Ounce, D3 Entertainment, and Lookin' Up Entertainment from 2001 to 2003. He would put out records with Spice 1 and Brotha Lynch Hung in 2004 and 2006 on Real Talk Entertainment, releasing another solo album between them on West Inc./Native Records. His inability to settle at a label contributed to his joining The Warzone, a trio put together by Snoop Dogg and consisting of Goldie Loc, Kam and MC Eiht himself. In 2006, Eiht and the group appeared on the single "Candy (Drippin' Like Water)" on Snoop Dogg's album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment.
