"Am I my brother's keeper?" This is the question posed and then answered
with a resounding yes by Bone thugs-n-harmony on their long-awaited
fourth album, BTNHResurrection--in stores February 29, 2000 on
Ruthless/Epic Records.
Rumors of a breakup were merely gossip: Krayzie, Wish, Flesh, Layzie and
Bizzy have reunited to create a new album filled with their unmistakable
soul-inflected raps. This bumping LP proves ain't nothing changed: Bone
thugs-n-harmony remain the same tight and hungry clique who, back in
1993, hopped a one-way bus ride from Cleveland to land a record deal
with Ruthless Records founder Eazy E.
One year later, in 1994, Bone thugs-n-harmony exploded onto the national
rap scene with their Ruthless debut EP, Creepin' On Ah Come Up, and two
gold singles, "thuggish ruggish Bone" and "Foe Tha Love Of $" (the
latter featuring Eazy-E). This disc reached No. 2 R&B/No. 12 Pop and was
soon certified double platinum.
In August 1995, the group hit fans off with its first full-length album,
E. 1999 Eternal. Bone thugs-n-harmony shocked the mainstream music
industry when E. 1999 Eternal entered the Pop and R&B Album charts at
No. 1 and sold more than five million copies in the US alone. The album
spun off two significant singles with "1st Of Tha Month" (#12 R&B) and
"East 1999" ( #39 R&B),.
But the bomb track was Bone-thugs' stunning, spiritually-charged "Tha
Crossroads." This double platinum smash held the top spot on the
Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks (seven weeks at No. 1 R&B) and tied
the Beatles' 32-year-old record for the fastest-rising Hot 100 single
(1964's "Can't Buy Me Love"). In the 1996 Grammy Awards, "Tha
Crossroads" was voted Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
In August 1997, Bone thugs-n-harmony dropped their landmark double disc
set, The Art Of War. Certified 4X-platinum, The Art Of War topped both
the Pop and R&B Album charts. Bone-thugs scored a platinum single, "Look
Into My Eyes" (No. 4 Pop/No. 4 R&B, and also featured in the hit movie
Batman & Robin); and a certified-gold follow-up, "If I Could Teach The
World." Other Art Of War highlights included a remake of the Whodini
classic "Friends," in which Bone-thugs paid tribute to those who have
remained close and loyal to them; and "Family Tree Bone," a remarkably
personal account of the highs and lows in the life of each Bone member.
BTNHResurrection displays an accomplished variety of Bone skills and
styles. After solo albums by Bizzy Bone (the gold Heaven'z Movie, 1998)
and Krayzie Bone (Thug Mentality), and their Mo Thugs label
all-Cleveland compilation Mo Thugs Family Scriptures, Bone were ready to
reunite and give their fans a dose of the whole crew.
"Our original plan is just coming to light," says Layzie. "We been
planning to do solo albums even before we had a deal. Everybody doing
their own thing helped us out as individuals. So when we do come back
together, we are that much stronger."
"We just wanted to bring back that Bone-thug flavor," adds Bizzy, "that
buddha bomb shit that everybody wants from us."
The leadoff single, "Resurrection (Paper, Paper)," is just that: a
bouncy and free-spirited response to all Bone haters. Uplifting the
masses while simultaneously urging fans to get that money, this JT
Thomas-produced track seems certain to extend Bone's platinum hit streak
and rule the airwaves well into Summer, 2000. "Can't Give It Up" teaches
sacrifice in order to reach goals, something Bone and producer LT Hutton
know all too well. The chorus says it all: "There's always something you
gotta give up/if you want everythang you want."
Fans of the mega Bone hit "Crossroads" will bounce their heads and grab
their hearts to "Change The World," a DJ U-Neek production. "The concept
[of the song] is that things aren't the way we think they should be. So
we are just saying we wish we could change the world and make it
better."
"Souljah's Marching" is a horn-charged battle rap of militant energy.
"The Righteous Ones" mixes religious wailing with rapid-fire soldier
chants, while "Servin Tha Fiends" is pure vintage Bone Thugs, riding the
track.
BTNHResurrection's real sweetness is the return of Flesh N' Bone to the
full-time mix. He re-emerges as a fierce MC, especially on the album's
most controversial song, "Ecstasy," an unapologetic ode to the newest
high on the streets. Krayzie, Layzie, Flesh, Bizzy and Wish take you
through the surreal experience of popping the so-called magic pill.
"It's just what the title says," says Wish. "It's a new drug and people
always want to try new stuff."
Throughout the album, producers LT Hutton, DJ U-Neek, Jimmy "JT" Thomas
and Darren Vegas provide mostly upbeat but always haunting music. They
bring the musical firepower necessary to match the new and matured
lyrics of Bone Thugs N' Harmony.
"Everybody is a pro now, " Krayzie points out. "We got the process
mastered. Just give us the beat and it's going down."
Armed with their trademark thug hymns and street perspective, the five
Clevelanders who reinvented hip-hop are poised to show off what they can
do in the year 2G. So drop any thoughts of counting out Eazy-E's young
soldiers.
"We brothers for life," Layzie concludes. "We understood that when we
started. We love music. Even if we didn't have a record deal, we would
be out here singing and dancing and doing our thing."
