Since their beginnings in 1991, American hip hop collective Bone Thugs-n-Harmony have remained a consistent and respected name of the US rap circuit. What that means for their live future is unclear, although they have a twenty-country UK tour slated to begin in December if it is to be a farewell affair, they’ll hopefully make it to the UK for a proper goodbye to their legions of fans. 2015 is set to see what we’re told will be the final ever Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony record, E.1999 Legends, drop, although they’re following Wu-Tang’s lead in pressing just the one physical copy, which will be auctioned. They’re not afraid to drop a slew of new material in alongside the classics, and in doing so, they’re preserving their status as a going concern in creative terms. Their live shows remain as vital as they every were, if not more so there’s an energy and genuine interaction with the crowd that’s lacking in many of their contemporaries who are still on the circuit. Save for a five year lay-off between 20, they’ve been recording and performing consistently since 1991 whilst the early nineties days of the genuine classics - ‘Tha Crossroads’, ‘1st of Tha Month’ - have now been consigned to history, they continue to enjoy the kind of cult fanbase afforded only to the kind of hip hop acts that blazed a genuine trail back in their heyday. When the discussion turns to genuine, enduring legends of hip hop, Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony simply have to have their name pop up. Their final album will only have one copy released, which will have a starting bid of $1 million dollars, and the album will be backed by a large world tour.
The group’s final album has plans for collaborations with Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and A$AP Mob. The group has also worked with some of the most well-respected rappers including 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., and Big Pun. Over the years the group has collaborated with some of the most celebrated performers in the business including Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, The Game, Akon, and will.i.am. Their 2010 album “Uni5: The World’s Enemy” saw all original members of the group reunited again. For the group’s 2006 album “Thug Stories” the group was only down to three members, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, and Wish Bone, but the album was well received and placed high on the Billboard charts. In the early 2000’s Bizzy Bone, Layzie Bone, and Krayzie Bone would take a break from the group and each release solo albums. The group’s fourth album “BTNHResurrection” also received commercial success, but it would be the last album that Flesh-n-Bone would appear on until their 2010 release “Uni5: The World’s Enemy”. The group’s third album “The Art of War” was released in 1997 to commercial success and contained several unique collaborations, which included a song with Tupac Shakur labeled “Thug Luv”. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony were also praised for their melodic approach to rapping as well as the soundscape of the album, which included infectious G-Funk beats and dark uses of synthesizers.Īfter achieving mainstream success with their music career, the group started their own label called Mo Thugs Records that released albums for many Cleveland based artists. The album contained the singles “1st of that Month”, “East 1999”, and “Tha Crossroads”. The album was also a critical success having been nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Album and The Source labeled it as one of the best rap albums of the ‘90s. The album has been certified 4x Platinum and reached the No. 1999 Eternal”, which would become the group’s most popular album. The year 1995 showed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony releasing their second album “E. The EP showed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony shifting styles from the hardcore and abrasive gangsta rap style to a more G-Funk style that was prevalent in West Coast hip-hop. The EP contained the very popular singles “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” and “For tha Love of $”, which featured Eazy-E. 2 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
In 1994 the group released their first EP “Creepin on ah Come Up” on Ruthless Records to commercial and critical success. After much searching they finally caught the eye of NWA’s Eazy-E who signed them to his label and convinced the group to change their name from B.O.N.E. After the group released their debut album they were persistently seeking to find someone who could give them a record deal.
They released their first album “Faces of Death” in 1993 under the guidance of Krayzie Bone’s older brother, but the album did not gain them the success they were hoping to achieve. The group was fairly large containing five members: Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, and Wish Bone. The group started performing around the Cleveland area in the early ‘90s under several names such as The Band-Aid Boys and B.O.N.E.
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