Krayzie Bone: I think back in the day when we was going at it, we were a lot younger then. What’s the difference between A$AP and Kendrick and Freddie and all the people who are giving you props now while sporting similar styles? Is there a difference? The album The Art Of War was clearly a response to people copying your style, and it’s come up in various interviews and on various projects over the past 15 years or so.
Usually you sell 50 million records and people just respect. And that doesn’t necessarily make sense in a context when you’re talking about a group that’s sold over 50 million records. It feels real good to be able to be brought back and those cats pay homage to us and everybody knows where it all came from.ĭX: It’s also interesting because you guys had to fight for your reputation to a degree, at least for your props. We at that point in time now where we can look back and see artists that say they came up off our music when they was younger, just like we used to look up to N.W.A and Eazy-E and the Run DMCs and all that. We have a lot of up and coming artists now that’s out, and they’re paying homage. Krayzie Bone: Yeah man, it definitely feels that way. Does it feel like your era has come back to you? Freddie Gibbs was shouting out Bone regularly for a long time. He described it as “his era coming back to him.” Artists like Kendrick Lamar shout you out regularly. HipHopDX: I spoke with Pete Rock and he was talking about how popular he was again. Photo by Ray Lopez Krayzie Bone Discusses Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s Influence On A$AP Rocky And in an unexpected moment of candor, Krayzie even cops to not understanding “30 percent” of Bizzy Bone’s rhymes-something in which every Bone Thugs fan can relate. Along with detailing The Art Of War recording sessions, he also reveals the surprising origins of Bone’s feud with Three 6 Mafia, where he was when he first heard Do Or Die’s scathing diss track, “ Bustin’ Back,” and how he and Twista reconcilled their differences. In the conversation below, Krayzie Bone clarifies a number of forgotten pieces of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony history, such as the first time the group met Tupac Shakur and how they were able to collaborate despite conflict between Death Row Records and Ruthless Records. We should always keep that politics-free and just let music be music.” It should be global because music is what connects everybody anyway. As he describes in this exclusive interview with HipHopDX, Krayzie’s a studio rat and concerned about little more than making timeless tunes.
He’s something of Bone’s Rza (sans production)-the member whose vision and veracity dominates perception. Since his 1999 solo debut- Thug Mentality 1999-Leatherface has released seven albums, six mixtapes and notched scores of guest appearances with artists ranging from Mariah Carey to Rick Ross to Freddie Gibbs. Only two of the multi-platinum group’s eight full-length LPs prominently feature all five members ( BTNH Resurrection and Uni5: The World’s Enemy).īut throughout the fractured history, Krayzie Bone has remained a beacon of consistency. He was even arrested for purse snatching following the 1996 MTV Music Awards. On any given tour, two members were probably absent for one reason or another. Drew, ranted about not signing to B2K on High Radio, among a slew of other odd anecdotes. Bizzy Bone battled drug and alcohol addiction for years, appeared on Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Flesh-N-Bone spent too much of that time bouncing in and out of the prison system. Lunchrooms everywhere were buzzing with hyperbole.īone Thugs would face a number of demons over the 18 years following E. Clair Thugstas arrived straight from Hell, behind the jewel case’s spine read the words: “Don’t Give Props To The Devil” and “Believe In The Last Day.” Teenagers nationwide struggled to make sense of it.
And just when all indicators seemed say these St. Included in the insert booklet was a street map of what many non-Ohioan fans assumed was Cleveland, but supposedly served as part of a dark scavenger hunt corresponding with the backwards text on the following page that felt like something from “Tales From The Crypt.” The only way to read it was to hold it up to a mirror. 1999/Eternal street sign shadowing an avenue littered with human skulls and rib cages filled the backdrop. The cover art featured the four most prolific members- Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone and Krayzie Bone-standing in the bottom left corner of the ominous image. Fans of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony in 1995 remember the cryptic experience of opening the now classic E.