Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American hip hop band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 1991. It originally consisted of rappers Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in late 1993, when Bone Thugs debuted with EP Creepin on ah Come Up. The EP included the hit single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone".

In 1995, the group released its second album, E. 1999 Eternal, which included hits "1st of tha Month" and "Tha Crossroads." A tribute to the recently deceased Eazy-E, "Tha Crossroads," won a Grammy award in 1997. The Art of War, the group's third album, was also released in 1997. Bone Thugs is also the only group that has worked with deceased artists 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Eazy-E & Big Pun while they were still alive.

In 2000 BTNHResurrection reached platinum in one month and Thug World Order (2002) received more moderate sales and promotion. After the album the group went on hiatus and released their sixth studio album Thug Stories independently before returning in 2007 with the major label release Strength & Loyalty, this time released by Swizz Beatz's label Full Surface Records. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony officially returned with their new album Uni-5: The World's Enemy, released in 2010 by their own record label, BTNH Worldwide, with distribution by Warner Bros.. Due to internal conflicts with the group, longtime members Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone officially left the group in April 2011. Despite speculation that the group was splitting up, Flesh-n-Bone announced that a new album with him, Layzie and Bizzy will be released soon. Krayzie and Wish are currently working with upcoming artists on their label The Life Ent.

Style and technique[link]

Bone's style and technique can be described as melodic, yet rapid-fire and aggressive. Their flow is often interwoven at a high-speed, melodic pace or slow, harmonic pace. They also tend to ride the beat that they're rapping over. Sometimes there are very few choruses separating their verses from one another. In the beginning, circa Faces of Death, Bone used a pseudo-Jamaican patois delivery with their trademark style, though they rarely do this now. Bone's subject matter has both spiritual and occult undertones (e.g., "Hell Sent", "Intro", "Mr. Ouija", "Mr. Ouija 2" and "Da Introduction"). At first, their subject matter was almost always exclusively about violence and smoking marijuana. Today, however, their subject matter includes other topics such as urban socio-political issues, their old friend and mentor Eazy-E and religion. Besides minor changes to subject matter and sound, their lyrical style, elocution, and overall methodology remain intact and have influenced many new artists today who have picked up this unique style.

B.O.N.E Enterprise Early years[link]

Formed in the early 1990s, the group was originally called "The Band-Aid Boys". The group formed the band B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e, which consisted of five members: Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone and later Flesh-n-Bone and recorded an album entitled Faces of Death in the studio of their then mentor, Kermit Henderson (Krayzie Bone's younger brother) on his indie label Stoney Burke in 1993. In hopes of securing a record deal the group was given an audition over the phone receiving an unfulfilled promise from rapper Eazy-E to call them back. Diego Blak (born Diego hodge), a marketer and promoter and co-executive producer of Faces Of Death introduced them to Eazy-E at a concert he promoted in Cleveland, Ohio where they auditioned for him in his dressing room and then traveled back to Los Angeles, California after the show to seal the deal. On November 2nd 1993, the group auditioned backstage for Eazy-E. Krayzie Bone performed his verse of "Flow Motion" from the Faces of Death album and Eazy-E was impressed.^[1] At this point Eazy named them Thugs-n-Harmony, but they wanted to keep the bone name so they renamed themselves Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Eazy-E signed the group (minus Flesh-n-Bone) to his label Ruthless Records.^[2]

Ruthless Records[link]

[edit] Creepin on ah Come Up

Released in June 1994, the EP Creepin on ah Come Up, was Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's debut with Ruthless. The album subject matter was focused almost entirely on violent criminal activity. Peaking at #12 on the Billboard 200 album chart and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,^[3] it included the hit singles "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" and "Foe tha Love of $", the second of which featured a verse by Eazy-E. "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, and "Foe tha Love of $" peaked at #41 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Rap Tracks.^[4] After a slow start that saw the album's success limited to gangsta rap audiences, it broke through to the mainstream. The EP marked a major change in style for the group, as they now fully embraced the G-Funk common in West Coast hip-hop of the time. Beats were supplied by DJ Yella, Rhythum D, Kenny McCloud, and it was the group's first collaboration with newcomer producer DJ U-Neek, who would craft the group's signature sound by producing the majority of their next two albums.

[edit] E. 1999 Eternal

In 1995, the group's second album E. 1999 Eternal was released. It included the singles "1st of tha Month", which peaked at #14 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot Rap Tracks, and "Tha Crossroads", which reached #1 on the Hot 100 and Hot Rap Tracks charts. The album saw Bone diversify its content and musical style. A considerable portion of the album's concept was built upon violent subject matter, yet Bone also incorporated deeper themes, as its songs dealt with more spirituality and occult mysticism. The album was produced by DJ U-Neek (with co-production from Tony C. and Kenny McCloud). E. 1999 Eternal also introduced Bone's trademark tracks devoted entirely to the use of marijuana. The album name originated from one of the street names of a corner (E. 99th street & St. Clair) that was a familiar hangout to Bone members, as well as Eazy-E's album, Eternal E. Naming it after Eazy-E's album was just another way of showing respect and tribute to the rapper that helped them reach heightened success. In the same year, Flesh-n-Bone would become the first member of the group to release a debut album entitled T.H.U.G.S, which was certified gold according to the RIAA. In 1996 due to their success the Cleveland clan established their own Mo Thugs Records and released the Mo Thugs Family Scriptures compilation album to introduce many of the Cleveland-based and other artists that they were developing. E. 1999 Eternal is the group's most commercially successful album, it has since been certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA.

[edit] The Art of War

In 1997, the group released the double-disc set The Art of War. The album saw Bone further explore a wide variety of subjects and styles, with even more focus on God and family and an overall more ambient, mellow sound. The group still incorporated violent lyrics, though, with a large portion of the album dedicated to what they labeled "clones" who claimed Bone had stolen their quick-tongued rapping style and vice-versa. The album was rumored to be called "DNA Level C" which is Cleveland backwards. The single "Look into My Eyes" appeared on the soundtrack of the film Batman & Robin. It peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.^[4] "If I Could Teach The World", the other single from The Art of War, peaked at #27 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot Rap Tracks.^[4] and won an American Music Award. The album also included "Thug Luv" with Tupac Shakur. The group's efforts were though dampened by the absence of Bizzy Bone from the album's videos and large portions of the ensuing tour and public appearances. This absence by that time fueled rumors of a break-up.

[edit] BTNHResurrection

In 2000, the group released BTNHResurrection. The album featured the single "Resurrection (Paper, Paper)", which peaked on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #52.^[4] The album's first half featured a slew of hardcore and dark tracks, with the second half being considerably more introspective and soft. Other two singles from the album including "Can't Give it Up" failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100 and the big-budget video for "Change The World" failed to receive any rotation. Their first group album to prominently feature Flesh-n-Bone, whose presence was limited on previous releases because he had never signed with the group's label Ruthless Records. Flesh-n-Bone was convicted for assault with a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon in June 2000.^[5] Pleading guilty, Flesh was sentenced to 11 years in prison.^[6] The group again began having public disputes with Bizzy Bone. Bizzy Bone abstained from promoting BTNHResurrection because he felt that Ruthless Records owed him money. He dropped a million-dollar lawsuit he filed against Sony Music and Loud Records in exchange for a termination of his Sony contract.^[7] Three members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released solo albums in 2001: Bizzy Bone with The Gift, Layzie Bone with Thug by Nature, and Krayzie Bone with Thug on da Line.^[8]

[edit] Thug World Order

In 2002, the group released Thug World Order. The album, made up of supposedly overly-violent and political songs, saw a drastic change in subject matter and tone for the group. The lyrics were almost completely void of any violence, while a larger number of tracks focused on the group itself. In contrast, several songs originally intended to be included on the album that were leaked after its release portray a much different album. The album debuted at #12 on the Billboard 200.^[3] The first single released from the album was "Get Up & Get It", featuring 3LW. The second single "Home" that featured Phil Collins performing part of his song "Take Me Home" peaked at #33 on the Rhythmic Top 40 impacting the charts in a number of countries, most notably the United Kingdom.^[4] Bizzy Bone was expelled from the group in January 2003 thus leaving only 3 active members Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone & Wish Bone.^[9]

After Ruthless[link]

[edit] Thug Stories

Thug Stories, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's sixth album was recorded on Koch Records and released on September 19, 2006. It marked the first time Bone Thugs-n-Harmony recorded as a trio after they released an internet-only EP album called '"Bone 4 Life" in September 2005. The album featured a slightly more mature style and the group leaned heavily towards its harmonic roots than its "thug" origins. Thug Stories sold 38,000 in its first week and peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Independent Album Chart.

[edit] Strength & Loyalty

Originally to be called The Bone Thugs Story, Strength & Loyalty was released on May 8, 2007 on Interscope Records imprint Full Surface Records. Being their first major album after an absence of nearly five years, the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on iTunes and the Billboard Urban Music charts. The album contains guest appearances by Mariah Carey, The Game, will.i.am, Akon, Twista, Bow Wow, Yolanda Adams, and Felecia.

Producers on the album included Swizz Beatz, Akon, Pretty Boy & Bradd Young, DJ Toomp, Jermaine Dupri, will.i.am, and others. The executive producer of the album was Swizz Beatz. The first single was "I Tried", which was their first top 10 hit in 10 years, having peaked at number 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The second single was "Lil Love", which failed to reach the success of their first single. The album has been certified Gold by the RIAA.^{[10][dead link]}. The group also released a movie called "I Tried" that same year.

[edit] T.H.U.G.S.

T.H.U.G.S. is an album featuring previously unreleased, largely remixed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony songs that didn't make the final cut of BTNHResurrection and Thug World Order albums. It was released on November 13, 2007 by their former record label, Ruthless Records. Although the album embodies old tracks, there are some new notable changes: new beats, distorted production, voice manipulation, and new song titles. The sole single off the album was "Young Thugs", which was accompanied by a newly-filmed music video featuring Krayzie, Layzie, Bizzy and Wish.

Reunion[link]

In November 2007, Layzie Bone confirmed that he had completed the Bone Brothers III album with Bizzy Bone, spurring speculation of a full Bone reunion. In a video interview,^[11] Krayzie Bone stated that they all wanted to reunite but that record label issues may prevent an official reunion. Bizzy Bone had attended a Bone Thugs performance during the time and he and the three then-standing members had a "good conversation".

After nearly a decade of incarceration, Flesh-n-Bone was released from prison on July 13, 2008. In an interview, Bizzy confirmed his return to the group, after them all getting together by the time of Flesh's release.^[12]

[edit] Uni5: The World's Enemy

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony five members officially returned with their new album Uni-5: The World's Enemy, released in 2010 by their own record label, BTNH Worldwide, with distribution by Warner Bros. Uni5 also marks the return of long-time collaborator, DJ U-Neek, who was absent from 2007's Strength & Loyalty and has produced for the group throughout their career, including hits such as "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" and "Tha Crossroads." This studio effort leans toward radio-friendly numbers and proper grown-man tracks, with the core four members offering life lessons as Bizzy gives his Biblical perspective. They released the singles "See Me Shine" featuring Jay Rush and Lyfe Jennings and "Rebirth" featuring Thin-C.^[13] A third single, "Meet Me in the Sky", was released on March 22. Uni-5: The World's Enemy was released on May 4, 2010.

Krayzie Bone & Wish Bone Departure[link]

On the 14th of April 2011, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member Krayzie Bone announced he left the group after 20 years citing uncontrollable circumstances along with Wish Bone to pursue their solo careers further and release records on their label, The Life Entertainment.^[14] Flesh-n-Bone stated that him leaving the group was a serious disrespect mark towards Eazy-E and says "He might as well say fuck Eazy!" and that he (Krayzie) knows where home is if he wants to come back to the group. Due to Flesh being angered, his retaliation led him towards the idea of an album titled "Majority Rules" but Bizzy Bone dismissed this claiming it was just Flesh-n-Bone's anger towards Krayzie leaving. In more recent interviews it seems Krayzie Bone has made amends to the rest of Bone Thugs (since he was featured on Flesh-n-Bone's new album for example) and is still planning things with the rest of the group, but he needed his time and space to do his own thing, but he'll always be 'Bone'^{[citation needed]}.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony announced on their blog over the summer that they're planning a new album for 2012 and it will be the last album with all 5 members of the group. They reiterated those facts in a November interview. Krayzie Bone has also stated that he will again be a part of the group for touring purposes only, after announcing his departure this past April.

Future Projects[link]

Krayzie Bone, Bizzy Bone and Layzie Bone more recently have spoken of many new projects coming in 2012. Those projects include an anniversary album featuring all 5 members, a Bizzy & Krayzie duet album, and unreleased compilation albums of unreleased Bone Thugs-n-Harmony material from the mid to late 90's.

Discography[link]

1993: Faces of Death 1994: Creepin on ah Come Up (EP) 1995: E. 1999 Eternal 1997: The Art of War 2000: BTNHResurrection 2002: Thug World Order 2006: Thug Stories 2007: Strength & Loyalty 2007: T.H.U.G.S. 2010: Uni5: The World's Enemy Awards[link] Award Category Song/Album Year Result Grammy Awards "Best Rap Album" E. 1999 Eternal 1996 Nominated "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group" 1st of tha Month Nominated Tha Crossroads 1997 Won American Music Awards "Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist" Bone Thugs-n-Harmony 1996 Nominated 1997 Nominated 1998 Won "Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Band, Duo or Group" 2007 Won MTV Video Music Awards "Best Special Effects" Tha Crossroads 1996 Nominated "Viewer's Choice" Nominated "Video of the Year" Nominated "Best Group Video" Nominated References[link] ^ "Krayzie Bone - Audition To Eazy E". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDXJZ7yz9Gc.  ^ "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Biography". Interscope Records. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822005656/http://www.bonethugsnharmony.com/bio/default.aspx.  ^ a b "Bone Thugs-n-Harmony: Charts & Awards: Billboard Albums". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p44741. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ a b c d e "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: Charts & Awards: Billboard Singles". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p44741. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Basham, David (June 16, 2000). "Flesh-N-Bone Convicted On Assault, Weapons Charges". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426320/20000616/bone_thugs_n_harmony.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Johnson, Tina (September 22, 2000). "UPDATE: Flesh-N-Bone Gets 11 Years In Assault Case". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426317/20000922/bone_thugs_n_harmony.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Baker, Soren (March 22, 2001). "Bizzy Bone Has A Gift For Negotiation". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441984/20010321/bizzy_bone.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Baker, Soren (March 13, 2001). "Three Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Members Dropping Solo LPs". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441484/20010312/bone_thugs_n_harmony.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Reid, Shaheem (January 31, 2003). "Bone Thugs Say Bizzy Is Out For Good This Time". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459799/20030131/bone_thugs_n_harmony.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: News: "Strength & Loyalty" Certified Gold". http://www.bonethugsnharmony.com/news/default.aspx?nid=9429.  ^ "ThugLine TV- Krayzie Bone speaks on reunion". YouTube. 2008-06-12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-25OrAQ_gM. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  ^ Jasarevic, Mina (2008-08-01). "Bizzy Bone: Thicker Than Water | Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop". HipHop DX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1185/title.bizzy-bone-thicker-than-water/p.all. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  ^ "See Me Shine [feat. Lyfe Jennings, Phaedra & J Rush] [Explicit]: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002U1HKB4. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  ^ Burgess, Omar (2011-04-14). "Krayzie Bone Splits From Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.14757/title.krayzie-bone-splits-from-bone-thugs-n-harmony. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  External links[link] Book: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. Official website Official Myspace page Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's ArtistDirect page Exclusive Interview in Complex magazine I Tried Movie Bone Thugs-n-Harmony at Allmusic v t e Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Bizzy Bone Layzie Bone Flesh-n-Bone Wish Bone Krayzie Bone Studio albums Faces of Death Creepin on ah Come Up E 1999 Eternal The Art of War BTNHResurrection Thug World Order Thug Stories Strength & Loyalty Uni5: The World's Enemy Compilations The Collection, Volume 1 The Collection, Volume 2 Greatest Hits Greatest Hits (Chopped & Screwed) T.H.U.G.S. Thug Smoke Fest Thuggish II Singles "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" "Foe tha Love of $" "1st of tha Month" "East 1999" "Tha Crossroads" "Days of Our Livez" "Look into My Eyes" "If I Could Teach the World" "War" "Resurrection (Paper, Paper)" "Change the World" "Money, Money" "Home" "Take the Lead (Wanna Ride)" "I Tried" "Lil' L.O.V.E." Related articles Discography Bone Brothers Mo Thugs ThugLine Records Ruthless Records BTNH Worldwide Book:Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

The fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman took place on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, United States. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old African American male who was unarmed.^[2] George Zimmerman was a 28-year-old multi-racial Hispanic American,^{[3][Note 1]} who was the community watch coordinator for the gated community where the shooting took place.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

While on a private errand, Zimmerman saw Martin walking inside the gated community where Martin and his father were visiting his father's fiancée. Zimmerman called the Sanford Police Department to report Martin's behavior as suspicious.^[10] Shortly afterwards, there was an altercation, which ended with Zimmerman fatally shooting Martin once in the chest at close range.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

When police arrived on the scene Zimmerman told them that Martin had attacked him and that he had shot Martin in self-defense.^[2][16] Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose and two vertical lacerations on the back of his head.^[17][18] EMTs treated Zimmerman at the scene, after which he was taken to the Sanford Police Department. Zimmerman was detained and questioned for approximately five hours.^[19][18] A statement was videotaped, and he was then released without being charged.^[17] Police said that they had not found evidence to contradict his assertion of self-defense.^{[20][21][22][23][24]}

The circumstances of Martin's death, the initial decision not to charge Zimmerman, and questions about Florida's Stand Your Ground law received national and international attention. Allegations of racist motivation for the shooting and police conduct contributed to public demands for Zimmerman's arrest.^[25][26][27] A Special Prosecutor was appointed to take over the investigation and on April 11, 2012, she chose to file charges of murder in the second degree against Zimmerman.^[28][29] Zimmerman then turned himself in and was placed in custody.^[30][31] On April 20, the judge approved Zimmerman's bail on a $150,000 bond.^[32] He was released from jail on April 23 and is required to wear an electronic monitoring device until trial.