05/07/07 - The New York Times - Bone Thugs N Harmony - Strength & Loyalty

Eternal · 05-07-2007, 10:53 AM

Published: May 7, 2007

BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY
“Strength & Loyalty”
(Interscope)
In Stores: May 8,2007

It wasn’t always clear that the members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony would get a chance to make a comeback, but it was always clear that they deserved one. Everything about their story is implausible: their rapid rise (thanks to the patronage of Eazy-E), their eerie sing-rap style (still being imitated today), their defining hit (“Tha Crossroads,” a near-perfect lament that became part of the soundtrack of the 1990s), even their hometown (Cleveland, which wasn’t known as hip-hop hotbed and still isn’t).

For most of the last 10 years Bone Thugs-n-Harmony has been a cult favorite (does anybody remember “BTNHResurrection,” an underappreciated CD from 2000?), not a chart-topper. But last summer Krayzie Bone, the frontman, stole the show on Chamillionaire’s No. 1 hit “Ridin,’ ” and now the group is back for real: “I Tried,” an addictive collaboration with Akon, is the group’s first Top 10 hit in 10 years. It comes from “Strength & Loyalty,” which is probably as close as Bone Thugs-n-Harmony will ever get to a Carlos Santana-style all-star makeover.

Most of these songs revolve around the mellow rhymes and tunes of Krayzie Bone; it’s almost as if he could rap and hum at the same time. And it’s clear that big-budget collaborations serve this group well: Akon returns for the elegiac “Never Forget Me”; Mariah Carey and (much less so) Bow Wow enliven the airy club track “Lil Love”; “Wind Blow” is a bluesy perseverance song based on an unexpected (and, presumably, expensive) sample of “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac.

But Bizzy Bone — he of the startling falsetto and manic energy — is missed: He was expelled from the group during a chaotic 2002 performance in New York. (Talk about a public break-up.) Sing-song and rat-a-tat rhymes from Layzie Bone and Wish Bone, respectively, can’t fill the gap, especially since the big-name guests mainly disappear halfway through, as if the budget had suddenly run out. Still, the group’s gospel-gangsta fusion sounds as weird and as inevitable as ever. And this album has already succeeded in putting three of hip-hop’s most unlikely stars back where they belong: on the radio.

KELEFA SANNEH

SOURCE

J-Banks · 05-07-2007, 11:05 AM

im coppin there album tomorrow, propz

J-Banks · 05-07-2007, 11:13 AM

Moved to hiphop album reviews. Since it a review of their album.

Chee5e · 05-08-2007, 05:04 PM

Bone Thugs is pretty sweet too

Famoz · 05-09-2007, 04:19 AM

Shits Weak Flop

scooby_boen · 05-09-2007, 07:34 PM

yea good cd props they nevered left and bizzy is still there

05-07-2007, 10:53 AM	#1
Eternal Veteran Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,230 Repped: 342 Repped 1,222 Times in 185 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	05/07/07 - The New York Times - Bone Thugs N Harmony - Strength & Loyalty 05/07/07 - The New York Times - Bone Thugs N Harmony - Strength & Loyalty Published: May 7, 2007 BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY “Strength & Loyalty” (Interscope) In Stores: May 8,2007 It wasn’t always clear that the members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony would get a chance to make a comeback, but it was always clear that they deserved one. Everything about their story is implausible: their rapid rise (thanks to the patronage of Eazy-E), their eerie sing-rap style (still being imitated today), their defining hit (“Tha Crossroads,” a near-perfect lament that became part of the soundtrack of the 1990s), even their hometown (Cleveland, which wasn’t known as hip-hop hotbed and still isn’t). For most of the last 10 years Bone Thugs-n-Harmony has been a cult favorite (does anybody remember “BTNHResurrection,” an underappreciated CD from 2000?), not a chart-topper. But last summer Krayzie Bone, the frontman, stole the show on Chamillionaire’s No. 1 hit “Ridin,’ ” and now the group is back for real: “I Tried,” an addictive collaboration with Akon, is the group’s first Top 10 hit in 10 years. It comes from “Strength & Loyalty,” which is probably as close as Bone Thugs-n-Harmony will ever get to a Carlos Santana-style all-star makeover. Most of these songs revolve around the mellow rhymes and tunes of Krayzie Bone; it’s almost as if he could rap and hum at the same time. And it’s clear that big-budget collaborations serve this group well: Akon returns for the elegiac “Never Forget Me”; Mariah Carey and (much less so) Bow Wow enliven the airy club track “Lil Love”; “Wind Blow” is a bluesy perseverance song based on an unexpected (and, presumably, expensive) sample of “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. But Bizzy Bone — he of the startling falsetto and manic energy — is missed: He was expelled from the group during a chaotic 2002 performance in New York. (Talk about a public break-up.) Sing-song and rat-a-tat rhymes from Layzie Bone and Wish Bone, respectively, can’t fill the gap, especially since the big-name guests mainly disappear halfway through, as if the budget had suddenly run out. Still, the group’s gospel-gangsta fusion sounds as weird and as inevitable as ever. And this album has already succeeded in putting three of hip-hop’s most unlikely stars back where they belong: on the radio. KELEFA SANNEH SOURCE __________________ BTNH THE WORLD'S ENEMY DECEMBER 22ND

05-07-2007, 11:05 AM	#2
J-Banks Super Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 21,015 Repped: 5,294 Repped 53,425 Times in 7,839 Posts Blog Entries: 1 Neg Reps: 53 Neg Repped at 93 Times in 86 Posts	im coppin there album tomorrow, propz __________________ JBanksblog.com - check it out __________________

05-07-2007, 11:13 AM	#3
J-Banks Super Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 21,015 Repped: 5,294 Repped 53,425 Times in 7,839 Posts Blog Entries: 1 Neg Reps: 53 Neg Repped at 93 Times in 86 Posts	Moved to hiphop album reviews. Since it a review of their album. __________________ JBanksblog.com - check it out __________________

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05-08-2007, 05:04 PM	#4
Chee5e Banned Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 49 Repped: 0 Repped 0 Times in 0 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Bone Thugs is pretty sweet too

05-09-2007, 04:19 AM	#5
Famoz Banned Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,548 Repped: 126 Repped 391 Times in 210 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 2 Times in 2 Posts	Shits Weak Flop

05-09-2007, 07:34 PM	#6
scooby_boen Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 164 Repped: 97 Repped 4 Times in 2 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	yea good cd props they nevered left and bizzy is still there