Don't call it a comeback, they've been here for years. Since releasing their debut studio album, Creepin On Ah Come Up (1994), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony has sold 35 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling hip-hop groups of all-time. Like many of their peers who became prominent during rap's renaissance (the early to mid 90s), Bone Thugs' seminal stanzas have influenced countless numbers of today's melodic emcees. Sure they've flirted with obscurity since leaving Ruthless Records in 2002, but even their only independent album, 06's Thug Stories (Koch), peaked at #1 on the Independent Album Charts. Now, after being turned down by several major labels, BTNH -- now a trio due to Flesh-N-Bone's incarceration and Bizzy Bone's ousting from the group (because of his erratic behavior) -- have finally found a home with Swizz Beatz's Full Surface imprint. With Swizz's pristine percussions at their disposal, and a hunger sparked by several label's lack of respect, Bone Thug's latest release, Strength & Loyalty, may garner the Cleveland trio the reverence they seek.
Showing utter disregard for the current club-happy hip-hop climate, BTNH's first single, "I Tried," plays like a cerebral confession of the urban black male. Akon, whose rap and R&B hybrids are fraught with Bone Thug's influence, serves as the perfect collaborator on the song's chorus, while Layzie, Krayzie and Wish Bone trade pensive lines like, "Hustlin and gamblin, drinkin' and scramblin' / And losin' sight of what I'm supposed to be handlin," to the tracks melancholy melodies of fragile piano keys.
When Bone isn't doing their when-thugs-cry crooning, they opt for the other side of the spectrum on tracks like "Bumps In The Trunk," where they compare the caliber of their weaponry to that of their woofers over Swizz's drawn-out drums and screeching guitars.
Never known for intricate wordplay, BTNH's niche has always been their ability to flow like faucets. So when Twista, who's also famous for his quick cadence, makes a cameo on the hometown-homage cut, "C-Town," you expect a rhyme race of tongue-biting proportions. In what has to be the biggest disappointment of the album, both Bone and Twista pick the worst time to showcase their slow flows, which are marred by generic lyrics that could have easily been compensated for if they simply did what they're good at. "Flow Motion" implements the aforementioned tactic, you're so in awe of Bone Thug's ability to stay on pace with the swift track that the merit of their lyrics are secondary.
This isn't to say that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony aren't capable lyricist, but it's their melodies and emotional depth that have made them memorable. Strength & Loyalty is strong on both versatility and sonic scope, while remaining loyal to Bone's specific sound. Critics would be "Bone, bone, bone, bone, bone, bone, bone, bone, bone"-heads to deny the groups place as one of the greatest in hip-hop history.
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