http://www.xxlmag.com/?p=419131
Nice long read
Hip-hop was blessed with a slew of outstanding debuts in 1994—Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. and OutKast all come to mind—but the year also saw the mainstream debut of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who came seemingly out of nowhere to take hip-hop by storm. The Cleveland quintet caught the eye of Eazy-E in late 1993, and soon brought their harmony, gift for melodies and eccentric personalities to the world. Bizzy Bone, Flesh-N-Bone, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone and Wish Bone dropped their Ruthless Records debut Creepin' On Ah Come Up on June 21, 1994, and behind their breakout single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" they rode a new wave of hip-hop all the way to platinum status.
"We was fresh off the streets, really living the life we were talking about, trying our best to get out," Layzie says now. "That album is where we designed our style, everything about ourselves and what we came into. That was the album when we were coming into ourselves as artists."
But that first joy of success was to be short-lived; Eazy-E fell victim to AIDS mere months after Creepin’s release, and outside conflict over his estate began soon after. What followed for the group is well-known by now: Hiatuses, collaborations, controversies and, most importantly, a string of continued successes and a secure place as one of the greatest groups in hip-hop history. With Creepin' On Ah Come Up’s 20th anniversary tomorrow, XXL spoke to all five members of the group over four separate interviews about life before, during, and immediately after the release of their seminal EP, their mentor Eazy-E, the legacy of the group, and what they’re up to now. It's the thuggish, ruggish bone.
On Life Before The EP
Bizzy: Ghetto as hell! [Laughs]
Flesh: Ghetto as fukk, man! We hustled a little bit, I was jobbed out and all that, tried to take some check money and flip it to some drug money. But we was out in the streets, we kicked ass every day, it was gang capital in our area. We grew up right there, and if anyone messed with them Bone Thug cats, man, we would lay it down. We was with the biggest, all across the board—we don’t need to get into stories and this and that—but we grew up gutter. Straight the fukk up, flat out.
Bizzy: But the story gets even better because when we moved out to LA, everywhere is nice in Los Angeles, no matter where you’re at, and everything is so beautiful, and Eazy took care of us like his little brothers. Whatever you needed, Eazy was there. We didn’t starve anymore. When Eazy passed, though, we had to wait for everyone to fight over his riches before we got any money at all. We weren’t really getting any real money; they held it back for one or two years. But things got better and got up and running, and we came up with something special. [Flesh] worked with Russell Simmons and started a relationship with Def Jam out in New York, and we just opened up the playing field to be around people we worked with.
Krayzie: Life before was crazy. I had just come home from prison. When I got out we knew we had to get out and do something or else we’d be in Cleveland the rest of our lives. It was do or die at that time, we couldn’t let the talent waste away. We were getting in all kinds of trouble, something was destined to happen to one of us, be it jail or the loss of one of our lives. We decided to go for broke, and it paid off eventually. We got up and went to get what we wanted. It was dope.
Wish: I’ll keep it 100, I’m a straight up hustler. I was in the streets real heavy. If I couldn’t get that white? I was kicking in doors and trying to stay above the ones that were really hurting. I come from a long line of people who knew how to get money, so I was getting up with my brothers and cousins on the music thing on the side, getting around the barrel. But up until that album—even after that album—I was still on my hustle. You know, shyt happens.
Layzie: Hectic, man. We were living in a war zone, lot of dope being sold, nikkas doing a lot of shooting, it was pandemonium. We were fresh out of school, we had no direction in life, so we were basically doing whatever. So music was like our savior; it was our sanctuary to get away from all the madness. Our friend Wally got killed a year before that, and that’s why we decided to go all the way out to LA to try and make it, because up until then it was hectic. Day to day, fast living, up all night trying to make some money as kids trying to find our way. Hectic, hectic, hectic. It’s been hectic ever since, too. Busy.
On Their Mentor Eazy-E
Bizzy: Fun, fun, and fun. That’s all I can say. Fun, fun, fun. Taken care of, having fun, clean, fed, no more worrying about rent or where you’re gonna sleep tonight, or having to stay with your girlfriend because it’s not cool over here or over there and all this other shyt—all that shyt was over. You gotta understand the strength of brothers under 18; like Flesh said, he was working from 13 all the way up.
Krayzie: Man, we were only with Eazy about a year, but during that time we got to know him well. You would know he had invested everything into us if you were around, because we could sense the tension from some of the acts that had been around before we had, they’d make little snide remarks. He put everything on us, and he had us working the whole time. He kept us away from all the beef with Death Row. He told us he had bigger intentions for us, he just wanted us to stay focused. We bonded with him as far as the business and him teaching us stuff; that’s what I remember most.
Wish: Eazy was a real dude, and for him to put everything aside and really focus on Bone really felt good. He was like a brother to us, dog. He used to be with us every day, because he was going through stuff in his personal life and in the industry, because it was around the time when the Ruthless/Death Row beef was going on. He was real humble, real cool, showed us a lot and taught us a lot. We were grateful we got the time we did get with him, because where would music be without Eazy-E? So to be that close to him and have him tell us that he wished N.W.A was close like us, to hear the real stories, it doesn’t get any better than that. I remember when he wrote his verse for “Foe Tha Love Of $,” he was so excited. He was like, “I got one, y’all! I got one!” and he went in there and laid it, and I just remember us loving it and cracking up. You had to be there to feel the love and energy from such a talented and smart, inspiring dude.
Layzie: I just remember Eazy being a real humble dude. Not too outspoken, just real humble. I remember him talking to the kids, I remember him letting me drive his car and shyt like that. He wouldn’t let anybody else drive. I just remember him being a stand up guy, talking to him about the music business. I remember him being really hurt [that] people thought he was robbing them. Those are the memories I have. We didn’t have too much time with Eazy. He was about his business. He put us in the studio and got out of the way.
On The Title Creepin' On Ah Come Up
Bizzy: It speaks for itself; it had a history. We built something together. We met [Manager Steve] Lobel very early, before Eazy passed, along with the team that we accumulated. We sat down and said that it made the most sense, so let’s see how it rolls off of people’s tongues, what they think about it and go with it. We wanted people to love it and like it.
Flesh: It was one of those things, man. It was one of those titles that really signified what was goin’ on with the fellas at the time; we was grimy hustlers from the block, we was always creeping on the come up. We felt like it let people know we were gonna keep smashing it, keep coming out the woodwork.
Krayzie: The whole concept was basically us feeling like we’d been under the radar for so long, we were just thinking we had to make it. The title was basically explaining what we were doing at the time. We were creeping on a come up, we had to get it, it was all we got. Once we got that outlet with E, it was the beginning of what we were doing, and that’s where the title came from.
Wish: We had a song by the same name, and a lot of the name stemmed from where we got our name, because it just happened spontaneously. We used to be B.O.N.E. Enterprises and we had a song called “Thugs-N-Harmony” and Eazy-E said that should be our name, so with all that and those songs, the title just made sense with us going through what we went through to get where we were going, not knowing it would go as far as it did, but it seemed to make sense.
Layzie: We were taking one-way bus tickets, taking risks and changes of all sorts to fulfill our dreams, man. Our dream was just to show the world that we were bad ass rappers at the time. We wanted to prove it to people in our city, peole we came up with and show that we were the best around. It was about taking a chance, getting away from things that could’ve gotten us killed. Trying to be somebody, not to end up like everybody else in the hood.
Nice long read
Hip-hop was blessed with a slew of outstanding debuts in 1994—Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. and OutKast all come to mind—but the year also saw the mainstream debut of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who came seemingly out of nowhere to take hip-hop by storm. The Cleveland quintet caught the eye of Eazy-E in late 1993, and soon brought their harmony, gift for melodies and eccentric personalities to the world. Bizzy Bone, Flesh-N-Bone, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone and Wish Bone dropped their Ruthless Records debut Creepin' On Ah Come Up on June 21, 1994, and behind their breakout single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" they rode a new wave of hip-hop all the way to platinum status.
"We was fresh off the streets, really living the life we were talking about, trying our best to get out," Layzie says now. "That album is where we designed our style, everything about ourselves and what we came into. That was the album when we were coming into ourselves as artists."
But that first joy of success was to be short-lived; Eazy-E fell victim to AIDS mere months after Creepin’s release, and outside conflict over his estate began soon after. What followed for the group is well-known by now: Hiatuses, collaborations, controversies and, most importantly, a string of continued successes and a secure place as one of the greatest groups in hip-hop history. With Creepin' On Ah Come Up’s 20th anniversary tomorrow, XXL spoke to all five members of the group over four separate interviews about life before, during, and immediately after the release of their seminal EP, their mentor Eazy-E, the legacy of the group, and what they’re up to now. It's the thuggish, ruggish bone.
On Life Before The EP
Bizzy: Ghetto as hell! [Laughs]
Flesh: Ghetto as fukk, man! We hustled a little bit, I was jobbed out and all that, tried to take some check money and flip it to some drug money. But we was out in the streets, we kicked ass every day, it was gang capital in our area. We grew up right there, and if anyone messed with them Bone Thug cats, man, we would lay it down. We was with the biggest, all across the board—we don’t need to get into stories and this and that—but we grew up gutter. Straight the fukk up, flat out.
Bizzy: But the story gets even better because when we moved out to LA, everywhere is nice in Los Angeles, no matter where you’re at, and everything is so beautiful, and Eazy took care of us like his little brothers. Whatever you needed, Eazy was there. We didn’t starve anymore. When Eazy passed, though, we had to wait for everyone to fight over his riches before we got any money at all. We weren’t really getting any real money; they held it back for one or two years. But things got better and got up and running, and we came up with something special. [Flesh] worked with Russell Simmons and started a relationship with Def Jam out in New York, and we just opened up the playing field to be around people we worked with.
Krayzie: Life before was crazy. I had just come home from prison. When I got out we knew we had to get out and do something or else we’d be in Cleveland the rest of our lives. It was do or die at that time, we couldn’t let the talent waste away. We were getting in all kinds of trouble, something was destined to happen to one of us, be it jail or the loss of one of our lives. We decided to go for broke, and it paid off eventually. We got up and went to get what we wanted. It was dope.
Wish: I’ll keep it 100, I’m a straight up hustler. I was in the streets real heavy. If I couldn’t get that white? I was kicking in doors and trying to stay above the ones that were really hurting. I come from a long line of people who knew how to get money, so I was getting up with my brothers and cousins on the music thing on the side, getting around the barrel. But up until that album—even after that album—I was still on my hustle. You know, shyt happens.
Layzie: Hectic, man. We were living in a war zone, lot of dope being sold, nikkas doing a lot of shooting, it was pandemonium. We were fresh out of school, we had no direction in life, so we were basically doing whatever. So music was like our savior; it was our sanctuary to get away from all the madness. Our friend Wally got killed a year before that, and that’s why we decided to go all the way out to LA to try and make it, because up until then it was hectic. Day to day, fast living, up all night trying to make some money as kids trying to find our way. Hectic, hectic, hectic. It’s been hectic ever since, too. Busy.
On Their Mentor Eazy-E
Bizzy: Fun, fun, and fun. That’s all I can say. Fun, fun, fun. Taken care of, having fun, clean, fed, no more worrying about rent or where you’re gonna sleep tonight, or having to stay with your girlfriend because it’s not cool over here or over there and all this other shyt—all that shyt was over. You gotta understand the strength of brothers under 18; like Flesh said, he was working from 13 all the way up.
Krayzie: Man, we were only with Eazy about a year, but during that time we got to know him well. You would know he had invested everything into us if you were around, because we could sense the tension from some of the acts that had been around before we had, they’d make little snide remarks. He put everything on us, and he had us working the whole time. He kept us away from all the beef with Death Row. He told us he had bigger intentions for us, he just wanted us to stay focused. We bonded with him as far as the business and him teaching us stuff; that’s what I remember most.
Wish: Eazy was a real dude, and for him to put everything aside and really focus on Bone really felt good. He was like a brother to us, dog. He used to be with us every day, because he was going through stuff in his personal life and in the industry, because it was around the time when the Ruthless/Death Row beef was going on. He was real humble, real cool, showed us a lot and taught us a lot. We were grateful we got the time we did get with him, because where would music be without Eazy-E? So to be that close to him and have him tell us that he wished N.W.A was close like us, to hear the real stories, it doesn’t get any better than that. I remember when he wrote his verse for “Foe Tha Love Of $,” he was so excited. He was like, “I got one, y’all! I got one!” and he went in there and laid it, and I just remember us loving it and cracking up. You had to be there to feel the love and energy from such a talented and smart, inspiring dude.
Layzie: I just remember Eazy being a real humble dude. Not too outspoken, just real humble. I remember him talking to the kids, I remember him letting me drive his car and shyt like that. He wouldn’t let anybody else drive. I just remember him being a stand up guy, talking to him about the music business. I remember him being really hurt [that] people thought he was robbing them. Those are the memories I have. We didn’t have too much time with Eazy. He was about his business. He put us in the studio and got out of the way.
On The Title Creepin' On Ah Come Up
Bizzy: It speaks for itself; it had a history. We built something together. We met [Manager Steve] Lobel very early, before Eazy passed, along with the team that we accumulated. We sat down and said that it made the most sense, so let’s see how it rolls off of people’s tongues, what they think about it and go with it. We wanted people to love it and like it.
Flesh: It was one of those things, man. It was one of those titles that really signified what was goin’ on with the fellas at the time; we was grimy hustlers from the block, we was always creeping on the come up. We felt like it let people know we were gonna keep smashing it, keep coming out the woodwork.
Krayzie: The whole concept was basically us feeling like we’d been under the radar for so long, we were just thinking we had to make it. The title was basically explaining what we were doing at the time. We were creeping on a come up, we had to get it, it was all we got. Once we got that outlet with E, it was the beginning of what we were doing, and that’s where the title came from.
Wish: We had a song by the same name, and a lot of the name stemmed from where we got our name, because it just happened spontaneously. We used to be B.O.N.E. Enterprises and we had a song called “Thugs-N-Harmony” and Eazy-E said that should be our name, so with all that and those songs, the title just made sense with us going through what we went through to get where we were going, not knowing it would go as far as it did, but it seemed to make sense.
Layzie: We were taking one-way bus tickets, taking risks and changes of all sorts to fulfill our dreams, man. Our dream was just to show the world that we were bad ass rappers at the time. We wanted to prove it to people in our city, peole we came up with and show that we were the best around. It was about taking a chance, getting away from things that could’ve gotten us killed. Trying to be somebody, not to end up like everybody else in the hood.
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Me too
