Album: Bone Brothers V.3 - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony 4 Life

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Has anybody missed Bizzy Bone? Anybody noticed how different (but still damn good) the Bone Thugs’ sound is without Bizzy’s presence? Of course the man did provide something very original with a high-pitched voice partnered with the speedy, complex signature flow which strongly helped define the original Bone Thugs-N-Harmony sound. And hardcore Bone Thugs fans may argue it was a damn shame that Bizzy was cut out of the Bone Thugs…but here he is, back again with Layzie Bone for the third installment of the Bone Brothers series. Back with big ol’ bangin’ beats, back with furious flow, and back with the definition of dope Hip Hop!

Bizzy and Layzie get straight into it with Double U (after a short Intro of the acceptance speech for Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Band/Duo/Crew award at the 2007 American Music Awards). This track has classic Bone Thugs flava written all over it, with the sharp yet smooth flow over a beat with big bass and appropriate piano melodies which allow for plenty of speed, something that just about each Bone Thug was originally renowned for. Also a signature of the original Bone Thugs sound was the extensive number of violent songs of theirs which are simultaneously laced with social justification for their attitudes, and a dash of homage to God.

Bringing it back is the track Fall Pray To Anything, which is choc-full of the pounding flow that Layzie Bone oh so well delivers through lines like “When I wanna get away from my everyday life/I just put down my problems and pick up the mic/I’m a soldier with stripes and I do what I like…” – deep and classic. Bizzy’s flow however is unusually slower on this track, which does not necessarily serve as a benefit to him, as it makes him sound like a more talented but higher-voiced Young Jeezy. However, that’s not to say he still doesn’t spit straight fire. Although, remedied his flow is throughout almost all the other tracks on the album.

The downside to this album is hearing them succumb to a mainstream sound accompanied by mainstream, almost half-assed lyrics, which (thankfully) is only really present on one track which is Cash Money. This sees Bizzy and Layzie on the path to reducing themselves to your average pedestrian “GET MONEY!” rappers…if only that energy was in the same light as If You Wanna Get Paid, which, in contrast to Cash Money, salutes the work ethic, portraying that only the fruits of hard labor are truly enjoyed, all the while balancing their heads – “I’ma ride with the rich/ and I’ma share with the poor…Ronald Reagan was the one who put drugs to war”.

It is undeniably great to see that Bizzy still has ties with Layzie (and still apparently has respect for the rest of the Thugs), and that two MCs can still come together and make quality Hip Hop. If you are a hardcore Bone Thugs fan and are absolutely addicted to their old sound, this, best believe, is going to be something you will want to own, as you will understand more the context of tracks like The Struggle and Lockdown Love, a dedication to the currently incarcerated Flesh-N-Bone. However, if I Tried was your moment of deflowering Bone Thugs, you may still want to give this a listen, although don’t seek the similar satisfaction you gained off Strength & Loyalty, especially if you weren’t even aware that Bizzy Bone was a member of the original Bone Thugs.

Available through Koch Records