Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Bone Thugs -N- Harmony

Bone Thugs n Harmony is a U.S. rap group from Cleveland, Ohio. Their career took off in 1993 after heading to Los Angeles on a Greyhound bus in search of Eazy-E. They auditioned over the phone but he did not respond back to them. They then found out that Eazy-E was doing a show in Cleveland and came back to audition in person. Backstage live on The Box, they rapped for Eazy and were signed to Ruthless Records on the spot. Their first EP, "Creepin on ah Come Up", featured production by Yella of NWA fame and came out in 1994. This album sold over two million copies and had hit singles Thuggish Ruggish Bone, Foe Tha Love of $, and Creepin on ah Come Up. Upon the release of their second album E. 1999 Eternal, their mentor Eazy-E died of AIDS. A new track was dedicated to Eazy-E called Tha Crossroads, which earned the group a Grammy Award and broke The Beatles' 32-year record for fastest rising single. Since then, E. 1999 Eternal sold over 9 million and became the second highest selling rap album to date.

Perhaps the group's most important contribution to rap is their speedy, harmonizing flow. While fast rapping has always had a niche in the culture, Bone certainly brought the style to the forefront. In addition, the group's ability to harmonize whilst flowing at top speeds is truly remarkable. Not before nor since has a rapper or rap group sung an a cappela tune without loss of street cred. Although 1996 was definitely the peak of their popular appeal, Bone still has a fairly large cult following. There always seems to be rumors of a breakup, yet every two or three years they release an album. Since E. 1999 Eternal, this includes 1997's The Art of War, 2000's BTNHResurrection, and 2002's Thug World Order, in addition to a number of successful solo albums. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are the only group ever to have collaborated with all three of the late rappers Eazy-E, Tupac, and the Notorious BIG.

In December 2002, one of their songs was admitted as evidence in a Missouri murder trial. This was to show the mindset of the defendant, Michael Tisius who was accused of killing two prison guards in 2000. The track was "Mo Murda" from Bone's 1995 release E. 1999 Eternal. Prosecutors insisted that while the track did not make Tisius commit crimes, he used the music to put him in the psychological state where he could act violently. Tisius's lawyer claimed that entering the track into evidence was a tactic to associate her client with negative media perceptions of rap music. Tisius was convicted on two counts of first degree murder.

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