Clearly, Bone are, like their good homie Da Brat, sitting on top of the world, a position they're locked down ever since they exploded on the scene in '94 with "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" under the guidance of the late gangsta rap legend Eazy-E. from ex-street hustlers to household names, these once-starving Bones are getting plenty of Calcium these days. It's funny how one live President won't do shit for you, but a few million dead ones can hook a motherfucker up. Bone thugs know this to be
The air around us is undeniable glam, the sleek and artsy studio
decor screaming in Hollywood. When Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone
and entourage finally stroll in, they do so ninja-esque silence. Like any
true homeboys from the 'hood, they head directly to a table in the back
for some free grub. Patrolling nonchalantly around with plates full of
food, the trio finally settle in the corner around a spiral staircase.
Blue the photographer's scruffy, off-white terriers runs over immediately
and hounds Layzie, circling the reclining head Bone who's parked himself
on a chair to get his puffed-out hair braided. Meanwhile, Krayzie, who's
hardly uttered a word since arriving, already in front of the cameras.
So here it is, behind the scenes of the flashy
world of show bizness. Biggie's "Juicy" could come on and you wouldn't
even bat an eye. But if come you think these Ohio cats are gonna play themselves
on some ego shit, Bone beg to differ.
"We keep a grip on reality," states Wish,
who's casually decked out in a white undershirt and dark pants on this
warm afternoon. "We thank God we got it like that, but this shit could
be gone any day. We used to that shit--bein' broke. We ain't gonna change
and start actin' like superstars."
David Bowie lived it, sang about it, and kept
it Irene Cara sang about it, lived it, then lost it.
But as much as they love the soil of their roots, LA has become a home to Bone (they maintain apartments here year round). There's a whirlwind of action buzzing around the Midwestern masters of flow as they get back to business. For this special occasion, the keen European lens man at hand has broken out his entire hip-hop collection: The Score, Ill Na Na, and Low End Theory. As "Scenario" bumps out of elevated speakers, Layzie recites Phife Dawg's verse, his braid job halfway finished. Twin, one of Ruthless Records' full-time bodyguards, is all the way over near the front door, lining up a shot on a small patch of articial golf turf. Big, Eazy's brother and the other security man on duty, is videotaping the proceedings.
