Bizzy Bone with his
best rock star impression
In case you're wondering, the title of the double album does come from the ancient Chinese tome, Tha Art of War, written by Sun Tzu. Bone read the book and were intrigued with the concept of "fighting without fighting." Lay who suggested the title to his peeps, lays out the meaning this way. "It's a war goin' on and ain't nobody recognizing. (A war) between good and bad, God, devil. Life is a war."
When Bone's new joint is released this July it will be exactly one year after the group started working on it. The extended life of E.1999 Eternal and the establishment of Mo Thugs Records delayed things as did the usual drama that Bone, no matter how much moola they clock, encounters. Sometime fifth Bone and Layzie's brother, Flesh served a short stint in LA County when he turned in for some outstanding warrants. But he wasn't the only one at odds with the system.
"I had a lot of run-ins with the law and shit," offers Wish, who's now chilling on a large leather sofa in the control room. "I caught wit' some muthafuckin' heat."
"What did you have?"
"Shit, a nine. A bullshit-ass nigga called police on me. They took me to jail that night."
Those who think that wealth and fame have softened Bone or that these vatis are just another bad video rapper creation, better think twice. Wish possesses that type of stare that comes from years of doing dirt and that shook ones like myself avoid at all costs. The largest Bone in physical stamina, he's also probably the most likely to speak his mind. And at this moment he does, requesting to hear his personal favorite selection, "Friends," a remake of the Whodini classic. wish puffs on a cigarette and rhymes along to Bizzy's part. Lay crumbles herb atop a small desk pausing to kick a few words here and there. The song reassures aficionados that these ultra-paid fellas are "still the same."
For this records Bone ain't trying to fuck up a winning formula, so they're sticking with producer DJ U-Neek. Nevertheless, there's a conscious effort this time around to mix it up some. That's why there're several solo cuts and songs with different Bone combos, as well as a few slower tempo tracks for fans who might not understand all the lyrics.
Bone followers won't be disappointed. "Hatin Nation" is a creamy 'n crafty answer that pleads, "Don't you hate on me." Wish and Layzie crack nothing but smiles as they pass a cigarette back and forth. The track ends Lay wants to hear "Body Rock" next. Some old school flavor perhaps? This should be something. It's actually one red hot, fuck-tha-police-minded assault over a pummeling beat. The hook cooks: "Nigga, the war shit ain't stop 'til the muthafuckin' cops' body rock..."
Seconds after the song off cut off, an enthralled Layzie is gloating.
Lay, who has a small, colorful tattoo of a skull etched on his chest, counters, "I don't see why they gotta classify skulls and crossbones as bad anyway."
"When you die that's all that's gonna be there-the skull and crossbones," reasons Wish, a chewed-up toothpick wedged between his pearly whites.
But there's critics who don't buy passing murder off as entertainment and have even accused the click of Satanism. It goes against the Cleveland's crew's belief in God, they argue. To hear Layzie, whose grandmother was a Jehovah's Witness and who attended church regularly as a child, explain it, the conflict lies in the fact that most minorities are ensconced in a hell on earth.
"Life consists of violence and all that, man. It's around us," he argues inside the dressing room shortly after his shoot. "Just because we believe in God don't mean that we ain't got go through our trials and tribulations. We can't control
Regardless if you agree or disagree, on an artistic level the existence of spirituality in their music (most of the Thugs' tunes have have gospel-tinged tendencies) has pushed these talented Trues in broader creative directions, as evidenced by the subject matter of the mega hit "Tha Crossroads." And, fortunately, The Art of War finds this Cleveland clan on a shinning path of growth.
It's approximately 8 p.m. when the scene from our LA location to Studio Cat Productions in the cesspool that is Hollywood. Inside, rather low-key Wish sits transfixed watching an episode of "Family Matters" on TV. Cassandra Ware, general manager and vice president of Ruthless, is there and rather energetic. She's amped to play select cuts from the 30-track Bone magnum opus
