Review written by: MazaBone Thugs-N-Harmony are back after 5 years out of the game, this time with the help of producer Swizz Beatz.
It's well known that the group have lost two of their more prominent members (albeit temporarily) Flesh-n-Bone and Bizzy Bone. This left Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone and Wish Bone to do all the work.
So what did they manage to conjure up?
The first track "Flow Motion" is an contest in fast flow with old skool beats.
Then Swissy wastes no time supplying the LP with his usual upbeat bouncy tempo on "Bump In The Trunk (Feat. Swizz Beatz)". The signature speed and flow shines thru as the trio ride the beat, Krazie sporting a slower flow at the start spits “We back with a vengeance/ cuz rap took a strippin’ with out us/ let’s be honest/ this industry is now overcrowded with garbage/ ni**a your time’s up/ go back to practice amateur night, and sign up/” ridiculing the emergence of whack rappers before speeding up the flow.
"Wind Blow" samples the Fleetwood Mac classic "The Chain". Im not in the slightest a country fan and this beat just doesn't do it for me personally, maybe because the hook just didnt blend with the track.
Next up is a track were all probably familiar with by now, "I Tried" featuring Akon. This was recently their biggest hit for about 10 years. I really enjoyed this track, a Hip Hop ballad about trying to change but how trouble follows people and falling back to misery or addiction is inevitable. This track is unmistakably Akon on top form.
After these opening tracks the LP goes to sleep for the next 4. With "Lil Love" (Feat. Mariah Carey & Bow Wow) mostly a feelgood Pop and RnB which has no place on a Bone Thugs LP (though I can appreciate their pleasing a broader market). "C-Town" (Feat. Twista), "Order My Steps" (Dear Lord) (Feat. Yolanda Adams) and "Streets" (Feat. The Game & Will.I.Am) were all straight forgettable garbege.
Thankfully the album then wakes up with "9mm", "Gun Blast"(great summer banger) and "Candy Paint". The earlier of the two are grimey street tracks (which you might have guessed I prefer) and candy paint is another upbeat floorfiller. Granted some of these songs lack any real meaning but I'm a sucker for a beat.
One of the final significant tracks is "So Good So Right" (Feat. Felicia). It's significant because here they address problems they have been going through (such as Flesh's prison term) but how they all are looking to the future.
Bone Thugs are known for their fast flow and Harmonizing beats and they certainly didn't let down here. Everything you would have expected from them was delivered.
You can’t help but to miss the presence of Bizzy and Flesh but just wait 2 years when the quintet are re-united, their gona drop some mega heat. But despite this the remaining three held down the block (to put it like Nas). One things for sure is that somewhere Eazy-E is smiling over his proteges.
