Krayzie Bone
KRAYZIE FROM THE HEAT
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Frontman Fires Up Another Solo Hit
When Bone Thugs-N-Harmony exploded on the rap scene in 1994 with their melodic debut EP, Creepin' On Ah Comeup, no one imagined that the uncanny Cleveland quintet -- characterized by rapid-fire rhymes, harmony-laden choruses, and pimped-out press-and-curls -- would withstand hip-hop's ever-changing tide. Several albums and a Grammy-winning single ("Crossroads") later, however, Bone are still a rap force to be reckoned with. Several members of the group have even enjoyed solo success, including the most visible member, Krayzie Bone -- whose sophomore solo disc, Thug on da Line, dropped in late summer 2001. Prior to that disc's release, Barnes & Noble.com's R&B and Hip-Hop editor, Tracy E. Hopkins, spoke with the rapper about his latest, the future of BTNH, and much more.
Barnes & Noble.com: What was your goal for this record?
Krayzie Bone: To show that I have matured in the game, this album had to be better than the last album [Thug Mentality 1999]. So I made different moves and experimented with different kinds of music.
B&N.com: On "Hard Time Hustlin'," the first single from Thug on da Line, you sample Sade's "Feel No Pain."
KB: I was listening to The Best of Sade one day, and I based the whole song around the hook from that song. I sent it to her label, and they said it was cool. They even sent us some footage for the video.
B&N.com: There are some diverse collaborations on Thug on da Line. How did they come about?
KB: The Kelis collaboration [on the song "I Don't Know What"] came through her producers, the Neptunes. Then the Tiffany collaboration [on the song "Talk to Myself"] came about because we work at the same recording studio in L.A. I'm also getting ready to do a song with 'N Sync and the Insane Clown Posse, and I'm working on a movie called Ghetto Cowboys.
B&N.com: I've read that Michael Jackson and New Edition influenced you heavily.
KB: Definitely. I used to imitate Michael Jackson. I danced like him, dressed like him, and from there I moved on to form my own New Edition type of group. After New Edition, I started getting into Run-D.M.C. I used to write down their lyrics. Then I realized that I could write my own lyrics. It was easy once I followed their pattern.
B&N.com: Where does your music's deep sense of spirituality come from?
KB: My upbringing. My whole family and my group's families are Jehovah's Witnesses.
B&N.com: Because of your upbringing, do you ever feel a conflict between recording secular music and your spiritual beliefs? Some hip-hop artists such as Mase have left the rap game for similar reasons.
KB: The world is really different today. You should always know about God, but you have to keep living and surviving in this reality. People may call me a hypocrite because I could be feeling God yesterday and praying and everything, but today I still have nothing to eat, so what am I going to do? You can have God in your life and still maintain your lifestyle, because God understands that this world is messed up.
B&N.com: When can we expect another Bone Thugs-N-Harmony disc?
KB: We're working on that right now as we speak. All of us are in the process of leaving Ruthless Records, and we're happy as hell about that. People are really going to start seeing a different Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. People will understand what our problems were. Everything is about to come out now.
B&N.com: Did you enjoy working with Ruthless at first -- when [Ruthless founder] Eazy-E was alive?
KB: Oh yeah. It was always love.
B&N.com: How did his death affect you and the crew?
KB: It was real hard and we started to wonder, afterward, what was going to happen to us. We had just been signed [to Ruthless]. I mean, we tried so hard to get with him and the label and then he died. We started to think, "Is it us? Do we have bad karma?" But it was a learning experience for us. We were grateful that we got a chance to work with him before he died. We were always big fans of his.
B&N.com: Do you produce other artists?
KB: am producing some artists on my Thug Line label [distributed through Loud]. I'm also getting into writing songs for R&B artists, because I feel I can bring something to that [genre] in the same way I brought something [different] to the rap game. I can change the whole style of R&B, because right now everything sounds the same. I just want to change it up a little.
B&N.com: What albums have you listened to recently that blew you away?
KB: Most definitely Jill Scott's Who Is Jill Scott? She is one of the most talented artists around today. I also like Erykah Badu, India Arie, and Bilal.
B&N.com: Do you think that critics are surprised by how open you are musically?
KB: People just don't know how to take me yet. I never give them a chance to get used to me for one thing. I know what they want to hear, what makes them move.
B&N.com: How do you feel about people who bite Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's sound?
KB: Though everyone jumps on our sound, they just don't get it.
July, 2001
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