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BONE
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Album is released after two run-ins
with the law
(Continued)
And that's exactly what The Art of War is.
Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Layzie Bone expound on their
signature style: raps fired off with the speed of machine gun blasts,
with occasional bursts of harmony layered over the group's slow, melodic
beats.
Together with producer U-Neek, they deliver their most mature and ambitious
album to date on The Art of War, which follows hit releases Creepin'
On Ah Come Up and E. 1999 Eternal. The new album's advances
over the past albums are so evident they're almost jarring, and they could
win over new fans with this release.
The double album, subtitled World War 1 and World War 2,
represents two clear and distinct sides of the group -- the good and the
bad (and there's some ugly as well).
After an introduction that includes screams, gunfire, marching sounds
-- and an ominous voice asking, "Guess who's back?" -- the group (in rather
obligatory fashion for rap), proclaims its badness. But after this
bit of nonsense, the album launches into a string of top shelf songs such
as Handle the Vibe, It's All Mo Thugs [sic], Ain't Nothin
Changed, Clog Up Yo Mind, Hard Times, Mind of a Souljah
and It's All Real.
Many of these songs are nearly radio-ready, and carry plush, sometimes
sweeping productions. It's also here where Bone is most reflective and
insightful. Family Tree looks at the ups and downs experienced
by each Bone member. And in If I Could Teach the World, the
group gives a needed message to children: "To all the lil' boys and
girls all over the world/The (stuff) we say is for the streets/Not for
you to go and do or repeat." It's an excellent message.
Expressing love for family, the group closes the two albums with Family
Tree and Mo' Thug Family Tree, respectively. The latter
track is a reference to Mo' Thug Records, a label started by the |
Bone camp last year to expose up-and-coming Cleveland-bred artists
such as Tre, Poetic Hustla'z, II Tru, and Graveyard Shift.
The second album is a rough exercise in thug life, with coarser beats,
and messages on songs like 7 Sign, Wasteland Warriors, Evil
Paradise, U Ain't Bone, and Hatin Nation. In Blaze
It, they speak of the joyful feeling they achieve smoking marijuana,
and say if it makes you happy, go for it.
The second album also includes the song most likely to attract the
most attention for obvious reasons -- and not necessarily for the right
reasons. It's Thug Luv, which features rapper 2Pac, shot to
death 11 months ago.
The fact that 2Pac appears here will make this the song many immediately
seek out. 2Pac performs in what was his usual over-the-top, braggart fashion,
but what makes the song disturbing is all the gunplay featured prominently.
Bullet shots are heard where drum beats should be. In light of 2Pac's
violent death, the effect is chilling.
As is almost always the case with Bone music, the biggest problem lies
in the group's unique rap style. The lyrics are spoken so quickly
it's often hard to decipher exactly what's being said. And some of the
rhymes have a whiny quality that can be annoying.
The Art of War is only the fourth double rap album ever to be
released, after the successful All Eyez on Me by 2Pac, Life After
Death by Notorious B.I.G. and Wu-Tang Forever by Wu-Tang Clan.
And like those three albums, The Art of War is ultimately too much
of a good thing. All of these albums would have been better if the weaker
cuts, mostly found on the seconds album, were weeded out and the best cuts
were put together to make one strong album. |
