Forget “Tha Crossroads.” Bone Thugs-n-Harmony will meet you at SLO Brewing Co. on July 2.
The group from Cleveland, Ohio, known for blending catchy melodies with rap in songs such as “Tha Crossroads” and “Thuggish Ruggish Bone,” has sold more than 15 million albums in its 20 years together, according to the group’s Myspace page.
The original members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone and Bizzy Bone, are also the only hip-hop acts to have performed with the late hip-hop artists Eazy-E, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac and Big Pun, according to the group’s Myspace page.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony got its big break when rapper Eazy-E of N.W.A signed the group to his label Ruthless Records in 1994. A year later, the group released the album E.1999 Eternal, which has sold more than 10 million copies to date.
In 1997, the group earned its first and only Grammy award for Best Hip-Hop Song for “Tha Crossroads,” according to the group’s Myspace page. The song was a tribute to Eazy-E, who died in 1995 due to complications from AIDS.
The group’s early music served as a tribute to life on the streets, hustling drugs and running from the cops. On the group’s newest effort, Uni5: The World’s Enemy, the music slowed down, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony rapped and sang about social issues plaguing urban youth and religion.
In April 2011, Krayzie Bone announced in a YouTube video he was separating from the group due to “uncontrollable circumstances.” He said he wanted to pursue other solo projects. Wish Bone also hasn’t made any appearances at recent shows, according to concert reviews and fan reviews on TicketMaster.
Yet, on June 22, Krayzie Bone said in an interview with Thewellversed.com that he frequently talks to the other members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and fans can expect an announcement soon about all five original members making appearances at all upcoming shows.
Bizzy Bone, Flesh-NnBone and Layzie Bone are the only members slated to make an appearance at the SLO Brewing Co show, according to Numbskull Productions, the company that booked Bone Thugs N Harmony at SLO Brewing Co.
Despite the absence of two of its members, the group will feature a live band, and an opening performance by local hip-hop outfit Public Defendaz.
“That’s a real treat for any of the fans over the past 10 years because no one has seen them perform with a live band before,” said Cassidy “Taktical” Wright of Public Defendaz.
Wright said he recalls listening to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony as a young boy in junior high school. Since then, he’s been a fan.
Wright said the live band will add more raw energy to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s performance. Another possible energetic element to the show is its age limit.
The show will be for people age 21 and over because “there are times when the show lends to an older crowd,” Todd Newman of Numbskull Productions said. Bone Thugs N Harmony feature material is generally considered explicit in some of its songs.
Customers who are 21 or older often request events that are for people who are of age because the room does not have to be divided, Newman said. A barricade is erected during shows open to all ages in order to keep the bar patrons separate from minos.
The last time Bone Thugs-n-Harmony performed at SLO Brewing Co. (then called Downtown Brewing Co.), the show was for people over the age of 21 and sold out. Oktapus of local hip-hop act and opening performer Public Defendaz, who also opened for Bones Thugs-n-Harmony then, said.
“Last show we had, it got a little out of hand,” he said, laughing. “It was super fun, it was probably one of my top five shows that I’ve ever performed.”
The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $33 in advance at Ticketweb.com and Boo Boo Records, and $35 at the door.