Bone Thugs East 99 Album
Vannessa Rataj
E. 1999 Eternal is the second studio album by American hip hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, released July 25, 1995, on Ruthless Records. The album was released four months after the death of rapper Eazy-E, the group's mentor and the executive producer of the album. Both the album and single "Tha Crossroads" are dedicated to him. Following up on the surprise success of their breakthrough single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone", it became a popular album and received positive reviews from music critics, earning praise for the group's melodic rapping style. The album title is a portmanteau of Cleveland's eastside neighborhood centering on East 99th Street and St. Clair Avenue where the group is based and the then-future year 1999.
The album sold 307,000 copies in the first week. E. 1999 Eternal became the group's best-selling album, with four million copies sold in the United States. It topped the US Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks. The album was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, ultimately losing to Naughty by Nature's Poverty's Paradise at the 1996 Grammy Awards.[2] In 2015, the group toured in support of the 20th anniversary of the album, performing it in its entirety for the first time.
Retrospectively, Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic described E. 1999 Eternal as "an impressive debut full-length that dismisses any notion that the group was merely a one-hit wonder", adding that it "maintains a consistent tone, one that's menacing and somber, produced entirely by DJ U-Neek, a Los Angeles-based producer who frames the songs with dark, smoked-out G-funk beats and synth melodies."[3] The Source hailed E. 1999 Eternal as one of The Top 100 Rap Albums of 1990s.
E. 1999 Eternal became the group's best-selling album, with over 5 million copies sold in the United States and 10 million worldwide. It topped the US Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks. It was released July 25, 1995, on Ruthless Records. The album was released four months after the death of rapper Eazy-E, the group's mentor and the executive producer of the album. Both the album and single "Tha Crossroads" are dedicated to him. Following up on the surprise success of their breakthrough single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone", it became one of the most legendary hip-hop albums ever created. The album title is a portmanteau of the then-future year 1999 and Cleveland's eastside neighborhood centering around East 99th Street and St. Clair Avenue where the group is based from.
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Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American hip hop group from Cleveland, Ohio. It consists of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone and Flesh-N-Bone. American West Coast rapper Eazy-E, former member of rap group N.W.A, signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in late 1993, when Bone Thugs debuted with their EP Creepin on ah Come Up. The EP included their breakout hit single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" & the Eazy E assisted single For Tha Love Of $ released in August 1994, the album was a massive success selling over 4 million units in the United States and over 9 million records worldwide.
In 1995, the group released its second album, E. 1999 Eternal, which included hits "1st of tha Month" and "East 1999". A tribute to then-recently deceased Eazy-E, titled "Tha Crossroads" in early January 1996 which won a Grammy award in 1997. The album debut and peaked at #1 selling 313,000 copies in the first week. This was the groups best selling album to date selling over 4 million copies in just 4 months after release and by July of 2009 the album had sold over 9 million copies in the United States and has reportedly sold 19 million copies worldwide. The Art of War, the group's third album, was also released in July 1997. The album was another runaway success selling 394,000 copies in its first week and overall selling 4.6 million copies in the U.S. and over 12 million worldwide. Bone Thugs is the only group that has worked with all four deceased artists 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Eazy-Eand Big Pun while they were still alive. The editors of About.com ranked them #12 on their list of the "25 Best Rap Groups of All Time",[3] and MTV called them "the most melodic hip-hop group of all time". Bone the Collection vol. 1 & 2 was both released in 1998 and 2000 respectively both reaching Platinum status in the U.S.[4]
Due to conflicts within the group, longtime members Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone officially left the group in April 2011 to work with their independent label, The Life Entertainment.[5][6][7] They would later return, officially re-unifying the group. In August 2013, however, Layzie Bone announced that he would be stepping aside to work more on his solo career.[3][8] In the same month, BTNH signed with eOne Entertainment (formerly known as Koch Records), who they had previously partnered with to release 2006's Thug Stories. In all the group has sold 101.5 million records worldwide with 41 million sold in the U.S. as of 2011 making them the best selling rap/Hip Hop group of all time.
The quartet returned to Ohio, where Diego Blak (born Diego Hodge), a marketer and promoter who had been co-executive producer of Faces Of Death, introduced them to Eazy-E at a concert he promoted in Cleveland. There, on November 2, 1993, they auditioned for Eazy in his dressing room; Krayzie performed his verse of "Flow Motion" from theFaces of Death album, and Eazy was impressed.[10] B.O.N.E Enterpri$e then traveled back to Los Angeles after the Cleveland show to seal the deal. At this point, Eazy renamed them Thugs-N-Harmony, but as they wanted to keep the bone name, they made their name Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Eazy signed the group (minus Flesh-n-Bone) to his labelRuthless Records.[1]
Released in June 1994, the EP Creepin on ah Come Up was Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's debut with Ruthless. The album's subject matter was focused almost entirely on violent criminal activity. Peaking at #12 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,[11] it included the hit singles "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" and "Foe tha Love of $", the second of which featured a verse by Eazy-E. "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Hot Rap Trackschart, and "Foe tha Love of $" peaked at #41 on the Hot 100 and #4 on Rap Tracks.[12] After a slow start that saw the album's success limited to gangsta rap audiences, it broke through to the mainstream. The EP marked a major change in style for the group, as they now fully embraced the G-Funk common in West Coast hip-hop of the time. Beats were supplied by DJ Yella, Rhythum D, and Kenny McCloud, and it was the group's first collaboration with newcomer producer DJ U-Neek, who would craft the group's signature sound by producing the majority of their next two albums. For over a year, Eazy-E nurtured their career, continuing to serve as their executive producer and teaching them the business skills he had taught himself over the years. The growing relationship was cut short, however, when Eazy-E died on March 26, 1995, from complications from AIDS. Briefly, the young rappers thought they had lost everything with the loss of their friend and mentor. However, the group's potential was already apparent, and Ruthless Records continued to support them.
In 1995, the group's second album, E. 1999 Eternal, was released. It included the singles "1st of tha Month", which peaked at #14 on the Hot 100 and #4 on Hot Rap Tracks, and "Tha Crossroads", which reached #1 on both the Hot 100 and Hot Rap Tracks charts. The album generally saw positive reviews from critics as Bone had diversified its content and musical style. A considerable portion of the album's concept was built upon violent subject matter, yet they also incorporated deeper themes, as its songs dealt with morespirituality and occult mysticism.[citation needed] The album was produced by DJ U-Neek (with co-production from Tony C. and Kenny McCloud). E. 1999 Eternal also introduced Bone's trademark tracks devoted entirely to the use of marijuana. The album name originated from one of the street names of a corner (E. 99th street & St. Clair) that was a familiar hangout to Bone members, as well as Eazy-E's album, Eternal E. Naming it after Eazy-E's album was just another way of showing respect and tribute to the rapper who had helped them reach success. Also in 1995, Flesh-n-Bone would become the first member of the group to release a debut album, entitled T.H.U.G.S, which was certified goldby the RIAA. In 1996, due to their success, the Cleveland clan established their own label, Mo Thugs Records, and released the Family Scriptures compilation album to introduce many of the Cleveland-based and other artists whom they were developing. E. 1999 Eternal is the group's most commercially successful album; it has since been certified 5xplatinum by the RIAA by 1997. There were plans for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to collaborate with West Coast rapper 2pac on a studio album called One Nation, along with other artists including Snoop Dogg.[citation needed]
In 1997, the group released the double-disc set The Art of War. The album saw Bone further explore a wide variety of subjects and styles, with even more focus on God and family and an overall more ambient, mellow sound. The group still incorporated violent lyrics, however, with a large portion of the album dedicated to what they labeled "clones" who claimed Bone had stolen their quick-tongued rapping style and vice versa. The album had been rumored to be titled "DNA Level C" which is Cleveland backwards.[citation needed] The single "Look into My Eyes" appeared on the soundtrack of the film Batman & Robin. It peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.[12] "If I Could Teach The World", the other single from The Art of War, peaked at #27 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot Rap Tracks,[12] and won an American Music Award. The album also included "Thug Luv" with Tupac Shakur. The group's promotional efforts were dampened by the absence of Bizzy Bone from the album's videos and from large portions of the ensuing tour and other public appearances. This absence eventually fueled rumors of a break-up.
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