When Jacquees claimed to be the King of R&B earlier this month, he probably had no idea the kind of conversation he would spark across social media. Dave Chappelle reluctantly handed the title to R. Kelly, while Bobby Brown said either Usher or Chris Brown would have to steal it from him.
The debate clearly stirred up some emotions in Layzie Bone who recently came after Migos for declaring they were the “biggest rap group ever.” In fact, Layzie challenged Migos to a skills challenge on Tuesday (December 18) after Offset suggested a “bankroll challenge.”
“naw nigga, that’s what’s wrong with y’all niggaz,” Layzie wrote. “that’s what’s wrong with y’all niggaz. y’all think money equal respect IT DOESNT this is a SKILLS CHALLENGE me against you and my group against yours. Best group ever challenge. get yow bars up youngin. You gone need that bread for early retirement Boy.”
While his fellow Bone Thugs-n-Harmony member Krayzie Bone doesn’t agree with Migos’ self-appointed title, he understands where the lack of respect for the genre’s pioneering artists originates.
“I don’t believe it’s totally their fault,” he tells HipHopDX. “These new rising artists stars come from the instant/microwave era where everything is expected to happen fast. When the content of today is good, it spreads fast and the next thing you know, an artist is on tour earning money and fame.
“This process is responsible for the lack of understanding of what happened with respects to the building blocks of Hip Hop and R&B artists who paved the way. The phenomena occurred many, many years ago and this era is a recipient of the accomplishments of the forefathers of these elite genres.”
The Cleveland-bred legend continues by comparing Hip Hop to professional sports.
“This doesn’t happen in the pro-basketball and football world because there is protocol and a system in place to become a pro athlete,” he explains. “It’s called high school and college. It is there where the young talents are taught the game and its history.
“It is mandatory that these athletes watch film of how the game was played and how it’s evolved and should be played now. There is a native set of rules that occurs within these organized team sports. Unity, education, discipline and integrity to a large degree are still instilled within those sports leagues.”
But time and time again, examples of seemingly blatant disrespect litter the internet. One minute, Lil Yachty can’t name a single Biggie or Tupac song and the next, Lil Uzi Vert refuses to rap over a DJ Premier beat and Young Dolph is going at Pete Rock. Now, Offset is clowning Layzie.
Krayzie believes it’s the lack of actual musical curation that ultimately hurts the entire industry.
“The music industry is a completely different system,” he says. “There is no set pay structure or levels of preparation and growth, therefore an artist with a social media account and the desire to be famous can skip steps, break all rules and have no consequence or true standards in place to follow.
“It’s a wild, heartless culture and in the end the artists suffer. There is an epidemic of wanting to be famous rappers and artists for the wrong reasons. It’s not about the culture any longer. It’s all about the novelty of flash, hype, sex, drugs, etc. Ignorance and lack of empathy is now at an all time high.”
However, Krayzie does offer a solution.
“When the powers at be truly see the watering down of the culture and lack of true passion in the music, they will do something about it and set up a system like the NCAA, NBA and NFL do,” he says. “[It will] create better artists overall and, most importantly, career artists who can actually mean something to the world.”
While it’s easy to get dragged into the vitriol that permeates social media, Krayzie not only takes the high road, but he also has an unshakeable confidence in the contributions Bone Thugs-n-Harmony has made to the culture.
“I’m not caught up in who is saying anything negative,” he says. “I simply pray for them knowing that we created the category for what we do. We are the first, and the first in any category is always the best — period.”
There is not any generational gap that can explain somebody picking migos over bone thugs. Young people still have ears don’t they?
No they dont, theyre fucking retards
Krayzie is on a different level than layzie, rapping wise and maturity wise. This is how it should be handled.
I think people are missing the point that young people just don’t care about Bone Thugz, and older music in general. Unless you’re putting out hot songs now, whether you’re Migos, Kendrick, Bone Thugz or Eminem, you aren’t going to have young people’s ear. That’s just the way it is, so old heads (including myself) shouldn’t fight it
Yea maybe the kids like 10-19, 20. But I’m not sure migos will last like Em and Bone they have been around like 20-25 years. Migos is already fading pretty tough, takeoff and quavo’s solo’s didn’t catch any traction at all. Offset wasn’t even the most popular member until he started dating Cardi, before that quavo was the most popular. I do agree with you though on fighting it. I was like why would layzie even take anything these guys say to heart like that it makes no sense to me and also Bone has never been a group that got on social media and b.s they always like the cool group that never got into with anyone since the 90’s, laid back and humble prob because they always high lol. I hope krayzie shuts all this beef nonsense down though it’s stupid asf,
You right but have some respect tho ,u will go a long way ,they could of said they the best group of this generation but ever SMH
The thing is that these old rappers are still dropping gems. Did you hear the New Waves album? It was good from top to bottom. The problem is that it’s not considered cool to listen to rappers in their 40s. That’s why Bone will never get any radio play or play on the club for any of their new shit. Mainstream labels and radio want to promote young artists.
New waves was extremely dope. I hope their next album, group or solo wise they need to work with those same producers, also through Pz on some production and hooks dude is nice with it.
gotta agree with u New Waves was fucking dope still listen to it same year Wu Tang dropped album again dope but didnt got any radio play ! those 2 albums were the best of 2017 if u ask me !
We’re fine with these new kids not liking good music. What we can’t stand is a talentless hack like offset comparing himself to actual artists, much less legends.
This dude is one of the most underrated artist in music, not rappers, artist. I always thought he should
have shifted to the social issues a lot earlier in his career. Go listen to Krayzie Bone’s lost our way, future, vanilla lights, life, sold our sold.
add lockdown , shackled, let’s live, it’s all real, that’s the way.
It all real is the shit
Kray needs to end this beef it’s very pointless and it’s really only one member from each side pushing the beef.
Bank Roll Challenge… LMFAO!
To all the guys that arent familiar with krayzie bone work just go listen to the spit yo game verse!!
I agree the shift in Hip Hop occurred around that time frame but you still have to give Soulja Boy his props for pioneering something on his own (and he was 16 at the time). In my opinion, the label should have been rounding up those one-hit ringtone acts (Mims, Jibbs, Huey) and giving Soula Boy the records to keep from saturated the market (something everyone would have benefitted from to keep the gravy train running). But it was also at the cusp of The Recession, people were not only buying less music, they were gravitating towards music that allowed them to be more upbeat (hence the poppy Hip Hop rising to the top). Couple in the facts that it wasn’t hard to put out your own mixtapes and the need for labels had virtually gone nonexistent, here were are today with the Bankroll Challenge. Like Krayzie said, it’s nobody’s “fault,” it just is what it is.
Let’s debate who is the best in Bone that is a fun debate! I’m going go with Krayzie being the best followed by bizzy and flesh, layzie and big wish who doesn’t care about being last, by the way wish we still waiting on that solo, big wish been lying to us
for like 20 years he ain’t never dropping a solo lol, could at least do a Ep though.
Bankroll challenge how bout a Grammy’s challenge
who in their right mind would compare the two groups or even the two eras of music. Migos is trash…they have zero talent, zero influence and in a few years will be a running joke (like mc hammer or skee-lo). Layzie bone has every Igor to be pisses. Imagine if you compared Tom Hanks to Carrot Top or Clyde Drexel to smush Parker. Same kinda thing.
Real talk!
Gems dropped from Krayzie, the truth about the Rap industry right here, where it came from, where it stands (unfortunately), and where it can go from here. Young rappers, put down the Xanax, lean cup, and pay attention here.
I agree with what you’re saying but…. but Bone was exactly like the MIGOS of their generation but instead of Xan and lean, they were on 40oz and weed. And you couldn’t understand half the lyrics of either of em….
Yea but they also had songs like crossroads, If I could teach the world, Hold on to your soul, Let’s live, Hip hop baby, I tried. Change the world, World so cruel, This ain’t living, Get up and get it, Conspiracy etc so they have always spoke on social and community issues. I always thought Rum dmc was the top rap group ever, maybe I’m bias because they were my favorites but I got Bone in my top 5 for sure in no order, Run dmc, Bone, outkast, wu, tribe
No they weren’t the same for one they never said something ridiculous like that another everybody was listening and had respect. I think biggies best song is the one with them. That can be arguably one of the best hiphop songs ever
Berry Gordy had a finishing school for Motown artists. Where is Lyor with his finishing school?
You can never compare generations but I personally think the most influential rap groups of all time were BONE, Outkast, and NWA. I can’t think of a rapper that doesn’t incorporate one of their styles into their own and they were the first to do it. NWA created that gangsta movement and there are plenty of rappers still doing it. Outkast created the super experimental mainstream sound… yeah there were De La, Tribe, etc before Kast but none of em got the whole country into some other ish like 3K and Big Boi. And, for better or for worse, BONE created the straight harmony music where we really mainly enjoyed the sound. Half of their music was straight incoherent too… not unlike Migos, Kodak, etc. Not saying that Kodak, Layzie, Offset, etc don’t occasionally drop some bars but you aren’t really listening to them like a Kendrick or Pac. You’re playing them in the whip for the harmony. Just IMO…
Bone wasn’t mumbling or saying words that weren’t really words like most of the younger groups do now. They just rapped incredibly fucking fast, so you had to rewind a ton to find out what they were saying. The melodies and the hooks they created made them so popular. Finding out they were actually pretty dope lyricist when you finally listened enough to keep up with them was just a fortunate byproduct.
Very true, people don’t understand how dope they are, just outside of rapping fast and dope melodies-harmonies. Especially Krayzie and Bizzy. The reason I always thought they were great was them and Outkast were prob the most versatile hip hop groups ever hands down. They could do some amazing things with their voices, flows, harmonies and mixed in dope lyrics.
Don’t forget the Dogg Pound, Geto Boys and West Side Connection. Those 3 were great groups as well.
Time will reveal which artists were great and which artists were just popular. Bone’s music touched a deeper part of people. They have songs that will be played decades from now, because there was no one else LIKE them. You could replace Migos with 3 dudes that rap exactly like them and nobody would notice. Migos music comes on, and people turn up. Bone music comes on, people get a deeper feeling. The music means more than just getting hype or doing whatever it is people do to trap music, I’m still not sure. Their music wasn’t something created by just Smokin a blunt, poppin a pill and spittin on a beat. There was purpose and EFFORT behind it. Peace.
You could replace Migos with three stuttering Chinese dudes and there’d be no difference.
a tribe called quest, nwa, naughty by nature, de la soul, bone thugs, run dmc, west side connection, gang starr, wu tang clan, beastie boys, public enemy, eric b and rakim, pete rock and cl smooth, outkast, cypress hill, house of pain just to name a few. All those groups are wayyyyyyyy better than this shitty group. long story short. bone thugs would destroy them in a skills battle
Left out mobb deep and epmd
Gucci Stain seem to be the threshold by which all wack ass rappers were judged by…”is he bad as gucci or better”? But these new kids suck shit waay worse that him now.
Seen Bone Thugs and Wu tang at Rock the bells years back, shit was like some hip hop Beatles and Rolling Stones
Migos have a huge influence on this generation’s rappers, but c’mon, euro dance was also a thing in the 90s and nobody remembers it like it wasn’t an embarrassing moment of music history. Nobody wanna make a pop album sounds like Marky Mark or 2Unlimited, but the figureheads of funk and soul still sound fresh. Same with hiphop. Migos is fashionable, but Bone influenced youngsters 20 years after the peak of their career.
Pssscchh. Migos aint shit to Bone thugs. These rappers these days are producing a shower of shite. Absolutely nothing on the old school. ‘a bankroll challege’ – you a rapper or a businessman dickhead?
I listen to Krayzie radio show last now on Dash Radio, their is no beef between them and the migos at all. One bone member does are says something than everybody automatically assumes the message or action is from the whole group, that’s the tough thing about being in a group. Bone is a super legendary group, I have no clue on why Layzie would care what they say if they didn’t say anything directly disrespectful about any other group. Their are rumors that Bone may have a album dropping on TDE, I’ve seen pics of Krayzie and Punch of TDE in meetings and in the studio.
Kray needs to drop that solo, all the gems he be playing on social media drop that album dog.
The problem now is the lack of respect in general. You look at other forms of music there is respect for the people that paved the way. In hip-hop it is embarrassing to see no respect for anyone. It tells you something about artists and fans.
Theres no beef here. But Bone Thugs n DJ U-Neek all day
Man I forgot how crazy that thuggish ruggish joint was!!!!! This takes me back
It’s music…who’s better is completely subjective. The problem is the lack of respect for the groups who paved the way. But this has always been a problem…the young thinks the old heads are just old and past their time, without realizing they sacrificed to make your path easier. Migos path to success in hiphop was was 5 star vacation getaway compared to Bone thugs’
Three 6 Mafia is the greatest group so all this don’t even matter