A fascinating story involving Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and an aspiring Japanese rapper captivated Hip Hop fans last year.
Ryo Muranaka sold everything he owned and flew over 6,000 miles to Cleveland in an attempt to track down his rap “heroes.” But instead of finding Bizzy Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone and Flesh-N-Bone upon arrival — he got robbed. Local activists James Norton and Kwas Bibbs discovered him alone, broke and stripped of all his luggage.
An outpouring of support followed and word of Muranaka’s plight ultimately made it to Layzie, who briefly put him up in a hotel.
“My initial reaction was I didn’t think too much of it because we’ve had so many fans throughout our careers come from around the world to 99th St. Clair either looking for us or trying to take photos,” Krayzie told HipHopDX at the time. “I thought it was just another fan, but when I heard this dude sold all of his belongings to come to Cleveland I was like, ‘WTH?’
“I commend him for his determination and passion for what he’s trying to do because I can relate. I’m quite sure he heard our story and how we pursued Eazy-E and this is what inspired him.”
Bizzy also attempted to help Muranaka as well, offering to buy him a ticket back to his native country.
“I’ll get the man a ticket to get back home,” Bizzy told Fox 8 Cleveland. “I’m putting my hands out there on behalf of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to say we do care. And we just want to help the kid, and we appreciate him coming to see us.”
Japanese Rapper Travels To Cleveland Hoping To Meet Bone Thugs — Gets Robbed Instead
Over nine months later, Layzie tells DX he’s actually been working with Muranaka who’s still in the United States.
“He came down and pursued Bone Thugs-n Harmony, particularly me,” he said in a recent interview with DX’s Kyle Eustice. “He got robbed standing on E. 99, so I had to have some staff members go get him. It kind of reminded me of us going to L.A. to try to find Eazy-E but at the same time, this man came to another country. So, I had my family book him a hotel. After that, I’ve just been developing his talent.
“I don’t play games. Baby, I do this. You know what I’m saying? I’m a visionary. I’ve been working with him through my connections, through my family, through the ones that I trust to develop talent and things like that. Everything happens for a reason. He came to me. Everybody else got involved later. It was definitely a learning experience for him.”
Krayzie used the experience to tell a cautionary tale for other emboldened artists.
“I will also say this to other fans and artist that are looking to do the same thing as us or this gentleman did — follow your dreams by all means, but you have to be very careful when you go to places you know nothing about,” he told DX last October. “We’re not from the suburbs, we’re from the ghetto.
“The area we grew up in is not nice by any means, and I’m just thankful all they took from him was his luggage and not his life because it gets real like that. So, be very careful and have some kind of plan.”
Check out Part I and Part II of HipHopDX’s interview with Layzie Bone here and here.
