Krayzie Bone has said that the reason rap groups are no longer a thing in modern music is due to “egos” and “selfishness” getting in the way.
The Bone Thugs–n–Harmony legend stopped by Power 106 Los Angeles, where he said rap groups have slowly become extinct because of artists’ personal issues getting in the way of collaboration.
“Man, I’m gonna keep it 100. To me, it’s selfishness,” Krayzie said when asked for his thoughts on the lack of rap groups in 2023. “You can’t have a group like you had back in the day because nobody wants to be that dude in the group.
“Everybody wants to be that dude in the group, everybody wanna be that front dude. And if you do get a group, they only gonna last for the first project. The egos is gonna kick in…they gonna split. It always happens, bro. Always.”
Krayzie Bone was likely speaking from personal experience. In 2011, he and Wish Bone officially left Bone Thugs-n-Harmony after internal conflicts emerged within the group. They departed to work on their solo material, with the pair announcing the launch of their independent label, The Life Entertainment. Krayzie has since reunited with the group, and they’ve toured together numerous times.
Bone Thugs made headlines in 2021 after going against another legendary rap group in a Verzuz battle: Three 6 Mafia. During the heated competition, Bizzy Bone accused Three 6 Mafia of mocking them on stage before attempting to start a fight.
“I didn’t even hear what Bizzy said,” Krayzie said in a post-Verzuz interview with HipHopDX at the time. “I didn’t hear none of the conversation they were even saying … I thought Bizzy was just about to grab the mic and talk some shit like everybody else was doing.
“So I’m back there and I see all the security guards rushing the stage, while I’m walking toward the back of the stage. Our security is running from backstage to the stage. I turn around, and everybody is on the stage. I’m like, ‘What the fuck is going on?’ And I’m standing there, pissed.”
He continued: “At this point, I’m thinking Bizzy done come in here and started some shit. I didn’t know what happened. I’m like, ‘How is they mocking you? What did I miss?’ The part I caught from Bizzy when I started paying attention to what he said was, ‘You ugly muthafucka.’ Like, ‘Oh shit, this is going left.’
“And then that’s when all the shit jumped off. So I’m standing at the back of the stage, watching this shit the whole time, livid. We look like assholes on national fucking TV right now.”
Shortly after the debacle, Bone Thugs ended up embarking on a national tour without Bizzy Bone, which the rapper criticized on his 2022 song “Bizzy Get’s Busy.”
However, Krayzie Bone simply told HipHopDX with a laugh: “He knows the tour schedule. He’s always welcome.”
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony rose to notoriety in the early ’90s after brokering a deal with Eazy-E and Ruthless Records. Their 1995 sophomore album, E. 1999 Eternal, arrived just four months after Eazy’s death and sold over 300,000 copies in its opening week.
It remained at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks and has since been certified 4x platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).
Why when yall talk about Bone Thugs yall only bring up Eternal East 1999, they first joint hit hard too Creeping on the come up is 3x platinum, East 1999 is like 7x platinum now, Art of War is 4x platinum. They had about 11 straight platinum group, solo’s and compilation albums. Great legendary group.
Not to be that guy, but here I go being that guy. Their first album was Faces of Death. 2nd was the EP Creeepin on Come Up… which you are spot on, got them hot way before E. 1999. Creepin on a Come Up is the only album they have that actually features Eazy E (“standing on a corner str8 slanging rocks / awww shit here come the muthafuckin cops”)
Yea you’re right Faces of Death was their first album. But When I said first I meant from the standpoint of Commerical, being on The Box, Rap City, Mtv, Songs getting national plays across the country.
Krayzie is right. Egos destroy groups before they can even get started. But also the difference is groups are made in the recent years. People come together for the sake of music to form groups or partnerships. Back in the days crews were together in the streets before forming a group or before the started rapping so the foundation was already set without music.
Best member in Bone Thugs N Harmony is Kray!!
Thug Mentality 1999 was straight fire!!! he had Pun, Treach, 8ball and MJG, Snoop, Marely Bros, E-40, Kurupt, Fat Joe, Cuban Link, Gansta Boo
Just think, these mofos family, and still couldn’t make it work. Grew up in the streets on top of everything else.
I don’t think he’s referring to his group as the main subject of this topic. I do think they made it work, of course they missed out on some opportunities but
they are still together to this day after nearly 30 years, not many other groups are that fortunate. 4 members out of 5 always show up at the shows and the other member shows up sometimes by choice, when he doesn’t show it’s by choice as well not because he’s not allowed to or not because they don’t want him to.
Egos got in the way for sure with BTNH. Nevermind Flesh’s legal problems if Bizzy stuck around they would’ve had way more success.
Bizzy is part of the reason for the groups biggest struggles his erratic behavior, inconsistent, dropping horrible solo’s that were basically just money grabs, showing up to shows not being able to properly perform because he was so drunk. Bizzy missed out on the 2 meetings that would have had them sign to Aftermath right after they left Ruthless in like 04-05. Interscope still sign them outright without Bizzy. Krayzie, Wish and Layzie made it to where the group didn’t die off. Krayzie Bone carried this group on his back while Bizzy was in a haze for a decade and Flesh was locked up. I like Bizzy and think he’s talented but he wouldn’t have made the group more successful. They were as successful as they could have been given their circumstances. Look around today most groups are completely gone, members missing, past on, not rapping at all, not able to make money off rap. They still around doing they thing.
He was definitely speaking of his own group. They’ve been in turmoil since the late 90s when Bizzy originally left the group. It’s been nothing but drama between various members since then.
He is the most erratic, but they’ve had struggles with more than just him. Like I said, most of them are family who grew up in the streets together, and they still had issues, so groups without that dynamic don’t have a chance. Probably the only group I’ve never heard anything, like not a peep about there being problems, is 8Ball and MJG. Never heard one issue between those dudes in almost 30 years.
Always been a fan of Krayzie he’s the most logical and talented member in Bone.
imagine splittin a penny per stream 3-5 ways thats why duh aint no money in this no more like guru said used to be able to feed ya family now you cant buy a can of sp am off it