Just released VIBE interview with Krayzie Bone!
Krayzie Bone is feeling like a winner. And why shouldnāt he? His native Cleveland is welcoming its freakishly gifted native son LeBron James back to rock the Cavaliersā crimson and gold. The 40-year-old speed spitterās long-gestating Chasing The Devilalbum is set for release tomorrow (July 22). And the final Bone Thugs-n-Harmony double LP, E. 1999/Legends, celebrating 20 years of Bone Thugs, will be sold singular, in an auction beginning at $1 million. The approach mirrors the album release strategy of the same Wu-Tang Clan (Upon A Time In Shaolin) that Bone Thugs usurped in VIBEās fan-voted Greatest Rap Group (Since ā93) Tournament.
VIBE stepped into the winners circle with Krayzie Bone, chopping it up about the possibility of a Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Wu-Tang Clan collaboration LP, Chasing The Devil, challenging Eminem, predictions for LeBronās Cavs and why heāll be watching the N.W.A. biopic with squinted eyes. āJohn Kennedy
VIBE: First things firstācongratulations on Bone Thugs-n-Harmonyās victory in VIBEās Greatest Rap Group (Since ā93) Tournament! How does it feel to still be celebrated the way you are in the history of rap?
Krayzie Bone: Man, itās a great feeling and itās really a blessing for us to be looked at as one of the greatest groups whoāve ever done it. Thatās a blessing in itself, because not many groups even exist today. It really makes us feel like what we did and the bricks we laid down werenāt in vain. Because it actually stuck with a lot of people. It actually meant something to a lot of people. Itās like planted in a part of hip-hop history now.
After you guys defeated Wu-Tang Clan for the championship, you posted an Instagram image of artwork for a hypothetical collaboration project with the Wu.
Yeah. It was actually fan-made. After I thanked all the fans for voting for us, somebody posted that and I was like, this is dope. I was just putting it out there so everybody could see it and start wanting it. The response was crazy.
Do you think that kind of project could ever happen?
Man, we have never had the opportunity to connect and do something with Wu-Tang. But Iām good friends with RZA and Method; the other cats I havenāt got to hang out with as much. Met Raekwon a couple of times, heās cool. Met Ghostface, but you knowāevery time I talk to RZA and Meth we talk about doing something. Itās long overdue. Itās just getting everyoneās schedules together and actually making it happen. Weāve talked about it; everybody is down. I have ideas, because itās something Iāve been thinking about for a while. Iād like to start off with a Bone and Wu cypherāget everybody warmed up and just kill it. Thatād be crazy.
Youāre getting ready to drop your own album, which is also long overdue. What should we expect from Chasing The Devil?
Expect to be educatedāthe usual from Bone. We gonā give them some knowledge, we gonā take it to the street: great stories, concepts, dramatic… Iām putting it together like an audio movie; you can put the CD on and get lost into it. Iām having three volumes and Iām going to release them separately. So itās going to be different concepts for each album. Everybody is going to be able to relate to this album.
Whatās the lead single?
āChasing Nightmares.ā You know the saying, āIām chasing my dreams.ā The song is basically like, I thought I was chasing a dream, but it turned into a nightmare once I caught it. You think everything is going to be pleasant, money is going to solve all these problems but a catch comes with it. This industry messes a lot of people’s lives up because they sacrifice and they give their lives up and when they get [success], theyāre like, āMan, I did all of this and it wasnāt even worth it.ā Thatās basically what inspired that song. Itās a crazy one, too, trust me.
Are you looking into any features?
Well on the first album, there arenāt going to be any guests except for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. On the second and third, Iām going to have some features. I talked to Wiz Khalifa, J. Cole, A$AP Mob. I got verbal confirmations from these people so Iām just waiting to see if it goes through and we can make it happen.
Itās so dope to see the mark and influence Bone Thugs has had on todayās generation of artists, from the folks you just named to others.
Yeah, I think thatās important for music. Iāve always felt like the older generation and the newer generations should always bridge that gap in music. I like what A$AP Mob is doing. They even said that they based the whole way that they named themselves and some of the music that they do was influenced by us. I see a lot of people doing our style that I think sound good doing it: Drake, Nicki Minaj. And it aināt just rapping fast; itās the harmonies and all that stuff.
What made want to record your own version of Eminemās āRap God?ā
Iām just a student of hip-hop. I think Eminem is a beast, one of the deadliest MCs youād ever listen to. A few fans were telling me, āIf anybody can rap on [āRap Godā] and make it sound good, itās you.ā So I did it, let a few people hear it. I was just going to put it in the vault like I do a lot of stuff, but people that heard it were like, āYou gotta put this out ASAP.ā Iām glad I did.
How does it feel to see your home city welcome LeBron back?
When he just recently made the decision to come back, I was overly excited. It makes the perfect story. As quick as the fans hated him, they love him all over again. All he has to do is win one [championship] and trust me, fans will be happy. And his story will be classic. It will be legendary.
Were you one of the disgruntled fans burning his jersey four years ago?
When he left, Iām not going to lie, I was shocked, upset and disappointed all at once. But I wasnāt to the point where I was out there burning jerseys and all of that crazy stuff. Because after all, this is his life, nobody can live this manās life for him. Heās making his choice based on his life and the future of his family. But of course I was upset because Iām a Cleveland fan. But I always felt like he would come back. And plus, there were a lot of things the Cleveland team and staff couldāve done to make sure he stayed. But like I said, I maintained being a fan. We hung out in Miami and I told him that wherever you go, bro, Iām representing you. Just like he told us, he was like, Man, I represent Bone all over the world.
Everybody that made it out of Cleveland had to leave Cleveland or Ohio to make it. and then go back. We had to come all the way to Los Angeles to meet Eazy-E. So if you from there, you know itās a city of strugglers and grinders. I totally understood that.
Whatās your prediction for the Cavs this season?
They can definitely make a run. Iām not expecting no miracles first season back because we obviously have to put the right team together. But that the way weāre looking right now, thereās potential to definitely make it to at least the second round. Iāma leave it at that.
Are you excited to see the N.W.A. biopic?
Aw, man. I canāt wait to see it. If itās put together right, itās going to be amazing. I was a big Eazy and NWA fan, so Iām gonna be one of the biggest critics. I know the movie is going to bring back a lot of memories, when I see certain things Iām going to remember where I was and what I was doing.
Fans of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are some of the most rabid and supportive. Why do you think you guys have that kind of connection with your fans?
Our fans, itās like a cult following. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, we went from a great group to a supergroup to a brand to now a culture. Itās because we connected emotionally with our fans. When we came out, we portrayed the struggle. The only way to make it through that struggle was through sticking with your family. Bone was always very family-oriented and the fans connect with that. Thatās why when our fans hear that one of us is not in the group or wonāt be at the show, they get very upset and start to worry, like is this person out of the group now? They love us as a whole. Fans like to feel like theyāre part of what you do. So you have to show them some type of attention, acknowledge them. We never act funny toward our fans, never turn them down for a picture or autograph. We donāt act like weāre untouchable to, because we want to make them feel like they’ve been a part of what weāve been doing for the past 20 years.
And youāll be able to touch them all over the world with the tour next year.
Yeah, we have a world tour coming up in 2015. Itās called E. 1999/Legends Tour. We got like 20 different countries on the table, weāre going to end it in America. And weāre also working on an album titled the same, E. 1999/Legends. 20th year anniversary of Bone Thugs N Harmonyās music. Weāre doing a lot. Weāre making this push for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and just to make sure we solidify the Bone Thugs N Harmony legacy.
See also: Full Clip: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Break Down Their Entire Catalogue