West Coast Connection Forum
Elements => Tha Vault => Album Review => Topic started by: ImmortalOne on October 27, 2001, 11:51:11 PM
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(http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drc900/c993/c99342i402l.jpg)
After establishing themselves as hiphop behemoths with their 1995 landmark classic, E.1999 Eternal, expectations were out the roof for Bone. The Art Of War, in my opinion, meets these expectations. Though this album was panned by many critics, it has proven itself to a worthy and strong album. This was a more "deep" album, and Bone clearly matured on this release, both lyrically and mentally. This was a more complex album conceptually, based on the Sun Tzu's concept of "fighting without fighting". Many of the songs on here apply to everyday struggles with life in general, thus the title. Many shallow people thought this was a album about war and fighting, but its about life in general, and how its a struggle. Krayzie displayed a new found diversity on this album, with a aggressive flow seen in songs like Body Rott, and a smooth, melodic flow as seen in "Its All Real". Bizzy established himself as the lyricist of Bone here, with his thought provoking and deep lyrics. Layzie also sharpened his lyrical skills. The only downfall was Wish, who seemed repetitive and lost the chemistry he had on Eternal. He has some standout verses, such as in Family Tree and Thug Luv, but he is not as solid overall. The album did well, though it was heavily criticized at first. However, with the recent release of the good but not great BTNHresurrection, many people have come to realize how great of an album AOW really is. Though it has filler, it is still worthy of a double cd, and is my second fav one behind only 2Pac's "All Eyez On Me".....Production wise, this album is very diverse [Uneek really divided it up here], though not as solid as E.1999 Eternal. Though Eternal remains Bone's opus, Art Of War does have some advantages over that album. The more diverse subject matter is one advantage, and the improved lyricism is another. The album concept is also deeper. Yet, it still falls short overall as being their best album.
Disc 1:
1. Intro--just an intro, though it gets me hyped as fuck. No rating.
2. Handle The Vibe--This is a bangin ass track. All the members flow their asses off, especially Bizzy. Uneek drops a HEAVY hitting beat too. Great song overall.......4.5/5
3. Look Into My Eyez--A Bone classic, and worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as such songs as 1st Of Tha Month, TRB, Dayz Of Our Livez, etc etc. A quiet diss towards some of the chi-town rappers, such as Twista. Its pretty clearly seen in the video too. As good as this song is, the remix is even better. 4.5/5
4. Body Rott--SICK!! A menacing beat, and Krayzie drops a razor sharp verse, both with content and delivery. Bizzy drops an almost equally sharp verse, and Layzie comes really nice also. Wish's verse kinda sucks though. Overall a great track.......4.5/5
5. Its All Mo Thug--This song is a TRUE gem. A slow, heavy beat, with all 5 members. Flesh starts it off with a nice verse, but Krayzie's verse is the standout here. The beat is just BEAUTIFUL [one of Uneeks best piano loops], and goes well with Bone's harmony which is at its zenith here....5/5
6. Ready 4 War--Another dope track. This is more uptempo, and its a Bizzy/Layzie/Krayzie/Majesty track. This is a diss song also, kinda like LIME, but not as subtle. The beat is BANGIN', and is one of the best songs to bump in your ride. 4.5/5
7. Aint Nothin Changed--This song is aight, but nothing incredible. Wish drops a horrible verse, and the other members just drop aight verses. Not one of Uneeks best beats either. 3/5
8. Clog Up Yo Mind--A nice track. Uneek bounces back with a better song from the last track, and everyone drops nice verses, though Wish once again comes off sub-par. 4.5/5
9. Its All Real--A Krayzie Bone solo, and he shows his diversity with about 4 different flows in this song. The beat is slow and dark, and could almost pass for an Eternal type song. A fav among many Bone fans.....5/5
10. Hardtimes--This track was sampled [forgot who it was from], but is pretty self explanatory. Its just Krayzie again, but he drops some deep lyrics. Short song though. 4.25/5
11. Mind Of A Soulja--AWESOME, AWESOME track. Its a Layzie solo, and he flows incredibly smooth on this song and drops some conscience lyrics as well. This is the type of stuff Layzie needs to be doing, not the bullshit he did on Thug By Nature. Uneek drops one of his best beats ever. 5/5
12. If I Could Teach The World--A certified Bone classic, and one of the biggest hits off the album. Criticized for many as being "too slow and pussy", this is a deep song, about keeping the world intact. Krayzie and Wish put on stellar performances. 5/5
13. Family Tree--This is quite possibly the best song on the album, and one of the best Bone songs ever. A very deep track, about each members childhood struggles. The beat is kinda meloncholy, but goes nicely with the lyrics. The chorus is pretty catchy too. A well crafted track.....5/5
Disc 2:
1. Mo Thug Interlude--just a electronic voice intro. No rating.
2. Thug Luv f/2Pac--One of the greatest collaberations ever. This is a hardcore song, with shot gun blasts throughout, and roughneck lyrics. Wish drops a raw verse, and Bizzy, Layzie, and Pac steal the show on this one. One of Uneeks grittiest productions as well. CLASSIC song....5/5
3. Hatin Nation--This is a slow song, and shoutout to the haters [in a bad way of course], and Wish's verse in particular is very outspoken. Not an incredible song though.......4/5
4. 7 Sign--I LOVE this song. Its a Bizzy/Majesty duo, and both of them LYRICALLY rip this track up. The lyrics are very deep, and I still havent figured out what some of them mean. Fucking dope ass beat too....5/5
5. Wasteland Warriors--This sounds like an E.1999 type song, though the production doesnt. The song features Soulja Boy, who drops the best verse [along with Bizzy]. 4/5
6. Neighborhood Slang--Just a Krayzie bone interlude. No rating
7. U Aint Bone--A vicious diss towards Chi Town again, especially Crucial Conflice and Do or Die. Uneek drops a menacing beat, and though only Bizzy and Layzie are on the song, they both drop two strong verses each..........4.5/5
8. Get Cha Thug On--A Wish solo, and not a great one I might add. He drops some good lyrics here and there, but he trys to sing [but cant] and repeats himself too much. 3/5
9. All Original--This has one of the deepest basslines ive ever heard. I almost busted my speakers with this song. All members except Bizzy are present, and its another song about Bone clones. At this point, the second disc is starting to get a little reptetive, though this is not a bad song.....3.75/5
10. Blaze It--just an interlude, with Krayzie singing about weed. no rating.
11. Let The Law End--A darkass beat, with all 5 members flowing at their absolute fastest. The song is basically self-explanatory. 4/5
12. Whom Die They Lie--This is a STRANGE track. No Wish here. Its got that E.1999 dark feel to it, but yet its still very different. I cant pinpoint it. I like the track for the most part, especially Krayzies part. 4/5
13. Friends--Can anyone say classic?? This is one of the best Bone songs ever. The beat is dark and haunting, yet melodic at the same time, and each member tells a cautionary tale of betrayal and jealousy. One of my favs on the album......5/5
14. Evil Paradise--This is a UNIQUE song, both lryically and musically. The beat is pretty sick if you ask me. Its out there, especially if you're high. The lyrics are basically about the end of the world, very apocolyptic. Just Krayzie, Wish, and Lay.......4.5/5
15. Mo Thug Family Tree--This has the same beat as Family Tree, but features various members of the Mo Thugs family. This is kinda of a filler track in my opinion. Only Layzie and Krayzie are on the song, and I usually skip this one......3/5
Overall rating: 4.75/5
Great album, though Disc 2 has some filler. I think many Bone fans began to appreciate this album alot better after the release of BTNHresurrection.
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Great review, I think now nobody will be afraid of reviewing double CDs.
But me & Hellrazor have different tastes I guess, since his less favs are my most favs. I always sing along to Aint Nothin Changed and I bang my fuckin car stereo to Get Cha Thug On. But yeah, Mind Of A Soulja is the best thing Layzie can do and yeah, Wish Bone has absolutely NO talent to sing.
I believe some day Bone will rize again and knock the popstars off the fuckin charts, peace.
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Tight review, although u were a lil generous on some songs.........
And like siberian wolf 'Aint nothin Changed' is a song dat I bump alot and its more than 3/5...........
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yeah i agree with the 7th
but thats a dope review hellrazor, no ones got love for bone. thats cool to see theres still some of us out there
peace
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i aint a big bone fan but neighborhood slang is a 5!
thats dope shit!
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i havent had this album for a long ass time but i just got it again, and i gotta say, this is a 5/5 album...yall can say whatever you want i think.....i pretty much agree with hellrazor, but i would give songs like look into my eyes and body rott 5/5
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4.75/5?????? LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
learn how to do mathematics
sure buddy boy well at least you didn't rate every single track all 5's like you did other 2 bone albums haha
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nice review i agree... IMO Body Rott is the dopest track on this
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Damn, I made this review like 6 months and it was brought back up.............hahaha. I aint heard this album in a looooooooong time, I think ill give it another listen tomorrow. In any case, I still stand by my review, this is a near-classic. Not quite on the same level as E.1999 Eternal [but what album is?] or even Creepin On Ah Come Up, but this is easily their most diverse album. Easily a better album than BTNHresurrection IMO.
solid 4.5 mic album.
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eh IMO 2.5/5 ...only a couple of worthwhile songs imo
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AGAIN i gotta post and say how much i love this album, it just touches my soul in the deepest way, vibrates it, i mean....im FEELIN this album ya know? i dont think yall know what i mean but there should be a song or a album out their that touches yall deep down inside, like some of the sounds catches ya and gives you that weird tingly feeling, the feeling that gets you feeling 3351235 feelings all at once, sad happy, deep thinking mood, anyways, this is how i feel when i listen to some songs on here
Its All Mo Thug
Ready 4 War
7th sign
mind of a soulja
aint nuthin changed
Let the Law end
friends
and just about every track on this album i love
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layzies verse on family tree was one of tha deepest verses i can think of, about his lil son, that was some deep shit, i actually got choked up when i 1st heard an i cant think of any other verses that did that
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AGAIN i gotta post and say how much i love this album, it just touches my soul in the deepest way, vibrates it, i mean....im FEELIN this album ya know? i dont think yall know what i mean but there should be a song or a album out their that touches yall deep down inside, like some of the sounds catches ya and gives you that weird tingly feeling, the feeling that gets you feeling 3351235 feelings all at once, sad happy, deep thinking mood, anyways, this is how i feel when i listen to some songs on here
Its All Mo Thug
Ready 4 War
7th sign
mind of a soulja
aint nuthin changed
Let the Law end
friends
and just about every track on this album i love
Im with ya Homie!... i just can't get enough of this cd... IMO a classic...
Peace
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Im with ya Homie!... i just can't get enough of this cd... IMO a classic...
Peace
haha, the homie smooth is real as fuck, tight homie, you got aim or somethin? holla at me
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^^^Hahaha, nice avatar homie. That video is still a classic.......
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Nice review... :)
I wouldn't give it such a high rating coz it had to many filler tracks on it. Had that been one CD, i think it would have been absalute CLASSIC.
At the moment im feeling BTNHRESS over Art of war
;D
Flesh Stomped that album.
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This Album is better then E. 1999 cuzz it is like a E.1999 X2 lol. im out!!!
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i love most of the songs on the album and even thug love with tupac that was bomb
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5. Wasteland Warriors--This sounds like an E.1999 type song, though the production doesnt. The song features Soulja Boy, who drops the best verse [along with Bizzy]. 4/5
I always thought this was one of Bone's most underrated songs.
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Bone defines hipocrazy if u ask me....why would do songs like Body Rott "blabla kill niggaz drink their blood lalal" only to turn around and sing "if I could change the world"?? Man, that dont make no kind of sense to me....
it's a shame because their deep tracks I really good. I dunno. The gangsta tracks just ruin it for me. Especially on this album actually :-\
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this is a near-classic. Not quite on the same level as E.1999 Eternal [but what album is?] or even Creepin On Ah Come Up, but this is easily their most diverse album. Easily a better album than BTNHresurrection IMO.
solid 4.5 mic album.
agreed
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dope, one of the best double albums of all time
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i give it a 5 out of 5 a classic
best songs: if i could teach the world