sum bone thugs and em news

[STILLDRE IS THE GODFATHER]

bone

He was down with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, then booted from the foursome, and later welcomed back. Now Layzie Bone, Wish Bone and Krayzie Bone say he's gone for good.

"We would like to clear this rumor up about Bizzy Bone," Layzie said recently. "That cat made his own choices, his own decisions. He's no longer in our group. ... Please believe we love him, but he's doing his thing. We doing Bone Thugs. That's what the f--- we wanna do."

On Friday (January 31) Bizzy reacted, saying, "I've been kidnapped, I've been touched on as a kid, I've been homeless, I've been starving — this can't hurt my feelings.

"When you been kidnapped and the FBI is looking for you, you tend to take pain better than some muthaf---as," continued the rapper, who was abducted as a child and later rescued after his story was told on "America's Most Wanted" (see "Bone Thugs' Bizzy Bone Discusses Being Kidnapped At Age 4"). In September Bone Thugs announced they were kicking Bizzy out after he appeared to be intoxicated during their Grey Goose Tour kickoff in New York (see "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Toss Out Bizzy Bone"), but Bizzy claims he was presented with walking papers even before the show.

"Lay said to come on tour, so I come to be on the tour," Bizzy recalled. "Lay said, 'I need to talk to you. [Krayzie Bone] don't want you on the tour. He was back there talking with his manger and they just badmouthed you.' I played it off. I was hurt, [so] ... I go to the bar and I was like, 'F--- it. I'm gonna drink because I don't wanna snap.' I felt like I was being dogged out. Nobody was talking to me, everybody put me to the side."

A few weeks after the incident, the collective announced that he was reinstated. Drama is certainly no stranger to Bone Thugs; the group feuded a couple of years ago because Bizzy refused to promote BTNHResurrection due to a dispute he had with their label, Ruthless. (The remaining members say they still have beef with the label but will help to promote their next two Ruthless releases, which will complete their contract.)

Bone Thugs said they had enough this last go 'round because he kept missing their public appearances and shows.

"We would all agree to do something and he don't want to show up for some reason," explained Krayzie, who's dropping two solo albums this year. "He'd need a extra tour bus, he needs an extra $20,000 just to come be on TV and be seen with us."

"They didn't show up to more stuff than I did," Bizzy countered before admitting that his business endeavors kept him from "follow[ing] these young brothers around different states."

"I did everything within my means," he insisted. "I tried. It's just not meant to be." Bone Thugs said they decided to stop holding their tongues about Bizzy because fans were resentful when the group wouldn't appear in full force at events.

"I told our fans, 'What you want us to do?' " Layzie said. "They really be mad at us. I'm like, 'How long you gonna be mad at us for what another n---a do?' "

The harmonizing thugs have looked to Phil Collins to fill the void left by Bizzy — at least in their latest video, "Take Me Home." Wish, Krayzie and Layzie, who put their own spin on the Collins hit of the same name, flew to Switzerland for a video shoot with the singer they call Phil Bone.

"You talk about cold," Krayzie chuckled. "We shot the whole video, all day outside from like six in the morning 'til 10 p.m. at night. Phil really liked the song. He said a lot of rappers use his song 'In the Air Tonight,' but he said he felt special about this song. He wasn't going to clear it, but he heard the song and he was all with it. He was flattered that we chose to pick that particular song to remake."

The remaining Bone Thugs are also planning to collaborate with Tupac protégés the Outlaws for an album called Thug Brothers due later this year.

"Pac's sprit is there," Layzie said of the recording sessions with the Outlaws. "It feels like a blessing, so it's real easy to do. We feel Eazy-E, we feel Pac. We feel their presence in the room even though they're not there."

As for Bizzy, he said he doesn't rule out a Bone Thugs reunion — as long as it makes good business sense. "I'll never say never. I won't burn the bridge. I'll just walk across the muthaf---a and hopefully I'll see y'all later."


em

While Eminem waits to see if he'll take home the Record of the Year Grammy, fans can bone up on their Slim Shady facts (and perhaps their Slim Shady fiction) by checking out two new books about the "8-Mile" star.

"Cleaning Out My Closet" is an unauthorized tell-all by J. R Watkins, a self-proclaimed friend of Em and his on-again-off-again ex-wife, Kim. The book, which claims to be "the true story of Marshall Bruce Mathers III as a father, husband and friend," includes all the sensational tabloid fodder you'd expect from a tell-all, including stories about Em's rumored romances with Mariah Carey and "8-Mile" co-star Brittany Murphy.

For perhaps a more credible look into the life of Eminem, a second biography, "Whatever You Say I Am," will be released by Crown/Random House Publishers this fall. The book, by Anthony Bozza, who has covered Eminem for Rolling Stone, has had the rapper's cooperation during the project. "Whatever You Say I Am" includes interviews with Em and his inner circle, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and D12.

[STILLDRE IS THE GODFATHER]

He used to be a Cash Money representative but now Juvenile is going to need his own court appointed representative. Last week Juvenile also known as Terius Gray, was arrested along with three other people when police officers were sitting at an insurance checkpoint and smelled (yes I said smelled) marijuana coming from a nearby Lincoln Town Car.

Police pulled over the rented Lincoln Town Car and arrested all four of the men and charged them with possession of marijuana. Additional charges were added on after police searched the vehicle and found cocaine in the trunk. "Officers detected a very strong odor of burning marijuana coming from the vehicle," Sgt. Paul Accardo, said in a statement to the media. "Officers then observed two, still burning, marijuana cigarettes in the ashtray and subsequently arrested all four occupants for possession of marijuana." Juvenile still has charges pending against him for an alleged robbery last year against a barber who was allegedly to have been bootlegging Juvenile’s cd.

During the robbery, Juvenile and several other individuals took $200 dollars from the barber. In March of 2001 Juvenile was also arrested and charged with aggravated battery, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence.

damn he took 200 dollars




It's no surprise J.S., Big Nut, T.L. and Nu Black stand out. The men of 54th Platoon are wearing the flossiest FUBU gear on set, courtesy of their label, FUBU Records. All from N'awlins and all first cousins, the first group signed to FUBU sits in a huge warehouse, which is currently being converted into a club, in Long Island City, Queens, directly below the Queensboro Bridge. The director Jane Strange and the foursome are here filming the follow-up to their first single and video, the Lil' Jon-produced club joint, "Holdin' It Down," which repped Bayou Gouche, La. This time, the 'Toon take it down a notch.

"This song is about our man trying to avoid temptation in the club and instead go home to his woman," explains T.L. "Here we are pushing him to stay out. This is for the ladies." Big Nut jumps in. "This song shows we're diverse." And, as sonically exciting as New Orleans, the city they call home. "We all love instruments," T.L. continues. "J.S. plays the trombone," injects Big Nut. "In the future, we're going to try to work some brass band into our music," assures T.L.

Chillin' right beside the director, Carl Brown, CEO of FUBU makes sure everything fits like a fresh pair of FUBU (fill in your favorite item here). Big Kap is in the house. So are a handful of video honeys, a.k.a. future "Eye Candy" (see column in hip-hop's new #1 mag, XXL). With an April 22 release date for their debut, All Or NOthin, 54th Platoon--named after an all-black platoon in the Civil War, plus they hail from the 9th Ward--have been grindin' nonstop since being signed in July. Today they're filming a commercial for the Harlem Globetrotters. But it's only par for the course. Industry rule #4081: No rest for the hungry rapper.