Author Topic: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?  (Read 176 times)

TraceOneInfinite

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Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« on: August 08, 2025, 03:16:29 AM »
Creepin on a Come Up -  Classic
East 1999 - Classic
Art of War -  Dope (but not a classic)

It was a near classic.  So I'm going to try to fix it to make it a classic.  But to be classic, they would have had to save a few of their best songs for the album instead of giving them to lesser releases.  This would've been possible because clearly they saved "Thug Luv" for the album which was recorded back in 96'.  So I saved 3 of their classic singles/videos from 96' that they gave away to less projects, condensed the album to 1 disc instead of 2: and now my friends you got a CLASSIC version of Art of War!

1.  "Handle The Vibe"
2.  "Look Into My Eyes"
3.  "Body Rott"
4.  "Dayz of Our Lives"
5.  "Ready 4 War"
6.  "Ain't Nothin Changed"
7.  "Clog Up Your Mind"
8.  "Wasteland Warriors"
9.  "7 Sign"
10.  "World So Cruel"
11.  "If I Could Teach the World"
12. "Thug Luv"
13.  "Thug Devotion"
14.  "Player Hater" group track from Flesh 96' solo


Also, below, I copied the post I made in another thread because it relates to the topic:

I just had a feeling of dread that Art of War was gonna be some big letdown like Doggfather was for me.  Remember in the 90's there used to be the concept of "selling out" that isn't such a big thing these days like it used to be.  But if you watch the old footage of Bone, the chemistry they had and their relation to the streets of Cleveland was such a big part of their appeal, they were so humble and down to Earth.  No way, they could keep that up after selling...what... like diamond!?!?

Art of War dropped and I was both right and wrong.  They didn't have the same chemistry.  We didn't get to hear them harmonizing around a fire in a back alley like those Philly bumbs in Rocky 1 and Rocky 2 ("they're like the neighborhood jukebox").  Fun Fact:  One of those street singers was actually Stallone's real life brother who had a hit song "You're Never Over".

So we didn't get the harmonizing and they'd lost their chemistry.  There were rumors that they weren't even in the studio at the same time for a lot of the songs.  It was more like your standard:

Rapper A 16 bars
chorus
Rapper B 16 bars
chorus
Rapper C 16 bars
chorus
Rapper D 16 bars

So in that sense we were right to assume that Art of War would be a big letdown.  But, DJ U-Neek was still making bangers.  "Thug Love" was a Monster joint and was recorded when they were still in their prime.  "Handle the Vibe", "Look Into My Eyes", "Body Rott", Bizzy's "7 Sign", "Wasteland Warriors" were all certified bangers!  Somehow the album still worked enough to not be a let down.  Though it's not a classic like the Creepin on a Come Up EP and East 1999 which are flawless albums.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2025, 03:28:16 AM by TraceOneInfinite »
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HighEyeCue

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2025, 03:26:41 AM »
Pac started a wave of double albums that very few could attain..."Art Of War" was probably the best of the other double albums that were released around that same era 97-98...the worst was probably "MP Da Last Don" another candidate for worst album title...the only difference being the album sucked as well ;D

 

TraceOneInfinite

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Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2025, 03:30:52 AM »
Pac started a wave of double albums that very few could attain..."Art Of War" was probably the best of the other double albums that were released around that same era 97-98...the worst was probably "MP Da Last Don" another candidate for worst album title...the only difference being the album sucked as well ;D

I thought Da Last Don was alright for a title because of how large Master P was at the time at the height of his fame, and he did that lame marketing ploy where he said it was his last album so "Da Last Don" (dawn/sunset of his career).

Jay-Z actually did the same corny marketing ploy, but most people aren't old enough or don't have the brain cells left to remember but he tried to say his 98' album was going to be his last to get extra publicity. 
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TraceOneInfinite

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Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2025, 03:34:10 AM »
like most double albums, "All Eyez On Me" being an exception, it would have benefited from being a single disc

howver like you said enough bangers on it to keep me satisfied...my joint was "Wasteland Warriors" 8)

Yeah homie, "Wasteland Warriors" was one of the Monster Bangers on the album:

"Handle the Vibe" - 9 out of 10
"Look Into My Eyes" - 9.5 out of 10
"Body Rott" - 8 out of 10
"Thug Luv" - 9.5 out of 10
"Wasteland Warriors" - 9 out of 10
"7 Sign" 8 out of 10

^^All Bangers!
Givin' respect to 2pac September 7th-13th The Day Hip-Hop Died

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Sccit

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2025, 06:34:47 AM »
was havin this discussion wit doggy the other day

i think it's a near classic and i think it's good as 2 discs because there wasn't ready any filler + i liked the whole ww1 ww2 concept

HighEyeCue

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2025, 07:58:04 AM »
Yeah homie, "Wasteland Warriors" was one of the Monster Bangers on the album:

"Handle the Vibe" - 9 out of 10
"Look Into My Eyes" - 9.5 out of 10
"Body Rott" - 8 out of 10
"Thug Luv" - 9.5 out of 10
"Wasteland Warriors" - 9 out of 10
"7 Sign" 8 out of 10

^^All Bangers!


no doubt 8)

another thing was Krayzie really did his thing on this album...so much so that I bought his double album in '98...I liked it but there were way too many tracks on there lol
 

Sccit

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2025, 08:33:06 AM »
no doubt 8)

another thing was Krayzie really did his thing on this album...so much so that I bought his double album in '98...I liked it but there were way too many tracks on there lol


now that one coulda been narrowed down lol

still a dope album tho

TraceOneInfinite

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Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2025, 08:34:42 AM »
no doubt 8)

another thing was Krayzie really did his thing on this album...so much so that I bought his double album in '98...I liked it but there were way too many tracks on there lol

yeah their solos never met expectation.  They all had good songs but then way too much filler.  Here's my all-time Bone solos.  Doggy turned me on to the Krayzie Bone joints when I with him in Cali back in the day, Doggy liked them so much he would literally go out walking in the rain like a bumb just to fullfill the Tifanny track from Krayzie's second album

Greatest Bone Solo Tracks:

1.  "World So Cruel" - There was one period in my life when I was in legit, clinically, psychologically, in a period of depression in late 1996' and this is one of the all time saddest songs in rap history came out in that period.

2.  "Talk To Myself" - This was the song Siavash turned me onto--I swear dude loved this song so much he legit would purposely go out wandering in the rain for no reason just cause of this song.  Dogg can back me up on that if he comes on this thread.  I also loved it so much I mad made my own mix of it combining all the songs with similar samples











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HighEyeCue

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2025, 09:46:12 AM »

now that one coulda been narrowed down lol

still a dope album tho

yeah I think it was something crazy like 36 or 37 tracks

I bought Flesh's 1st album too lol, I think it came out a week after Doggfather did in '96

 

Sccit

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #9 on: August 08, 2025, 10:04:42 AM »
yeah I think it was something crazy like 36 or 37 tracks

I bought Flesh's 1st album too lol, I think it came out a week after Doggfather did in '96

bizzys first 2 albums were great

layzies, not so much lol

flesh was solid

wish lazy ass never even made a solo i believe

TraceOneInfinite

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Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #10 on: August 08, 2025, 11:22:53 AM »


I bought Flesh's 1st album too lol, I think it came out a week after Doggfather did in '96

Doggfather was the final straw causing the greatest depression period in my life at the end of 96'.  And that's not a joke, I was legit clinically and psychologically depressed and mentioning the two albums above certainly triggers those memories for me.  I went into a sustained depression.

Before Pac died, the music was so dope, a great song could pull you out of depression and suddenly you would be back on top of the world again.  In 6th grade I was going into some depression over my best friend making out with my x-girlfriend in front of everyone at the first real male/female/alcohol/drugs type party I ever went to.  But then I heard Snoop's "Ain't No Fun" and the Doggystyle album and I was pulled out of depression...In 8th Grade the barber fucced up my hair and gave me some 80's looking flat top that everyone made fun of and again I thought my life was over, but then Sunset Park movie and Soundtrack dropped and MC Lyte's song "Keep On/Keepin On" turned my whole life and mood back around and I was the man once again around school.

I thought Doggfather would get me out of my depression but instead it drove me deeper into depression, and then this song came out a month later...



Saddest most sentimental song/video in rap history.  Brings back so many memories of my own depression.
Givin' respect to 2pac September 7th-13th The Day Hip-Hop Died

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HighEyeCue

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #11 on: August 08, 2025, 01:34:13 PM »
bizzys first 2 albums were great

layzies, not so much lol

flesh was solid

wish lazy ass never even made a solo i believe

yeah that Flesh album was pretty dope

as far as Wish its probably for the best lol

I did like "Getcha Thug On" though...he did his thing on that track
 

HighEyeCue

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #12 on: August 08, 2025, 01:54:18 PM »
Doggfather was the final straw causing the greatest depression period in my life at the end of 96'.  And that's not a joke, I was legit clinically and psychologically depressed and mentioning the two albums above certainly triggers those memories for me.  I went into a sustained depression.

Before Pac died, the music was so dope, a great song could pull you out of depression and suddenly you would be back on top of the world again.  In 6th grade I was going into some depression over my best friend making out with my x-girlfriend in front of everyone at the first real male/female/alcohol/drugs type party I ever went to.  But then I heard Snoop's "Ain't No Fun" and the Doggystyle album and I was pulled out of depression...In 8th Grade the barber fucced up my hair and gave me some 80's looking flat top that everyone made fun of and again I thought my life was over, but then Sunset Park movie and Soundtrack dropped and MC Lyte's song "Keep On/Keepin On" turned my whole life and mood back around and I was the man once again around school.

I thought Doggfather would get me out of my depression but instead it drove me deeper into depression, and then this song came out a month later...



Saddest most sentimental song/video in rap history.  Brings back so many memories of my own depression.

its crazy how we can remember exactly what song was playing or what we were listening to in moments like these

I remember going to New Years Eve party when it was about to turn 1999 and I heard "Nas Is Like" for the 1st time on a mix show...I had been a Nas fan before but that really got me into being a stan

or when I was going to my high school graduation with my Sony Discman with me replaying the opening track from "No Limit Top Dogg"



 

Sccit

Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2025, 04:37:25 PM »
yeah that Flesh album was pretty dope

as far as Wish its probably for the best lol

I did like "Getcha Thug On" though...he did his thing on that track


while wish wasn't the best rapper in the group, i do think he was a necessary component, which often provided a more direct, change of pace.

i don't think he was whack like people made him out to be.. he just couldn't chop on the same level, but he was dope in his own right
 
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TraceOneInfinite

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Re: Was Art of War Classic? What if it was 1 disc?
« Reply #14 on: August 09, 2025, 03:24:29 AM »

while wish wasn't the best rapper in the group, i do think he was a necessary component, which often provided a more direct, change of pace.

i don't think he was whack like people made him out to be.. he just couldn't chop on the same level, but he was dope in his own right

Nobody can hate on Wish.  Wish brought a lot of the harmony to Bone Thugs. 
Givin' respect to 2pac September 7th-13th The Day Hip-Hop Died

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