Elements > Album Review

Bone Thugs N Harmony--"The Art Of War"

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ImmortalOne:

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.

Siberian_Wolf:
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.

ZILLA THA GOODFELLA:
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...........

Doggystylin:
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

CHEF_RAEKWON:
i aint a big bone fan but neighborhood slang is a 5!
thats dope shit!

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