Layzie Bone Doesn't Rest On His Laurels

By: Brett Hickman

Tuesday September 06, 2005

Layzie Bone on Bone Thugs 'N Harmony: "We're part of history."
Layzie Bone isn't one to wait around for the phone to ring. If there's ever a lull for him, he gets crackin' to ensure there ain't another. Whether it's as a member of the chart topping Bone Thugs 'N Harmony or as a producer or working the solo angle, Layzie is in constant motion, working to make sure things get done.

Between his collaboration earlier this year with his brother Bizzy, entitled Bone Brothers, the upcoming Bone Thugs reunion album on J Records, his in-release solo debut on X-Ray records, It's Not A Game where guests such as Snoop Dogg and Twista pay respect, or his still-to-be-released rock album (featuring former members of Guns 'n Roses Slash and Steven Adler on Layzie's cover of "Welcome to the Jungle"), Layzie is the anithesis of his stage name. Like many working in hip-hop today, Layzie Bone is hell bent on breaking stereotypes as well as records.

It's Not A Game is a fierce entry mark for one of modern day hip-hop's forefathers. An album declaring the emergence of a new talent who just happens to have been in the game for the past fourteen years, It's Not A Game, throws down the gauntlet at the feet of hip-hop's poseurs, pretenders, and dick riders.

Static Multimedia called Layzie at his home in Atlanta about his past with Bone Thugs, his solo present, and his all-inclusive future.

Brett Hickman: You're down in Atlanta. You've been there how long?

Layzie Bone: About two years. On and off, though. I'm out of LA, ATL, also Cleveland, too. Bounce back and forth.

(one of Layzie's children interrupts)

Is that your boy?

LB: Yeah, hold on one second. (to the boy) You want some milk? Okay, we goin' to get you some milk. (comes back) My junior man.

How may kids you got?

LB: I got four.

They all live with you?

LB: Yep, 'Married with Children.' I'm Al Bundy. It's a beautiful thing.

Bone Thugs got discovered by Eazy E. Were you guys really tight with him?

LB: Eazy E was our mentor, man. He taught us everything we knew. We only got to kick it with him for like two years, but he showed us the game. The best relationship we had.

I heard "Crossroads" recently and I thought about how revolutionary it was for the time.

LB: It's that type of song that's goin' to live forever. It was perfect for the time and it goes on. It don't stop. It's one of those songs, you always goin' to have people passin' away which is not a good thing, but it's reality, ya know?

That time has to have been the most insane, good and bad, for you and the rest of the guys.

LB: It was really off the hook, there were a lot of things goin' on, man. But for the most part, shit, it was like our golden years, it was goin' down, man. We was winnin'.

What were some of the best things about being at that level? For awhile you all were everywhere.

LB: Goin' to the top with that type of success with a song like "Crossroads" it ain't like booty-poppin' or nuthin' like that. Everything that had to do with us was very, very serious. All the fame and all the money everybody enjoyin' now, we carried the burden for that, you know what I'm sayin'? We kicked the doors in. It wasn't like no party time or nuthin'. We was really losing homeboys. Blowin' up at the same time Eazy E died or our friend from Mo Thug records, Tombstone, had passed away and it was just real. We were going through that. It wasn't all fun and games at that time. It was wild.

That was the beginning of hip-hop and rap entrenching itself into mainstream culture, right there. How does it feel to be part of or one of the main proponents in making hip-hop so accessible worldwide?

LB: We're part of history. When the story get wrote, they're going to have to write about Bone Thugs 'n Harmony somewhere or it's not real. We kicked the door in for like an Eminem to come through and do ten million records that fast. When we came in doing three million records as fast as we did was unheard of. Being part of history period man, you can't ask for more than that in this profession. You wanna be recognized and wanna be known, so to make history, that's unspeakable.

Did lower sales of subsequent albums cause problems within the group? Is that why the group hasn't recorded in so long?

LB: There were a number of things that were going on as far as the business was takin' place. It was never really a problem with the group, but it was a problem with the way things was bein' handled with our business. It's like everything's got it's time. I feel like it wasn't time for us to shine around the bling-bling era, you know what I'm sayin'? That's not Bone Thugs 'N Harmony. We came from the dirt, from the grit. Right now I think it's the perfect time for all of us over again, that's why I'm putting out a solo album. I never was the one to put out solos and things like that. But it's all part of the momentum that I'm getting' back. See, we lost our momentum because of the business issues we were going through. There's probably 95% of the records on the radio that got some type of Bone Thugs 'N Harmony in it. That's how ahead of our time we were. We ain't never fell off, we the only group right now besides whoever's on top, that sell out concerts all the time. We tour like a rock band. We've been doing five-thousand seaters and we tour as a group and we promote our solos, we promote our groups. There's a time and place for everything. Like right now, we're gonna hit 'em real hard, because we set up again. You need that major distribution link, you need that in order to do your thing. We needed a major push and now we messin' with Swizz Beatz and Clive Davis. Bone Thugs 'N Harmony are back.

You guys are actually signed to J Records?

LB: J Records/ Full Surface.

Do you all plan on going back to the recording studio soon?

LB: The album is done, man. We got four or five albums coming out this year. My solo album is one of many that is gonna be leadin' it off. This album is independent which I did?all the deals I did in the last two years was non-exclusive deals so it never cut us off from doing a Bone Thugs 'N Harmony situation. Ya know, just being strategic, man. Collecting two-three hundred thousand over here and two-three hundred thousand over there, ya know?

Is there a release date for the new Bone Thugs?

LB: We're looking at October, probably Halloween. Somethin' crazy.

Are you planning on doing some heavy promoting for that one?

LB: But of course. We'll probably spend about four-five million dollars on promotin' it. Just showin' that we're larger than life again as opposed to putting out a two hundred thousand dollar situation.

How long have you been working on your new solo album?

LB: There's songs that I did over the years that just built up. It's a collaboration of my work over the past probably five-six years. It wasn't like I just went into the studio and just did a whole bunch of new songs. This was to say if you missed anything from Bone Thugs or from Layzie Bone, it's not a game, because I'm coming back with a vengeance.

With guests like Snoop Dogg and Twista, do you record at one studio or do you travel around?

LB: Basically it's like, I vibe with real niggas, so whoever keepin' it real like. So Snoop was in Cleveland when I did the song with him. I went down to Indiana and did the song with Twista. It happened like it happened. Ain't nuthin' forced on that album.

Bone Thugs were one of the first hip-hop acts from the Midwest to get real big. Now there are a lot more (Kanye West, Common, Twista, and Nelly). Is there anything about growing up in the Midwest that affects your music?

LB: Yeah, our music is probably a little more grittier than everybody else's. I mean the content of what we talk about. It's snowing, it's raining, it's that dark cloud that kinda hang out and always be around in the Midwest. I mean down here they see it different. Right now I'm in Atlanta so it's a beautiful day outside. Where we from it's kind of a harder element to survive in. Down south say they thugs, but I say that if you're from the Midwest you really gotta be thugged out, especially if you talkin' about some street stuff. You're boots get wet in the winter tryin' to walk to the store, tryin' to do what you got to do or tryin' to sell what you tryin' to sell. It's cold outside, it's a little rougher environment.

Have you had any experiences with people saying whatever to you just to keep on your good side?

LB: Man, my career spans fourteen years, so you know I done had too many yes men. We been through that all. We just really blessed to have a second go round. And the way it's coming around, no one will really know or understand until it happens. I'm just takin' my time and doin' what Ray Charles do, 'make it do what it do.'

Is it hard to realize that people you've known for a long time are just there to leech off of your fame and money?

LB: That all come with the territory. At the same time, it all depends on the person. I did right by a lot of folks, dog. When I hit my lows, the world took care of me, so there's nothing really I can complain about. Them fans opened they doors for me. They never dwelled on the fact that we didn't have an album out. It was like, 'Nigga you Layzie Bone, you a legend to me.' I think that's because of the type of person that I am. I think everybody's story is different, but I look at us like a LL Cool J or a Will Smith or one of them groups that can always come back and do the damn thing like the Isleys or like Boyz II Men that can come make an appearance on the Grammys five-six-seven years later and do a helluva performance. We have a career. In anybody's career you gonna have ups and downs. You look at anybody's VH1 Behind the Music and anybody that was worth something really been through it. I don't see us bein' no different. I'm kinda thankful for it that we never really got our heads in the clouds or no shit like that. We gonna try to give it to them, I also got a rock 'n roll album coming out, too. My first single is with Guns 'n Roses. I got Steven Adler on the drums and Slash is on it too. We did a remake of "Welcome to the Jungle."

Wow. When's that comin' out?

LB: Probably in August. It's off the hook. I did Pink Floyd's "Money." I flip some cold things I think no one else would flip. Just be lookin' out for me. A lot of things crackin'.