Fellow Bay Area rapper Lil B also combines harrowing street experience with an all-out liberatory spirit and the dynamic between the real and the ethereal is the crux of his based ideology. Much of Main Attrakionz’ work depends on Mondre M.A.N and Squadda B’s weaving vocals, for instance, and the cloud rap tag embraces the resplendent. This is one of the most enduring part of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s legacy and the group’s candour and tendency to imbue their music with deep spiritual undertones can be traced in a lot of contemporary rap. Their sound is made of multiple layers and demands real immersion from the listener – a willingness to suspend disbelief and briefly enter a new world – and this sense of a self-contained universe dramatically expands their scope of expression. Bone Thugs’ songs are packed with rapid double, sometimes triple, timed delivery and impromptu harmonising that floats and intertwines to find alternate rhythms atop the primary beat. Favoured collaborator DJ U-Neek provided the creeping G-Funk that marked their most successful period and his approach, often marked by deep percussive piano, is strong enough to stand alone but has a lot of empty space and provides a canvas for the group’s wistful but unabashed raps. Providing a setting for their idiosyncratic outlook, the geographic point is carried over directly into the sonics and the panoramic production that characterises Bone Thugs’ work. The block, also referenced as “E.1999” or “tha double glock”, is short-hand for the group’s street credibility and the foundation to stretch ideas and insights into something that transcends the everyday.

The constant references to East 99th street is typical rap territoriality but there is also something special about the way Bone Thugs extend space, placing it at the centre of their millenarian mythology. Throughout their career, the five-piece have kept ten toes on the ground in Cleveland and particularly at the intersection of East 99th and St. The oldest members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony were only 22 at the release of the 1995 debut album ‘E.1999 Eternal’ and the video for their first single Thuggish Ruggish Bone released two years earlier shows them slumping and stunting on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in their home town. Once a diverting, if incredibly respected, side-current to the rap’s mainstream and underground, their youthful street romanticism and foggy beauty have inspired the current generation of rappers more than any other group. With their melodic but intensely aggressive music, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony contorted the rap template in their singular recordings. Often imitated and hugely influential, the group carved out a sound like no-one else and forged a style that stands out to this day. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony have released eight albums in a 20-year career, the first four on Ruthless, and have plans to release more material in the future. Emerging from inner-city Cleveland, Ohio in the early 90s the group were spotted by Eazy-E, who signed the five-piece to his Ruthless Records imprint. There's no love lost between Bone and Ruthless, and with Ruthless handling their history like this, it's easy to see why.Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are a true rap institution. Bone Thugs never rose above that brilliant album, as the numerous lesser tracks on Greatest Hits point out. 1 if you want a concise look at Bone, then pick up their E 1999 Eternal if you need more. All the producer and engineer credits you'd ever want are included, but good luck figuring out which track was on what without jumping on the Internet.

Kicking off with the short and dramatic 'Carole of the Bones' is a clever move, but where are the liner notes, and who laid the tracks out in such a lame order? Too many hits upfront weaken disc two's punch and too often likeminded tracks are put right next to one another. The third time Cleveland's quick rapping Bone Thugs-N-Harmony get compiled by their former label Ruthless starts out clever, but the packaging, lack of input from the band, and too-long run time make it nothing to get excited about.

Bone thugs n harmony crossroads