Anybody who respects hip-hop culture understands that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony stands among the most influential groups of all time. Pioneers of the triplet flow, Bone were some of the first emcees to implement melody in such a dominant fashion. Though each member can no doubt hold their own on wax, Bizzy Bone remains a fan favorite to this day. Fresh off the release of his recent Carbon Monoxide album, the legendary rapper hit up the Power 106 studios for a conversation with Nick Cannon.
Opening up about his role as an OG in the game, Bizzy recognizes the difficulty that can arise when advising some of the younger stars. He reveals that Ice T actually lived up to his Original Gangsta credentials, playing an integral role in giving Bone a reality check. "Ice T sat all of us down," admits Bizzy. "He gave us the whole game, right before he went to New York. He said 'don't always ask for the money upfront, it's not always about the money with these people out here. You go out there, you put the work in, and the money will be there for you.' It stuck with me. It took me about fifteen years to apply it."
Dr. Dre & Ice T, Migos Feud & More">Mat Hayward/Getty Images
He also remembers Dr. Dre giving him a sneak preview listen to Eminem, right before he came out. "He was like, 'what you think?'" He confirms that it was "all love" between Dre and the Ruthless crew, despite having a few "little problems" here and there. "Dre always was on some Uncle Dre, OG Dre. He was never RAH RAH RAH like we was. My boy Lobel tell me Dre told I'm his favorite artist. I said "if that's the case, well let's do a record! But nah, it's always been love. He's very special to me. Ren, Yela, and Cube, they very special to me."
Naturally, Cannon inquires about a recent "fued" with the Migos, which found both Bizzy and Layzie firing diss tracks at the Atlanta trio. "I had to address the issue," explains Bizzy. "You can't have Layzie putting out a song by himself. You can't do that. You gotta represent the Bone cult. The Book Of Thugs...I wanted to make sure I got [the record out] and squash it once and for all. I didn't think they really would want to do anything with me lyrically. I talked to DJ D-Wrek a long time ago, he told me 'B, they are afraid of you.' I'm like, that's what's up!'"
For more from a hip-hop legend, peep the full video below. Nothing but respect to Bone Thugs!
