#Chris Lovaz

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Layzie Bone. Krayzie Bone. Bizzy Bone. Wish Bone. Flesh-N-Bone. Five friends from Cleveland, OH, bum-rushed the rap game in the mid-1990s with a distinctive singsongy flow, street tales and their own unique personas. Flesh-N-Bone's legal troubles would estrange him from the group at times, but there was no denying the talents of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. After independently releasing their debut as teenagers, the Midwestern group signed to gangsta rap godfather Eazy E's Ruthless Records in 1993. Their debut EP Creepin' On Ah Come-up made Bone Thugs-N-Harmony one of the hottest new groups in Hip-Hop.

After Eazy's death in 1995 and the release of the critically-acclaimed E. 1999 Eternal, Bone Thugs became major stars in music. One of the most popular acts of the 1990s, the Grammy-winners would go on to major success and over the next two decades, established a following as devout as any in the game. With their rapid-fire flows and DJ U-Neek's darkly melodic production, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony set a new standard for Midwest rap stardom and reinvented the art of rhyming. You can still hear their influence today. 

We ranked the 25 Dopest Bone Thugs-N-Harmony songs. 

#26

"NOTORIOUS THUGS" - THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. FEAT. BONE THUGS N HARMONY [BONUS SONG]

Our BONUS SONG pick is a celebrated classic guest spot! "Bone-and-Biggie-Biggie" is a musical marriage that may have seemed odd at the time, but it yielded one of the 90s dopest rap collabs. 

#25

"B.N.K." W/EAZY-E

R.I.P. Eric Wright. The revisited/remade version of one of Eazy-E's darkest tunes, this posthumous collab would eventually turn up on the first Bone Thugs compilation in 1998. 

#24

"HOME"

Chris Rock (who seemed to like mocking BTNH, more on that later) poked fun at this collab, but it actually works a lot better than one might expect. Bone revisits one of Phil Collins' biggest 80s hits. 

#23

"CREPT AND WE CAME"

An unofficial sequel to their 1994 track "Creepin' On A Come-Up," it's morbid and, in a strange way, kinda beautiful. DJ U-Neek is fully in his bag, as Bizzy, Wish, Layzie and Krayzie lean into the groove. . 

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#22

"IF I COULD TEACH THE WHOLE WORLD"

Following the massive success of "Tha Crossroads" (more on that later), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's singsongy style became more polished and tuneful. And the best example is this melodic single from 1997s "The Art Of War."

#21

"DAYS OF OUR LIVES"

DJ U-Neek flipped two eighties classics for this one. Originally released on the soundtrack of the classic 1996 heist film "Set It Off," this Force M.D.'s-sampling (along with Herb Alpert) track became one of the group's biggest hits. 

#20

"I TRIED" FEAT. AKON

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's biggest hit of the 2000s, this heartfelt ballad was also one of the group's biggest hits as a short-lived trio following the departure of Bizzy Bone. 

#19

"BUDDAH LOVAZ"

The Isley Brothers' "Choosey Lover" is the obvious jumping off point for one of Bone's best weed anthems. It's one of the best songs on "E. 1999 Eternal."

#18

"DOWN FOE MY THANG"

An early Bone Thugs gem that serves as one of the grittiest tracks on their classic 1994 EP "Creepin' On Ah Come-Up." That squealing opening synth doesn't set you up for the gut-checking groove that drops in. 

#17

"E. 1999"

A stellar showcase for estranged group member Flesh-N-Bone, this is an all-timer. The title track from an undisputed classic, this banger is also one of the group's most polished and distinctive songs. 

#16

"NO SURRENDER"

An early example of just how unique (get it?) the production has always been on Bone Thugs projects. It's both aggressive and druggy, it's midtempo but feels hyperkinetic. Eazy and the group have the official co-credit, but this has U-Neek's trademarks all over it.

#15

"MEET ME IN THE SKY"

One of the crew's most heartfelt latter-day tunes, it's the quintet tapping into some of their "Crossroads"-esque energy and delivering a gorgeously melodic ode to forever. 

#14

"NO SHORTS, NO LOSSES"

The gurgling slow-as-molasses guitar line and that synth-driven hook let you know what time it is. It's druggy, it's infectious, it's dark--and it might be the most slept on track in their catalog. 

#13

"AIN'T NOTHING CHANGED"

One of the more underappreciated tracks in their lengthy catalog, this standout from 1997s double album "The Art Of War" wasn't a single, but maybe it should've been. 

#12

"CROSSROADS" (ORIGINAL VERSION)

The version that appeared on early pressings of "E. 1999 Eternal" sounds nothing like it's much more famous counterpart, but the mournful spirit is the connective tissue between the tracks. 

#11

"BUDSMOKERS ONLY"

Armed with an interpolation of the distinctive rhythm from Earth, Wind & Fire's "Reasons," Bone Thugs showed that they could turn a rapturous soul classic into a 90s rap weed anthem. 

#10

"LOOK INTO MY EYES"

A haunting track that originally appeared on the soundtrack to 1997s disastrous "Batman & Robin," it's one of Bone's biggest mainstream hits and a good example of how their sound and songcraft quickly evolved. 

#9

"MO' MURDA"

The slowed down vocal and looping piano line are DJ U-Neek trademarks, and this standout from 1995s landmark "E. 1999: Eternal" is a quintessential BTNH song. 

#8

"EVERYDAY THANG"

An underrated gem from 1995s platinum-selling "The Show" soundtrack, it's a good indicator of how strongly Bone had already established their sound even after only one major label release. 

#7

"CREEPIN' ON AH COME UP"

One of the tracks that epitomizes DJ U-Neek's woozy production, this slow-roller is one of the group's most low-key psychedelic efforts. All squealing synths and syrupy basslines, it's like the Dirty South and the West Coast converging in Cleveland. 

#6

"MR. BILL COLLECTOR"

With a snippet from Eddie Murphy's classic "Coming To America," Bone Thugs flips the script and instead of rapping about paying bills, they make it clear that they're the ones coming to collect. "Yo' rent's due, muthafucka!"

#5

"THUG LOVE" FEAT. 2PAC

In the wake of Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder, Hip-Hop was reeling. Bone Thugs had this brilliant track already in waiting, and when the world heard the fallen Pac alongside the Cleveland spitters over that now-legendary, gunshot-led beat; it was like the legendary Shakur had never left us.

#4

"FOE DA LOVE OF $"

Eazy-E's most prominent feature on a Bone Thugs album and one of the singles that came to define the group. The Ruthless Records founder gave an assist to his newest proteges in 1994, delivering a street anthem for the ages. 

#3

"THA CROSSROADS"

A monster hit. A decade-defining classic. When Bone Thugs remixed their somber album cut "Tha Crossroads," they delivered one of the rap game's most iconic elegies. The fact that the Grammy-winning smash also doubled as a tribute to their fallen mentor Eazy only made it more poignant. 

#2

"1ST OF THE MONTH"

Chris Rock joked that this classic 1995 hit was "niggas sangin' welfare carols," but it helped cement Bone as the most unique hitmakers of the 1990s. Following their acclaimed EP "Creepin' On Ah Come Up," this was the song that let everyone know they were just getting started. 

#1

"THUGGISH RUGGISH BONE"

It wasn't their first single, but it was the single that announced them to the world. With an instantly-memorable hook from Shatasha Williams and those uniquely rapid-fire flows, five Midwestern rhymers shot out of the gate with a song that was unapologetically (shout-out to Rev. Calvin Butts) thuggish.

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