Perhaps there’s no such thing as coincidence. Just when I started to wonder whatever happened to Bone Thugs N Harmony, someone posted a post on Twitter about them releasing new music. As I’ve often blogged here, I’m not the world’s biggest fan of hip hop, especially today’s hip hop. However, there was a time I did pay attention to it and Bone Thugs N Harmony were among my favorites. It wasn’t just the big fluffy hair that made them stand out. Their speedy raps on a slow time beat made a major impact on hip hop and r&b that can still be heard today.
I actually didn’t expect that you could still be hearing new Bone Thugs N Harmony music today. The group started as a four piece but lost members along the way, then reunited, then lost members again and that’s where you lose me ‘cos I stop following what’s happening. In 2017, however, they appear to back as a rap duo.
The guys have been releasing new videos for about two months now, leading into the release of an upcoming album, “New Waves”, that is due out on June 23rd and already available for pre-order. The first single to appear was the retrospective “Coming Home” featuring Stephen Marley, followed by “Nothing Matters” and, this week, “If Heaven Had A Cell Phone” featuring Tank.
All of the tracks are the kind of rap tracks I like. A chorus that is sung (or something that sounds like it), lyrics that are easy to follow and there’s a message in the lyrics, too. There’s a real story. Of course, it may be because the members are of a certain age now and with age comes wisdom, but then again, Bone Thugs N Harmony have always made this part of their trademark. They had something like an old soul to them, philosophers, poets.
“If Heaven Had A Cell Phone” is the track that mostly stands out for me. It’s a great topic about both the state of the world today and the desire to speak to people who’ve already gone, people you miss. Tank’s chorus slows the song down, bringing it to what you might initially expect when you hear the music, but it’s also a bit of contrast to the raps in double time from the rap duo. But because this is their signature sound, you know this is coming before hitting that play button and you have no problem getting into it. Am curious about their upcoming album now.
