Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is one of hip-hop's most influential groups, with their dark and melodic approach to gangsta rap subject matter still felt in the DNA of today's biggest artists. Their excellent run in the late nineties and early millennium should never be undersold, having delivered E. 1999 Eternal in 1995, The Art Of War double album in 1997, and BTNH Resurrection in 2000. Unfortunately, the momentum took a hit following the arrest of eldest member Flesh-N-Bone, a longstanding presence who began serving a nine-year assault charge when he officially joined the group in the midst of their peak run.
With his prison stint now behind him, Flesh recently sat down for an interview with HipHopDX, where he opened up about his forthcoming memoir. In a revealing moment, Flesh spoke about his previous battle with addiction, recalling an unfortunate cycle that tarnished some of the early Bone Thugs studio sessions.
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“Bone Thugs-n-Harmony wanted to make it, but I had people coming around, bringing sherm or PCP or whatever the case may be,” he explains. “I tried it when I was in California by myself. When I went back home to get the rest of the Bone guys, it was dudes in the hood that knew we were on our way out to go try to do something big, so they were like, ‘Yo, yo, smoke this stuff. It’ll help you. It’s going to take your creativity to the next level."
“When we finally got with Eazy-E, he had his homeboys coming the studio while we’re trying to work,” he explains, recalling the time Bone Thugs connected with Ruthless Records back in 1993. “He had his homeboys bringing the same shit, the same type of poison. They’d say, ‘Yo, smoke this. Smoke this.’ And that’s what really knocked me off my square. While I was in there, really trying to focus on writing, he had his homies coming to the studio, feeding us that poison. We had guys knowing we were trying to make it somewhere in our lives, and these type of people kept coming around, feeding us this type of poison. And I feel that it took me off my square.”
A truly sad admission, and hearing Flesh openly discuss some of the habits that fueled his addiction should serve as a warning to any young artist experimenting with heavy drug use. For more from Flesh-N-Bone, who clearly has much to say about his life and career, be sure to check out the complete interview with HipHopDX right here. In the meantime, keep an eye out for Flesh's upcoming memoir, which is currently halfway done.
[via]