I’ve been a fan of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony since I first heard “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” in ’94. So when I was met with the opportunity to interview Bizzy Bone, I didn’t hesitate. Pre-pandemic, I had the pleasure of interviewing the BTNH legend twice for Celebuzz! + HipHopMyWay ā which was a big deal for me ācause Iāve literally been a fan since āCreepinā on ah Come Upā!
Watching Tuesday nightās Verzuz was everything to me and moved me to give a lil shine to this 2019 exclusive. The interview happened around the time the beef between Bone, Migos, and 21 Savage was still brewing, so Bizzy had a lot to say. The intro of the article pretty much speaks for itself, so, in case you missed it, check out the chat I had with Bizzy Bone.
Article originally written on April 2, 2019
Bizzy Bone Talks Beef with Migos & 21 Savage, Staying Relevant and Gives Message to Haters
When it comes to legends in the rap game, the members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are at the top of the list. Since 1991, the five-man group gave us hits like, āThuggish Ruggish Bone,ā ā1st of tha Month,ā āEast 1999,ā and āTha Crossroads,ā to name a few. Bizzy Bone, in my opinion, is one of the most memorable members of the group. Known for his soft-spoken, high-pitched, and fast-paced delivery, Bizzy started his solo career in 1998 and has been very successful as a solo artist.
If youāve had your ears to the streets, then youāre up-to-date on the beef between Bizzy, Migos, and 21 Savage after the Migos claimed to be the ābiggest rap group everā and 21 chimed in, calling Layzie Boneās rap response āwack as a motherf**ker.ā The ongoing, back-and-forth beef has been circulating the internet and doesnāt seem to be ending soon. Especially since Bizzy recently released two diss tracks: āCarbon Monoxideā and āEnigma.ā
Celebuzz caught up with the legendary artist to talk hip-hop and get his side of the Migos & 21 Savage beef. We also find out how he stays relevant in hip-hopās new wave era, and talk about the new projects heās developing these days.
Being an OG whoās well-respected in the industry; We all know whatās going on between you and the Migos & 21 Savage and the diss track youāve put out. What moved you to respond to the Migos and 21?
At first, I took the high road and it was trending for a second and I was just like, āWe good; Aināt nothing poppinā.ā And then, Layzie heard an interview, and he felt like they were talking about us. Big Boy stirred up the issue of, āSo do yāall still think yāall the best group?!ā And then, the way they said it, I guess it touched Lay in some kind of way to the point to where we were on the road and he felt the need to say something, like āyāall lil n***as talk too much.ā
After that is when the sh*t-storm came in; You know, āIāll f**k ya wife,ā and āYou n****as broke,ā and that whole thing. You know, try to crush a n***a with their wallet or blind a n***a. Iām a n***a who got money, so once you kick my brotherās ball over the fence, I am obligated to go retrieve it on behalf of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. N***as just canāt be jumping on my dude like that. Like, wait a minute, g*ddammit. Itās too many of yāall [laughs]. So, thatās what compelled me to say something and from that point on, itās just been them responding and saying more sh*t, telling n***as to kiss their feet and sh*t. Itās going on and on and on, but itās not one-sided at all. So, I took the high road. I took the quote ā unquote OG level on everything and I aināt mad at that.
What advice would you give new artists when it comes to diss tracks; Should they only respond if theyāre at a certain level of status?
I canāt tell nobody what to do. How you get it is how you live; However you get it is how you get it. Itās up to your demographic of people that tune into you in order to look at you as if youāre full of sh*t or if you got a valid reason. And from that point on, if youāre trending or if the numbers youāre seeking will show that. As an artist, Iām from the School of Be True to what you do, be true to yourself, artist-wise. And everything else is personal: religion, status, and how you move ā thatās all personal stuff. My advice is be true to you and be true to what you do. And at the end of the day, whether you sell one record, or whether you sell one million, you still have your integrity, you still have your spirit, you still have your soul. Because at the end of the day, thatās all that counts. We all gonā get older, we all gonā be with walkers one day. You leave the womb not able to walk, if you live long enough, thatās how you go out. And all you have is that inner peace and that soul and that spirit thatās timeless.
For an OG whoās stayed true to himself and his style of music, how do you continue to stay relevant in the game with this new style of hip-hop?
Well, itās two parts. The music that we have today is good. It consists of J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Migos, Future, Boosie BadAzz ā itās good music no matter what you may feel about any individual artist. You got the party and bullsh*t music, you got the serious music, you got the intellectual, uplifting, spiritual music, so itās not difficult when you are considered a talented artist. If youāre talented, your talent is timeless. Thereās some people that arenāt really, really talented; Some people just get in on hustling. Music is a hustle for some people, then you got some people that are real musicians like Prince and Michael Jackson. You have that in hip-hop, as well. I believe you have real artists, and then you just have the fly-by-night, catch a gimmick, catch a wave, make a couple of dollars, and fade the f**k out. When I was 18, 17, 16, and 15 years old, I was talking about deep sh*t:
Well, it must be close to the Armageddon
Lord knows that I wonāt fly by that lesson
You taught me to pull out my Smith & Wesson you brought me
And all my stressing
ā Bone Thugs-N-Harmony ft. Tupac ā āThug Luvā
I was like 18/17 years old when I wrote that sh*t. So that, to this day, people love to hear because thatās some artist-type stuff and it meant something ā itās words that mean something. When you talking about something, they know you reading. āArmageddon? Oh, he mustāve read the bible.ā So, thatās what I think keeps me relevant.
We appreciate you guys! JAM TV, my YouTube channel, you type in āBizzy Bone JAM TV,ā and you can see what I do on a day-to-day, get a lil inside look at me as a person and what I do for a living. On Instagram, itās @mrmccane, and on Facebook, itās I Am Bizzy Bone. I also got a personal Facebook page called Byron McCane.