鈥淚 don't think we've even had a rapper yet that has passed away from old age,鈥� said Krayzie Bone, the co-founder of rap legends Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, reflecting on 50 years of hip-hop 鈥� a genre born just weeks after he entered the world in Cleveland as Anthony Henderson.
鈥淚t's still very, very young, and I feel like it hasn't fully matured yet,鈥� he said.
Friday marks the 50th anniversary of what鈥檚 been recognized as the birth of hip-hop, when first brought two turntables and a microphone to a house party in New York City.
Also on Friday, E. 99th Street in Cleveland will be renamed for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. The location inspired the group鈥檚 chart-topping 1995 album, 鈥淓. 1999 Eternal.鈥� Krayzie said he would never have guessed that the street he grew up on would one day be named Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Way.
鈥淲e went from having a rough life on this very same street that's now about to be named after us,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is a mission accomplished that we weren't even trying to accomplish.鈥�
That mission came into focus as Krayzie grew up listening to legendary Cleveland DJs like and Ralph Poole, as well as his parents鈥� collection of Isley Brothers, Spinners and Temptations records. He veered toward hip-hop after getting a cassette of the 1985 album, 鈥淩adio.鈥�
鈥淢y brother brought home the LL Cool J album, and I put it in the tape deck,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I never took the tape out of here. That's actually what inspired me to start rapping, because I would write down his lyrics and that showed me the blueprint on how to write my own rhyme.鈥�
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony came together while its members were in middle school, finding their voices as they rapped and harmonized. Yet it was a stint in prison that pushed Krayzie to pursue his calling.
鈥淚 remember writing a letter to the other members when I was in there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥楤ro, when I get out of here, we have to go. We have to go for our shot, or we ain't gonna never make it. I'm not coming back to this place.鈥� That's exactly what we did.鈥�
Dogged persistence led to a meeting with the late rapper Eazy-E, who invited the group to record in Los Angeles. Krayzie said they didn鈥檛 have a desire to leave Cleveland as much as a recognition that the local music scene had its limits.
鈥淲e were running out of ground to walk on here,鈥� he said.
This week, clad in full Cleveland Browns attire, he鈥檚 being celebrated with a forum Thursday, organized by the City Club of Cleveland, followed by a public event Friday at the Cleveland Public Library. The topics will be music, of course, but also his nonprofit, , started in 2019 to work with young people from disadvantaged areas who have an interest in the arts yet no idea how the business works.
鈥淚'm trying to give them a bit of a head start that we didn't have. That's the education,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that's a big reason why the music industry is imbalanced: They catch us at our most vulnerable, desperate times. I want to give these young, aspiring artists the opportunity to really to be able to realize that this contract is a trap.鈥�