Strength & Loyalty [PA]

Performer: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Artist: Akon; Mariah Carey; The Game; Bow Wow; Will.I.Am; Swizz Beatz; Yolanda Adams; Twista
Producer: Swizz Beatz; Will.I.Am; Jermaine Dupri
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's second album of 2006 and its sophomore outing as a trio (with Flesh-N-Bone in jail and Bizzy Bone absent), STRENGTH AND LOYALTY is a much more high-profile affair than its predecessor, TRUE STORIES. On this record, the hip-hop act's first for Interscope, Krazyie Bone, Layzie Bone, and Wish Bone are joined by guest stars such as Kelly Rowland (the R&B-tinged "So Crazy") and Akon (the hard-hitting "Never Forget Me"), but also prove that they can still astound with their own smooth vocal harmonies and deft rhymes, as exemplified by the catchy, return-to-form track "Just Vibe." With many songs produced by the perennially in-demand Swizz Beatz, STRENGTH AND LOYALTY should pull in fans who had written the group off years ago, and win over new converts to the distinctive Bone Thugs aesthetic.

Rolling Stone (p.94) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[The collection] juxtaposes the MC's double-time rhyme schemes with minimal, eclectic beats, often with thrilling results." Spin (p.90) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "'Never Forget Me' is an epic, even triumphant closer that touchingly addresses the Thugs' legacy." XXL (Magazine) (p.128) - "As the group's most eclectic and accessible effort to date, STRENGTH & LOYALTY sets things in motion properly."

Proteges of the late Erick "Eazy-E" Wright, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony quickly found a mass audience for their unique style, a predecessor of the South's screwed up movement. With a combination of syrupy R&B harmonies with gang-banger imagery and double-time, tongue-twisting rhymes reminiscent of the East Coast raggamuffin style, the five Bones (each of whom would have solo careers) earned their place in the hip-hop pantheon. "Tha Crossroads," a rare and elegiac ballad on death and the hood, became one of the biggest pop hits of the 1990s.

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