Customer Reviews

Art of War

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When you're dealing with 2 disc efforts it's always a delicate balance. You always have to appreciate the extra songs, but then you dread the filler material that had to be inserted. The Art of War is one of those 2 CD efforts, and one that comes off quite well. The Art of War gets no press. It's a disc that nobody ever talks about, but a great one nonetheless.

The disc some of my personal favorites: "Handle the Vibe", "Look Into My Eyes", "Body Rott", "Mind of a Souljah", "If I Could Teach the World", "Thug Luv", "Wasteland Warriors", "U Ain't Bone", "Friends", and "Evil Paradise". This is almost a full disc full of songs that I really love. One doesn't realize how many good songs are on here until one looks at the back and really counts. This doesn't even include the songs that are okay. The sheer content of good songs really sets Art of War apart from most 2 CD efforts (and one CD efforts).

Another interesting point is that this stage is a sort of half evolved Bone Thugs. They aren't the youngsters from East 1999 Eternal or Creepin on ah Come Up and fortunately they're not at all like they are on BNTHResurrection. They are so smooth, so professional, and the raps are fast. They branch out from plainly violent raps with harsh beats. The CD is smooth. The beats are polished and the lyrics are strong. The Bone Thugs trade in their glocks for books on this effort. They really get a lot more contemplative on Art of War. They rarely get dumb on this album and sound like the patriarchs of rap that they are. They don't point out how good they are; they simply pump out good tracks.

Art of War is simply a collection of mostly laid back cool Bone tracks. They have it all on this CD and the number of tracks only adds to it. It has an awesome vibe throughout. It's not terribly dark, but it is somewhat mysterious. The beats are generally off the beaten path. They experiment with gun sounds in "Thug Luv" featuring 2Pac. The beat in "Body Rott" has a weird, but interesting feel to it as well. Remixes and remakes of old songs are also well done with "Friends" and "Evil Paradise". Bone successfully puts their stamp on these songs that could have been horrid flops.

The downside is that there is no crescendo on the Art of War. There isn't a song that really personifies the album or that brings it to the most elite level. Top 10 hits simply aren't here. The CD sets a tone and basically does not change throughout both discs. This isn't really a bad thing, unless you strictly aren't feeling it from the start.

This album reminds me of Cube's War and Peace Vol. 1. It has no signature song but it really has a lot of good tracks on it. When a CD achieves this type of consistency I feel the need to reward them. I can listen to this CD all the way through and not fall asleep. This is really the pinnacle Bone Thugs album, in my view.

After Bone created the masterpiece E.1999 Eternal, many people thought that they wouldnt be able to duplicate the effort of that album. Well, they come DAMN close to doing so, if they actually didnt, with this AMAZING 2-disc set. Though E.1999 Eternal is more solid from top to bottom, this album has more variety, and is BEAUTIFULLY constructed for a double cd. Out of the 28 songs, there are maybe 3 or 4 I coulda done without. The whole album concept is about being "mentally" superior to your oppostion or opponent, or obstacle. Layzie came up with the concept after reading the book, and Bone turned it into an album. The first disc is the light side of the album. The lyrics are very strong and well thought out. Handle The Vibe, Its All Mo Thug, Ready 4 War, Mind Of A Soulja, IICTTW, and Family Tree are all Bone masterpieces, with a sophisticated structure. Body Rott, Look Into My Eyez, and Clog Up Yo Mind are as good in their own right, but a little more hardcore. The other tracks on Disc 1 are less good by only the slightest of margins. Disc 2 (the darkside) is equally good as Disc 1. The songs on here are more eeire and thuggish than the first disc. Thug Luv features the late 2pac (rip). Then you have Bone's diss songs toward their opponents (do or die, twista, cc, etc), including Wasteland Warriors, U Aint Bone, All Original, Hatin Nation, and Neighborhood Slang. 7-Sign is a Bizzy solo, with a nice beat featuring lyrical genious, Majesty, off Bizzy's label. "Friends" tells the thin line of loyalty and betrayal of those close to you. Then their is the fantasically unique "Evil Paradise", of Bone speaking about the end of the world. The remaining tracks on Disc 2 are a little less strong, but still nice. Overall, a great album, and a must have. This epic 2-cd set is sure to please, with its great concept. Bone proves why they are the best group in hip hop ONCE AGAIN with this masterpiece. Buy it now.........

First of all, i dont understand how anyone could ever diss this cd! This was my first bone thugs cd and i bought it for "look into my eyes" and "thug love" instead of just gettin those songs i was introduced into a whole new style of rap. I have a long commute everyday and i just put in disc 1 play it threw then disc 2 and play it threw and repeat. THIS CD NEVER LEAVES MY STEREO! Another plus about this cd is the quality of the music, havin subs in my car really shows the skills of bone, they have real sharp and deep bass, tightest music to chill to.
there is no need to rate any of the songs, they are all perfect! BUY THIS CD

It had been 2 years since the multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning E. 1999 Eternal was released. The anticipation and hype for The Art Of War was very high, and when the often-delayed album was released, Bone did not disappoint. Continuing their line of near flawless albums, Bone released this double-disc album which was broken down into World War I and World War II. It starts of with another tight Bone Intro, which has been a trademark on their older albums. Handle The Vibe comes next and it is simply a track where Bone displays there rapid-fire flows and show that they are the best when it comes to that. Look Into My Eyez is the first single and one of the tightest tracks on the whole album. Body Rott is one of the hardest hitting tracks Bone has ever made. It's All Mo Thug is the first track featuring Flesh, and Flesh does not disappoint on this very smooth laid-back track.
Ready 4 War introduced the world to Majesty, an artist from Bizzy Bone's 7 sign record label, it is a really tight track. Ain't Nothin' Changed(Everyday Thang Part 2) is a tight track, it just isn't as good as the original Everyday Thang from the Show soundtrack, and it doesn't feature Flesh like on the original. Clog up yo mind is a decent track, but nothing special. It's All Real is a flawless Krayzie Bone solo effort. Hardtimes is a nice little interlude between the 2 solo songs on WWI. Mind of a Soulja is next, it's the Layzie Bone solo and it is the tightest track on WWI. Layzie came straight rough and raw on this song, unfortunately NONE of the songs on Layzie's solo album were as good as this song. If I Could Teach the World is next and was the perfect type of song for radio and video play. Family Tree brings WWI to a close, a great way to end the first disc.
World War II opens with another tight little intro track that is quite catchy for being so short. Next is the best song on the whole album, and one of the best songs ever made. It's Thug Luv featuring the late-great Tupac Shakur. Many people say Notorious Thugs by Biggie featuring Bone is better, but I like the harder, darker feel of Thug Luv much better. BIG, although a great rapper, can't compare to the lyrical genius that is Tupac Shakur, no one can. Hatin' Nation is next, and it is a playa hata anthem executed very well.
7th Sign is the Bizzy solo which features Majesty once again, unfortunately it is a letdown since Bizzy has the ability to make great solo songs, this is not one of them, it's good but not up to par with his other solo work. Wasteland Warriors, featuring Souljah Boy from Mo Thug, is next and is one of the hardest-hitting and best tracks, the way Krayzie opens the track is flawless and the beat is perfect. Neighborhood Slang is a short 1-verse track by Krayzie which almost seems like a poem, it's still tight and is required listening.
U Ain't Bone is Bone's dedication to all those rappers out there who tried to use the rapid-fire delivery that Bone made famous, and although many have immitated, the flow has never been duplicated. Get Cha Thug On is Wish's solo, it's the weakest of the 4 solo's but it is not a bad song, just not quite as good as the other 3. Flesh is the only Bone member that does not have a solo, and in fact, Flesh is only on a handful of tracks. All Original is another track where Bone let's people know who is the original's to do the Bone flow, very smooth beat and very smooth verses.
Blaze It is another interlude. Let The Law End is a great authority-bashing song. Whom Die They Lie sounds like it has an 80s rap beat to it, but it is still a very good track. Friends is a tight track that uses a sample from Whodini. Evil Paradise is a decent track, but one of the worst on the whole album. Mo Thug Family Tree closes WWII with the same beat as Family Tree from WWI, just this time there is no Bizzy and it features some Mo Thug artists.
DJ U-Neek produced another classic album, and Bone laid done some of their best tracks to date. Bone proved with E. 1999 Eternal that they don't need big named guest spots on their album to sell really good, but the addition of 2pac on Thug Luv certainly didn't hurt this album. Whether you are a Bone fan, or simply just a rap fan, The Art of War by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is required listening, and if you haven't heard it yet, now is the time to do so.

The Art of War. Double disc- 28 song masterpiece! But lots of people don't really know what this particular bone album is all about. Well I'm gonna tell'ya. So READ up and learn something new (if you didn't already know)

This album was made when Bone & 3-6 mafia beef was in its prime. If you listen to the hot intro track "Retaliaton" you'll hear DJ U-neek yell out " old playa hatin ass niggas, you know my little niggas brung this style to the table, first" well he's talkin about the tong twist style. It's "Retaliation" on 3-6. Wayyyy back when they were underground in 92' and 93' is when the beef began, Bone disses triple-six on a HELLA TIGHT track called "Hell Sent" on their first album "Faces of Death". After proceeding with next two famous albums "Creepin On Ah Come Up" and "East 1999", bone disses the whole city of MEMPHIS labeling them a " bunk ass town" among other words, in the famous vibe magazine(Feb. edition 95) and the beef only got bigger. 3-6 at this point retaliates on Bone wit a RIPPIN track known as "Live By Yo Rep" On there first album "Mystic Stylez" which could be considered a lyrical dismantling of bone. On this album, the smooth track "Hatin Nation" is directed towards 3-6. In fact, most the album disses them if you listen well; Bone was being smart by not mentioning names. If they did, that's makes you say "well let me go buy 3-6 and see what there sayin about bone on there albums" in which the thugs don't want and it's a fact other rappers don't realize. 3-6 claims that Bone bites there style and they came up wit it first, which is some shix I refuse to believe (and you shouldn't either) because Bone does it so natural and bout all the time. Out of the 6 original members 3-6 (Juicy j, DJ Paul, Gangsta Boo, Koopsta Knicca, Crunchy Blac, and Lord Infamous) Lord infamous is one that tong twists the MOST and the rest don't really do it that much. Koop does a little bit on mystic styles. Other ol' Prophet Posse members that kicked the gangsta twist was Kingpin Skinny Pimp and Indo G, who can found disses bone some tracks called "Lay it Down"(VERY TIGHT, hard to find, download if ya can ) and "straight outta TN"(tight). And you see how bone drop a double disc with this, 3-6 matches it with two CDs in one year! "The End" in March 97' then "World Dominion"in Nov. 97. It really is a year of war!

Bone brings it original but not everyone, as seen in there eyes, is a bone clone. Twista came in like 91' with his very first album "Runnin off at da mouth" which is his BEST album to date to me. He was known as Tong Twista back then. There no way twista couldn't have been bitin the style because bone and him didn't know each other (How 3-6 and Bone knew about each other when they were underground in different places I'm not sure, maybe they ran into each other at a talent show or something?)This album shows way twista beat krayzie bone's record. Rappin REAL fast on there, so get if ya can, don't miss wit anything new from him cause he not as gangsta no more.

continuing on the so called "bone clones" another Memphis maniac Tommy Wright III made the most direct bone diss of all called "Thuggish Ruggish Bustaz" on his album "On The Run" This songs lyrics are more directed towards Bone (he gets on them pretty serious) which kinda makes it more crucial than live by yo rep. Tommy's twists pretty tight as he put together a well organized rap empire of his own. The very tight track "U Ain't Bone" is, of course for perpetrators of the style, but more aim at Tommy Wright.

Besides tong twista, chi town has a whole GROUP of rappers on the speed dial. Crucial Conflict is some very tight rappers who Bone also includes on this album as copycats. In fact, listen to the HELLA TIGHT "Ready 4 War" track, you can hear the guest star Maje$ty disses'em very directly. Man, he's really rippin them APART with his in-depth lyrics. Maje$ty comes back on the World War II disc for the "7 Sighs" track and gets a bigger part with Bizzy Bone, Both KILLS IT so lyrically. The flict also had bone diss track called "Back Against The Wall" which is a very tight posse cut on the album "Good Side, Bad Side." (Best album they did) There was no big beef wit them like wit 3-6 though.

Another rapper I MUST tell`ya about is the Sandman and his album "No Secrets, No Lies." MAN!! HE IS LYRICALLY RIPPIN! He sounds exactly like one of the Bone Thugs rappin HELLA fast on most the tracks in which some call him a SUPER BONE. Don't get me wrong, he's tight and one my favorite rappers, but I don't know WHAT he thinking makin this when he already knows BONE got it on lock. He is what I would consider a BONE CLONE but as bone clones go, he's one of best and good rapper period. they sell his album here on Amazon, I Suggest ya pick that classic up.

Before I give a quick review of the songs, I liked to look at thugz individually and there status on this album.

Krayzie Bone: Rippin tracks as usual. The talented lyrically loco Krayzie Bone puts its down on all the tracks and sometimes leaves ya waiting for MO!

Bizzy Bone: My favorite thug and he really TEARS IT UP on this album. to me these are bizzy's best verses (hard to chose because there was so many) the light skin high pitch maniac goes HELLA FAST on tracks like "Body Rott" ta let those other tong twisters know that they can't touch him

Layzie Bone: the 1 assassin comes VERY correct here. His verses on "wasteland warriors" and "Hatin Nation" are some of his best. Good performance by lil lay.

Wish bone: This is the album where Stratejacket lyrics started lack. Some tracks would be tight and others would just be good. On there albums before this ALL of his lyrics were tight just like the other thugz. A good example of this is on "Thug Luv" he's VERY TIGHT on there. Then there's "Handle The Vibe" EVERYONE ELSE tears up except Wish. (Still good though) This where Flesh-N-bone would have came in handy, speaking of him...

Flesh-N-bone: the 5th dawg and underrated thug. Some People don't realize he's ah HELLAVA rapper wit tong twist down pat. He was never sighed to ruthless record (I don't know how, when he there when Eazy-E sighed them all) which explains his many absences ASWELL as his constant troubles wit the law. Threatening his neighbors, the fire cracker incident, packin semiautomatic weapons... ya know, just being a true thug.
Flesh has some tight verses on "It's all Mo Thug" and "Whom Lie They Die" very tight tracks.

The most GANGSTAFIED/HARDHITTIN tracks are:
Disc 1: 1,2,3,4,6,11
Disc 2: 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,13,14
The smooth R&B/make ya feel good tracks are:
Disc 1: 5,7,8,9,10,12,13
Disc 2: 3, 10, 15
Some people may put it together a little different

All the other rappers I mentioned are VERY TIGHT ARTISTS, but in the eyes of bone just clones. Out all of'em, its bone first always cause there the original and perfected the tong twist. The track "thug Luv" wit 2 pac alone is enough reason to get this album. I see that someone diss this album that particular track. This guy is NO RAP LISTENER! JUST SOME WHACK WHITE BOY DISSES RAP AS WHOLE! STOP RATING CLASSIC RAP ALBUMS YOU KNOW NOTHIN ABOUT AND STICK WIT YO COUNTRY (see his reviews) GARBAGE LAME ASS BUSTA! For the REAL bone fanz, pick it up if have not heard it yet. You'll love it. PEACE!

I've been a Bone Thugs N Harmony fan for a while but only just bought my first Bone CD last week. The Art of War, obviously being it. This CD blew me away. This is the type of CD that doesn't contain filler in it's 28 song span. Even the intro is amazing. Heck, the intro is one of my favorite songs, and that's rare for any genre of music. This group has the talent to make a 2-disc CD and have every verse from every member be perfect. I'll admit the guest rappers aren't particularly good though. But that's dismissable because most guest rappers aren't anymore. In my own humble opinion, I think this is the best rap CD ever made. I know people will strongly disagree with me, but keep in mind that I'm not much of a fan of rap.

As I mentioned, the intro, Retaliation, is wonderful. Handle The Vibe is one of my favorite songs included in this collection. The way they rap and the beat accompanied is stellar. Definitely worth a listen from everyone. Clog Up Yo Mind is so catchy that you'll have it stuck in your head for days. The beat is great and, as always, the rapping from all is amazing. If I Could Teach The World is a touching song that follows somewhat in the vain of Crossroads. I personally think Wish Bone steals this song. With that we move onto disc two. Thug Luv is by far my favorite rap song ever. 2Pac, of course, makes any song listenable. But the fact that he joined with Bone makes the song undeniably good. The anger is in everyone's voice and that pushes this song into greatness. Layzie Bone, my favorite member, has the best verse by my judgement. Friends is yet another great song. The chorus is very catchy and just about everyone can relate to it.

Overall this is definitely worth the money. A few of my favorite songs are Retaliation, Handle The Vibe, Body Rott, Thug Luv, and Friends. Every song is great but those are the songs I listen to the most. It'd be rewarding to you, the listener, though, if you made time to listen to each CD all the way through. If you do that then I guarantee you'll be a fan of Bone for life. Their impact in the rap game will not soon be forgotten. Their rapping abilities just blow me away everytime I hear this CD. I'm sure it'll do the same for you.

On the Art Of War, Bone showcases their entire arsenal of Thuggishness and Harmony, resulting in a beautifully crafted double album. This might be the best double hip-hop album ever. Disc 1 brings out many magnificent trax, such as It's All Real (Krayzie solo), If I Could Teach The World, and Family Tree. Not to mention possibly the best track on the whole album, It's All Mo Thug, which even features Bizzy on his only track ever having anything to do wit Mo Thugs. It's VERY smooth, definitely one of the smoothest Bone trax ever. Disc 2 features a little more of the thuggish side of Bone, as displayed on the shotgun-blast filled Thug Luv featuring 2Pac. One of the most hardcore Bone trax ever. Wasteland Warriors, 7 Sign (Bizzy solo), U Aint Bone, & Evil Paradise also display the thuggish-ruggish side of Bone. On the mellifluous tip (look it up yall), Hatin Nation is a nice laid back joint, and so is Mo Thug Family Tree, which features the same beat as Family Tree, but features Mo Thugs along wit Bone. And then we have the obligatory weed track, Blaze It, which is short but still showcases smooth harmonizing, perfect to spark one to. All in all, this features very little filler, AMAZING considering it's a double album. A well-crafted DJ Uneek produced classic. If you don't have this by now, you're definitely missin out.

This is a very good cd.At first i thought it was ok then it grew on me.This cd really worth yo money.My Fav. tracks are Thug Luv,If I Could Teach The World, Clog Up Yo Mind and family tree.A must have for bone fans.

I'm only make this review because of Thug Luv. Not to take anything away from the other tracks which are also very good, but Thug Luv is it. Before a couple of months ago, I haven't heard this song in 4 years. What got me to remember Thug Luv is what else, the gun shot beat. The sound of gun shots as the beats, the fast lyrics by Bone Thugs(especially Bizzy's at the beginning), and 2Pac all in one song. I consider this song the greatest gangsta rap song of all time, and my favorite. This is also the best Bone Thugs N Harmony song ever.

One doesn't realize how many good songs are on this golden double disc album until one looks back and really counts. This doesn't even include the songs that are okay, only the quality ones. The sheer content of good songs really sets Art of War apart from most of the poor 2 CD efforts (and some of one CD efforts).

Another interesting point is that this album is packed with an evolved and grown form of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. They aren't the youngsters from E. 1999 Eternal or Creepin On Ah Come Up and fortunately they're not at all soft like they are on BTNHResurrection. They are so smooth, so professional, and the raps are fast. They branch out from plainly violent raps with harsh beats. The CD is smooth. The beats are polished and the lyrics are strong. They really get a lot more contemplative on Art of War. They rarely get dumb on this album and sound like the patriarchs of rap that they are. They don't point out how good they are; they simply pump out good tracks.

Art of War is simply a collection of mostly laid back and cool Bone tracks. They have it all on this CD and the number of tracks only adds to it. It has an awesome vibe throughout. It's not terribly dark, but it is somewhat mysterious. The beats are generally off the beaten path. They experiment with gun sounds in "Thug Luv" featuring 2Pac sounds awesome, and the beat in "Body Rott" has a weird, but interesting feel to it as well. Remixes and remakes of old songs are also well done with "Friends" and "Evil Paradise". Bone successfully puts their stamp on these songs that could have been horrible bull***ts.

With that said, my favorite song on the album is "Look Into My Eyes", one of Bone Thug's best works. The beat is so polished and gives you a kind of gloomy and sad feeling, and it sounds awesome. The words are SO SMOOTHLY delivered by Bizzy, Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish. You really got to hear the song to feel the smoothness. Other exquisite tracks are "Handle the Vibe", "Body Rott", "Mind of a Souljah", "If I Could Teach the World", "Thug Luv", "Wasteland Warriors", "U Ain't Bone", and "Evil Paradise".

Art of War has no specific song that represents the album, but it really has a lot of good tracks on it. When a CD achieves this type of consistency I feel the need to reward them. I can listen to this CD all the way through and keep my self paying attention, unlike albums from Master P. This was the last realest Bone Thug's album, although not everyone would agree. If you like rap at all, I strongly recommend this to you over the expensive price; it's one of my favorites.