The Art of War (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony album)

The Art of War
Studio album by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Released July 29, 1997
Recorded 1996-1997
Genre Midwest hip hop, gangsta rap, hardcore hip hop, horrorcore
Length 121:14
Label Relativity, Ruthless
Producer DJ U-Neek
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony chronology
E. 1999 Eternal
(1995)		 The Art of War
(1997)		 Collection Volume One & Two
(1998/2000)
Singles from The Art of War
  1. "Look Into My Eyes"
    Released: May 2, 1997
  2. "If I Could Teach the World"
    Released: October 7, 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
For the song by DJ Kayslay, see Thug Luv (song).

The Art of War is the third studio album by rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony which was released on July 29, 1997. The album sold 394,000 units in its first week of release. The album was certified 4x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA in June 1998. It was the first double-album from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. The album included the platinum-single "Look into My Eyes", and the gold-single "If I Could Teach the World". The whole album is produced by DJ U-Neek. The album was rumored to be called "DNA Level C" which is Cleveland backwards. "The Art of War" was created largely as a response to rappers deemed "Clones" (copycats) by the group. Such rappers included (Do or Die, Crucial Conflict, Twista & The Speedknots, Bone Killas, Tommy Wright III & Three 6 Mafia). In "Ready 4 War," Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (along with Mr. Majesty) called out Crucial Conflict directly by name, with Majesty even stating, "I'll watch you ride the rodeo straight to the bottom". In "U ain't Bone", Layzie Bone raps a line similar to one from MC Lyte's "10% dis". MC lyte: "Beat biter! Dope style taker! Tell you to your face you ain't nuttin but a faker!" Layzie Bone: "They beat biters, dope-style takers When I see you face-to-face My nigga, I'm a treat you like a hater"

In the wake of his father's death and Tomica Wright now heading Ruthless, Bizzy Bone was not happy, and thus did not appear for many shows or promotions. Now calling the shots, many tracks were altered by Tomica Wright, attempting to head the group into a new direction. Such tracks include Thug Luv with Sylk-E. Fyne, If I Could Teach the World, Friends, Ready For War and many others. While the group appeared at Sprite Nite on BET, Keenan Ivory Wayans (with Bizzy), and several other promotions, their tour began to lag without Bizzy. They also changed the name of "Friends" for the cassette version to "How Many of Us Have Them". The first single for this album was Look Into My Eyes, which was also on the Batman & Robin soundtrack. The video did not feature Bizzy or Flesh. The next single was "If I Could Teach the World". Bizzy did not appear in this video either. Thug Luv and Body Rott were also released to radio as singles.

Contents

Track listing

World War 1
No. Title Producer(s) Length
1. "Retaliation (Intro)" (featuring DJ U-Neek) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 2:21
2. "Handle The Vibe"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 4:40
3. "Look Into My Eyes"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, L. Parker, A. Colandreo 4:19
4. "Body Rott"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 5:01
5. "It's All Mo' Thug"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, Flesh-N-Bone, J.V. Taylor 5:12
6. "Ready 4 War" (featuring Mr. Majesty) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, Majesty, P. Sawyer, M. Mc Leod 4:36
7. "Ain't Nothin' Changed"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, F. Jackson, B. Eastmond 4:43
8. "Clog Up Yo Mind"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 5:01
9. "It's All Real"   Krayzie Bone, DJ U-Neek 5:08
10. "Hardtimes (Interlude)"   Krayzie Bone, DJ U-Neek, L. Moore 2:49
11. "Mind Of A Souljah"   Layzie Bone, DJ U-Neek 4:39
12. "If I Could Teach The World"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 4:24
13. "Family Tree"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, K. Mcord 5:49
World War 2
No. Title Producer(s) Length
1. "Mo' Thug (Interlude) (per. Krayzie Bone & Layzie Bone)"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 1:40
2. "Thug Luv" (featuring 2Pac) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, 2Pac 5:08
3. "Hatin' Nation"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 5:12
4. "7 Sign" (featuring Mr. Majesty) Bizzy Bone, Majesty, DJ U-Neek 4:48
5. "Wasteland Warriors" (featuring Souljah Boy of Mo Thugs Family) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, Souljah Boy of Mo Thugs Family 4:28
6. "Neighborhood Slang (Interlude)"   Krayzie Bone, DJ U-Neek 1:29
7. "U Ain't Bone"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 5:04
8. "Get Cha Thug On" (featuring Tre) Wish Bone, DJ U-Neek 4:02
9. "All Original"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek 4:58
10. "Blaze It (Interlude)"   Krayzie Bone, DJ U-Neek 2:08
11. "Let The Law End"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, Flesh-N-Bone 3:36
12. "Whom Die They Lie"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, Flesh-N-Bone 4:24
13. "Friends (How Many Of Us Have Them on them"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, Flesh-N-Bone 5:10
14. "Evil Paradise"   Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, T. Stanl, J. Guldberg 4:48
15. "Mo' Thug Family Tree" (featuring Mo Thugs Family) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ U-Neek, Mo Thugs Family 5:37

Chart positions

Album

Chart (1997) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 1
Canadian Albums Chart 10

Singles

Song Chart (1997) Peak
position
"Look into My Eyes" Billboard Hot 100 4
"Look into My Eyes" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 1
"Look into My Eyes" Hot Rap Tracks 2
"If I Could Teach the World" Billboard Hot 100 27
"If I Could Teach the World" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 20
"If I Could Teach the World" Hot Rap Tracks 3
Preceded by
No Way Out by Puff Daddy		 Billboard 200 number-one album
August 16–22, 1997		 Succeeded by
No Way Out by Puff Daddy

See also

References

  1. ^ Thomas, Stephen (1997-08-05). "The Art of War - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-art-of-war-r282062. Retrieved 2011-12-23. 

External links

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Studio albums
Compilations
Singles
Related articles
Book:Bone Thugs-n-Harmony