On “Thug Luv,” all his sneering arrogance spilled into the mic, cementing him as hip-hop’s ground-level boogeyman figure not only would he rain death upon his enemies but he would laugh while doing so. Musically, songs like “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” and “No More Pain” spoke to his gravitation toward the darkness not to mention ongoing feuds with Biggie Smalls and nihilistic warnings like “Hail Mary” and “Troublesome 96” all but foretelling his tragic fate.
Likely recorded around the time he was working on All Eyez On Me, Pac’s thug persona was at an all-time high. And that’s all before Pac himself bursts in, his baritone threats clearing the room before any gun need be drawn. Everything from his chilling cadence to his impeccable melodic navigation serve in elevating “Thug Luv” from a thriller to a full-scale horror flick. Perhaps emboldened by the 2Pac’s presence, Bizzy lets fly one of the best verses of his career - one that can stand alongside any rapper’s finest work. His opening verse is frantic yet graceful in its delivery, his opening biblical imagery poetic in its juxtaposition against murderous threats. Violence permeates “Thug Luv,” and Bizzy himself plays a pivotal role in magnifying the track’s unsettling qualities. In its current iteration, the one that served as track two of Art Of War’s second disc, U-Neek’s instrumental revisions enhance the preexisting sense of menace. It’s not entirely clear as to why the group decided to replace Sylk and revisit the track for their sophomore release, but given “Thug Luv’s” undeniable quality it’s easy to formulate a theory. Said respect eventually led to Pac and Bizzy Bone hitting the studio with LA rapper Sylk-E-Fyne, where they laid down an original version of “Thug Luv.” Interested parties can actually check out that version below, featuring a stripped-down version of the instrumental, an additional verse from Bizzy Bone, and Sylk-E-Fyne rapping in place of Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish.
Though Bone and Pac seemed destined to clash over a misunderstanding gone awry, they eventually found mutual respect for one another upon crossing paths in Cleveland. In the background, Bizzy Bone’s hellish chants of “POP POP run with us, Pac and Rip with Thug Luv” strike a disorienting chord, lost beneath the intensity of Pac’s brazen shit-talking you can almost picture him in the booth with two shotguns drawn, the inspiration for the gunfire-based percussion. A tense synthesizer loop provides the basis, an ominous piano triplet alluding to the unknown. Sparking off with an electrical hum evocative of Frankenstein’s laboratory, DJ U-Neek’s eerie instrumental is reminiscent of vintage horror flicks from the seventies and eighties. Though the project houses many enduring records, “Thug Luv” stands out as a lightning rod, the quintessential blend between horrorcore and unflinching gangsta rap. Released on July 29th, 1997, Bone’s first double album became an instant commercial success by the following year, it was already certified quadruple platinum - four million copies. Yet for many hip-hop fans, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s respective sessions with Pac and Biggie led to two of the greatest collaborations the culture has ever seen: “Thug Luv” and “Notorious Thugs.”ĢPac and Bone’s “Thug Luv,” which was recorded prior to Pac’s passing in 1996, was released as part of the classic The Art Of War. Buju Banton provided vocals on one of Pac and Big’s rare collaborations “Runnin’ (From The Police). The legendary Method Man had the honor of dropping “The What” with Biggie off Ready To Die, as well as “Got My Mind Made Up” off 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me. Not many artists can say they have a song with both 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G in their repertoire. of Do or Dieīone Thugs‐n‐Harmony feat.Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's unparalleled chemistry with both 2Pac and Biggie resulted in two of the greatest tracks of all time. Bone Thugs‐n‐Harmony presents Layzie Bone & A.K.
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