Raw take on “E. 1999 Eternal” by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Overall Thoughts
What truly differentiates this album from others is Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s rap delivery style. Essentially, their flows are an extremely melodic mix between rapping and singing. Each of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s members utilize this style for the album’s entirety. At first, I was annoyed by it, but after some time I started to enjoy it.
It has obvious strengths and weaknesses— a major strength being its cool sounding delivery, a weakness being the diminished technical skills. At first, it didn’t fit well with their gangsta personas because it felt like an overly large contrast. Over time, though, it began to feel like an original and welcome twist on the gangsta persona.
This leads to the lyrical portion: E. 1999 Eternal is surprisingly full of braggadocious and crime-full rhymes, and lacks focus on ‘deeper’ topics. I had to refocus lots because I felt like they were referring to the same things over and over and over again— guns, cops, murder and so on. Luckily, there is a tiny amount of variety (i.e. “Tha Crossroads” focuses on the death of loved ones and faith in God, “Down ’71 (The Getaway)” is a narrative on how Bizzy Bone’s homies free him from jail, and “1st of That Month” illustrates the joy of the first day of every month, which is welfare check day). For the most part, though, the lyrical content is gangsta-centric, slang rich, simple, and melodic. Triplet rhymes (often in groups of four) also appear often.
The beats are similarly impressive: g-funk synths, deep and dark piano samples, synthesized strings, ‘TLC triangles’, and background vocals embody E. 1999 Eternal’s sound. Practically every song is sonically rich and layered (a lot more so than other 90’s hip hop albums) and many are somewhat or very dark and somber in mood. Other emotions and feelings are captured (such as light sadness and joy), but somberness is the most common. There are a few atmospheric intros and bridges. The first song, “Da Introduction”, is the most intense album intro I’ve ever heard.
Jarring piano chords appear a lot. The g-funk synth is very recurrent but it’s usually not a dominating sound. Percussion is placed in the background but often the triangle — played in what I call the ‘TLC style’ — takes centre stage.
Production wise, E. 1999 Eternal has so much to offer that’s it’s hard to explain in so few words. The only continuous traits are: the richness of the tracks, the emphasis on moods (often somber ones), the unique instrumentation, and which instruments are emphasized or layered underneath the beat.
Bones Thugs-N-Harmony’s unique, melodic flow itself sets this album apart from others. There’s also a lot to enjoy, appreciate, and discover in the beats. The way in which the lyrics and beats connect creates a unique and original spin on the rap gangsta narrative, and is definitely worth the listen.
Songs
Da Introduction: Atmospheric, haunting intro (backwards vocals, vocal samples, rain-like noises, stuck vocals); then a thumping, dance music bass — unusual to hear that in old hip hop; followed by an explosion and highly muffled, devilish vocals with slow and hard drums; industrial sound effects and rain; the actual song part is characterized by held synth notes, rain and thunder, reverb guitars, and a bass = overall somber mood; extremely melodic, slang-full vocals; emphasis on the delivery over the content; kinda braggadocious rhymes, but again the delivery is far more impressive. Synthesized strings are often sonically supportive and so is the bass — although in two or three tracks, the bass is deep and essential to the track’s progression.
East 1999: Melodic gangsta and braggadocious rhymes; lots of triplet rhymes; sung hook; lowkey rich G-funk beat: synths, jarring piano chords, and a groovy bass; round sounds, a little gloomy and thoughtful — lots of somber samples integrated into the track
“Eternal”: Melodic braggadocious rhymes; slightly sad and cinematic beat; emphasis on the emotional strings; clean and sharp drums, G-funk synth notes, and a melancholic flute; overall, a kinda sad-reflective beat
Crept and We Came: braggadocious lyrics, melodic flow, five verses and a pop structure; prominent bass, functional drums, comically haunting g-funk synth, minor key piano notes, muffled screaming vocals; overall, a childish spooky sound
Down ’71 (The Getaway): comical intro Court skit where Bizzy Bone is sentenced to death by electric chair; in a melodic, narrative flow, Bizzy Bone explains his arrest and later imprisonment; the other two rappers narrate how they broke him outta jail; very somber beat: dark piano notes, hard drum hits, deep synth notes
Mr. Bill Collector: thuggish rhymes, the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony posse compares themselves to billing collectors coming to collect their money; melodic flow, emphasis on the simple, catchy rhymes and delivery over lyrical complexity and mind-boggling one liners; slow, archetypal haunting g-funk synth, ‘TLC triangle’ notes, stereotypical Chinese sounding piano notes, dragging drums, comically haunting piano melody, synthesized strings, functional bass; overall, a slow and kinda goofy haunting sound
Budsmokers Only: triplet rhymes; rap about weed; typical stuff: pop-structure (around 7 verses and numerous hooks), melodic flow, almost singing-delivery; my favorite song so far, simply because of the beat: the cinematic chords give it the perfect balance between goofy and intense; g-funk synth, aptly timed power chords, woo-ing synth or something, background vocals
Tha Crossroads: rapping lost loved ones and faith in God; touching hook: “See you at the crossroads / So you won’t be lonely”. Major focus on the singing aspect — tons of hooks and bridges; sad-reminiscent, dedication kinda beat; appropriate g-funk synth, typical piano notes, childlike effects — like awe lullaby bells, mostly unpronounced drums, constant maracas like things; the beat syncs well with the song’s message
Me Killa: reverberating, group A cappella; gangsta lyrics — which is pretty odd, considering how they sing; sounds like a quiet train is in the background
Land of Tha Heartless: feels like the tempo quickens progressively; gangsta lyrics; dark and somber mood: atmospheric clicking, dark g-funk synth, background haunting synth in harmony with the primary synth, prominent drums, occasional quiet but jarring piano chords
No Shorts, No Losses: emotionally neutral; gangsta lyrics, and same old same old: melodic flow, emphasis on rhymes and delivery, endless slang; prominent and consistent ‘TLC triangle’, driving bass, beat-aiding drums, neutral g-funk synth, plucked guitar notes, and wah-wah notes; fairly emotionally neutral, relaxed, and under the radar
1st of Tha Month: about the first of the month (welfare day) and the joy it brings; long hook, pop structure; typical style here, except more positivity because it’s focusing on a good day; positive beat, for once; upbeat g-funk synth, power piano chords, synthesized strings, harpsichord-sounding notes, functional drums; the power chords really hit hard (it’s not just the piano, they’re also aided by a bass, a deeper piano or something like that)
Buddah Lovaz: oddly structured song — they’re aren’t any legit verses or hooks, just really short sung verses; dedicated solely to weed…all they do is sing about weed; slow, feel-good track; g-funk synth, dragging drums, held synthesized strings, bells, careful electric piano riff; very melodic vocals, giving the song an R&B feel
Die Die Die: intro skit, hiding from the cops; violent intro in the middle of the song; creative outro: four witnesses report on what they saw; slightly less melodic and more serious vocals, a bit quicker to show their anxiety; unique instrumental: characterized most especially by the unsettling, anxious, jarring piano chords; overall fast, anxious electric piano, anxious strings, quick and paced drums, confused g-funk notes, round and bouncy synth-like notes, filling triangle notes
Mr. Ouija 2: short track; very ominous and dark, feels like I’m waiting for a ghost in graveyard; distorted intro vocals, gun-cocking, ominous wind and thunder sounds; the rappers repeatedly ask in unison: “Will I die of bloody murder?” to a an Ouija board
Mo’ Murda: continues where the last song ended, with distorted and deep vocals chanting: “Mo murda, mo murda / Come come again”. Long verses, which are melodic and gangsta; the beat really stands out: slow and heaving, functional drums with occasional build ups, deep piano notes, second dancing piano,‘TLC triangle’, childlike-bells, functional bass, a very unpronounced synth or synthesized organ; a very layered beat full of many instruments; overall, it sounds rich and has a childlike sound to it
Shotz to Tha Double Glock: gangsta lyrics and badass group delivery on the hook; deep, murky and heavy bass, dark piano keys, whining g-funk synth, prominent echoing block-hit or something, synthesized strings; the piano later samples the main melody of a very famous classical song — in both the original and in this song, its extremely expectant and full of build-up; overall, a heavy and serious vibe with a tint of darkness
