Thug on da Line
Bone  Thugs-N-Harmonyinnovator Krayzie Bone's follow-up to his smash solo hit,Thug Mentality  1999, paints a picture of life on the streets in a manner  that's so cinematic that it would work well as a movie score. Musically  heavy on eerie keyboard riffs and ambient sound, the album's most  accessible songs originate from well-known samples. "Hard Time  Hustlin'" is an unexpected extrapolation ofSade's "Feel No  Pain" while "Time After Time," which sounds like vintage Bone  Thugs-N-Harmony, coasts onHeavy D. & the  Boyz's slow jam "Don't You Know." While the "thug life" mindset is  getting pretty played out, the code of the streets is reality for some,  and Krayzie's vision is more subtle, melodic, and thoughtful than that  of many of his peers.--Rebecca Levine