Thuggish Ruggish Bone

"Thuggish Ruggish Bone"
Single by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony featuring Shatasha Williams
from the album Creepin on ah Come Up
ReleasedApril 20, 1994
Recorded1993
GenreG-funk
Length4:40
LabelRuthless/Epic
Songwriter(s)Anthony Henderson, Stanley Howse, Bryon McCane, Kenneth McCloud, Steven Howse, Tim Middleton, Charles Scruggs
Producer(s)DJ U-Neek
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony singles chronology
"Thuggish Ruggish Bone"
(1994) 		"Foe tha Love of $"
(1994)

"Thuggish Ruggish Bone" is the debut single by American hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, from their debut EP Creepin on ah Come Up. It features singer Shatasha Williams.[1] The song reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was included in the soundtrack of the video game True Crime: Streets of LA; and the second half of Layzie Bone's verse was reused on the track "Family Scriptures" on the Mo Thugs Family debut album, Family Scriptures.[citation needed]

Background

During the recording of Creepin on ah Come Up, the members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony sought to release "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" as the first single, as they felt it conveyed the group's identity most clearly. Other personnel on the label wanted to release "Foe tha Love of $" first instead, but the group ultimately succeeded in convincing Eazy-E that "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" should be their debut.[2]

The music video (directed by Jerry Heller) was shot near the Cuyahoga River in western Cleveland, near the Lakeview Estates public housing units. The filming of the video was interrupted by a drive-by shooting; however, nobody on set was injured.[3] The music video also featured rapper Eazy-E.[2]

Accounts differ as to how Shatasha Williams became involved with the song. According to Williams, she reached out to Eazy-E through a mutual connection and Eazy brought her to the studio to record with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[4] Conversely, Krayzie Bone states that the group encountered Williams by coincidence near the recording studio, and selected her to sing the chorus after Williams introduced herself as a singer and impressed the group with her performance.[2] Williams stated in 2015 that she had not received any royalty payments for her role in the song. Bizzy Bone corroborated her claim, stating that Eazy-E tended to disburse payments informally rather than signing contracts during that period, with the result that many planned payments fell into disorder after Eazy's 1995 death.[4]

Track listing

  1. Thuggish Ruggish Bone (EP Version) (featuring Shatasha Williams) (4:40)
  2. Thuggish Ruggish Bone (Instrumental) (4:32)
  3. Thuggish Ruggish Bone (A Capella) (4:40)

Official versions

  • Thuggish Ruggish Bone (A Cappella) (4:40)
  • Thuggish Ruggish Bone (EP Version) (4:40)
  • Thuggish Ruggish Bone (Instrumental) (4:32)

Remix

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart
(1994) 		Peak
Position
Billboard Hot 100 22[6]
Billboard Hot Rap Songs 2[6]
Billboard Hot R&B Songs 11[6]

Year-end charts

Chart (1996) Position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] 48

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

  • Featured Guest: Shatasha Williams
  • Producer: DJ U-Neek & Kenny McCloud
  • Executive Producer: Eazy-E
  • Recorded by: Kenny McCloud at The Blackhole Recording Studio
  • Additional Recording and Mixed by: Donovan "Tha Dirt Biker" Sound at Audio Achievement Studios
  • Mastered by: "Big Bass" Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering
  • Published by: Ruthless Attack Muzick (ASCAP), Dollarz N Sense Muzick, Keenu Songs (BMI)

References

  1. ^ Adeniji, Ade The Unsung Hook Singers of '90s Rap Classics Speak Okayplayer. July 5, 2023
  2. ^ a b c "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Look Back At 'Creepin On Ah Come Up'". XXL. June 20, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Bone Thugs- Thuggish Ruggish Bone Video, Drive-by Shooting" (video). youtube.com. WEWS-TV. September 30, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "I Found Shatasha Williams, the Woman Who Sang the Hook on Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "Thuggish Ruggish Bone"". Complex. September 9, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Photographic image" (JPG). I55.photobucket.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 5 November 1994. p. 63. Retrieved 8 June 2023 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "End of Year Charts 1996". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  8. ^ "American single certifications – Bone Thugs 'N Harmony – Thuggish, Ruggish Bone". Recording Industry Association of America.