Creepin On Ah Come Up

Album Review

Bearing the kinship of West Coast gangsta rap legend Eazy-E, Ruthless Records signees Bone Thugs-N-Harmony scored a left-field anthem in summer 1994 with "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," the lead single from their debut release, the eight-song Creepin on ah Come Up EP. The group's harmonious, fast-paced rapping sets them apart from their gangsta rap contemporaries, as does their Midwestern locale. Another highlight here is "For tha Love of Money," which features Eazy shortly before his unexpected passing away. Capturing Bone in their prime, back when they were still a cohesive, functional unit with nothing to lose, Creepin on ah Come Up isn't such a worthwhile listen on its own, but "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" is perhaps the group's signature recording and undoubtedly essential listening for fans, either here or elsewhere, as the song would later be compiled on the Collection, Vol. 1 best-of (1998). [The 1999 re-release of E 1999 Eternal appended the Creepin on ah Come Up EP as a bonus disc.]