{{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Creepin on ah Come Up1994The Art of War1997studioE. 1999 EternalE_1999_Eternal_cover.jpgBone Thugs-n-HarmonyJuly 25, 1995Trax Recording Studio (Hollywood, Los Angeles)Template:Flatlist68:04Template:FlatlistTemplate:Flatlistx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} E. 1999 Eternal is the second studio album by American hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, released July 25, 1995, on Ruthless Records. The album was released four months after the death of gangsta rapper Eazy-E, the group's mentor and the executive producer of the album. Both the album and single "Tha Crossroads" are dedicated to him. Following up on the surprise success of their breakthrough single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone", it became a popular album and received positive reviews from music critics, earning praise for the group's melodic rapping style. The album title is a portmanteau of Cleveland's eastside neighborhood centering on East 99th Street and St. Clair Avenue where the group is based and the then-future year 1999.
The album sold 307,000 copies in the first week. E. 1999 Eternal became the group's best-selling album, with four million copies sold in the United States. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and topped the chart for two consecutive weeks. The album was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, ultimately losing to Naughty by Nature's Poverty's Paradise at the 1996 Grammy Awards.<ref>Grammy Best Rap Albums Winners Template:Webarchive. About.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-17.</ref> In 2015, the group toured in support of the 20th anniversary of the album, performing it in its entirety for the first time.
Commercial performanceEdit
E.1999 Eternal sold 307,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts. It remained at No. 1 in its second week on both charts, selling 222,000 copies. In its third week, E.1999 Eternal dropped to number 2 on the Billboard 200, behind Hootie & the Blowfish's Cracked Rear View, selling 162,000 copies. The album sold 123,000 copies in its fourth week and got outsold by The Show: The Soundtrack, dropping to No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Critical receptionEdit
Template:Music ratings Upon release, E. 1999 Eternal met with critical acclaim. Cheo H. Coker of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the group "has raised the stakes of the gangsta rap game, not only in terms of pure, gritty excess, but also in rhyme-style, cadence and delivery", concluding: "This is the kind of album that starts out good and gets better with repeated listenings—as the dark, subliminal references clear up. Easily one of the most worthwhile rap purchases of the year."<ref name="lat"/>
Retrospectively, Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic described E. 1999 Eternal as "an impressive debut full-length that dismisses any notion that the group was merely a one-hit wonder", adding that it "maintains a consistent tone, one that's menacing and somber, produced entirely by DJ U-Neek, a Los Angeles-based producer who frames the songs with dark, smoked-out G-funk beats and synth melodies."<ref name="allmusic.com"/> The Source hailed E. 1999 Eternal as one of The Top 100 Rap Albums of 1990s.
In a second thought review in Stylus Magazine, the album was described as "Lyrically speaking, Bone Thugs have much in common with countless mainstream rap acts. The themes running throughout E.1999 Eternal are familiar—drugs, violent crime and death make regular appearances. It's the manner in which the lyrics are framed and delivered that makes the group such a bizarre proposition. Bone Thugs had a melodic flow—frequently delivered in unison—that bordered on singing. They could rap together at a lightning fast pace, without losing their sweetness." Stylus also praised producer DJ U-Neek for his production style on the album stating "The album was entirely produced by DJ U-Neek (although he did collaborate on some tracks), endowing cohesiveness to the unique Bone Thugs sound. U-Neek was, like the vocal group members of Bone Thugs, unorthodox in the rap field. It wouldn't be far off to describe him as a songwriter as well as a producer. He was always keen to flesh out interesting sounds—usually based around rumbling piano chords, mellotron and synthesised strings. Yet, the focus was largely on song craft and melody—the album frequently strays into gloomy territory, but never loses its sense of tunefulness. The beats were not particularly striking—usually low-key and sluggish, but the album's strengths are not rhythm-related."
Track listingEdit
Template:Track listing Template:Track listing
- Notes
SamplesEdit
| # | Title | Samples | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Da Introduction" | "In The Rain" by The Dramatics | |
| 3. | "Eternal" | "Character Bios Theme" from Eternal Champions by Andy Armer<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 7. | "Budsmokers Only" | "Reasons" by Earth, Wind & Fire | |
| 8. | "Crossroad” | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 9. | "Me Killa (Skit)" | "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March | |
| 12. | "1st of tha Month" | "I Just Wanna Be Your Girl" by Chapter 8 | |
| 13. | "Buddah Lovaz" | "Choosey Lover" by The Isley Brothers and "Right and a Wrong way" by Keith Sweat | |
| 14. | "Die Die Die" | "Breakthrough" by Isaac Hayes | |
| 16. | "Mo Murda" | "I'd Rather Be With You" by Bootsy's Rubber Band | |
| 18. | "Tha Crossroads" | "Make Me Say It Again Girl Part 1 & 2" by The Isley Brothers |
AppearancesEdit
- Krayzie Bone appears on all tracks.
- Layzie Bone appears on 17 tracks.
- Bizzy Bone appears on 17 tracks.
- Wish Bone appears on 14 tracks.
- Flesh-n-Bone appears on 5 tracks.
PersonnelEdit
- Eric "Eazy-E" Wright - Executive Producer, Album Concept
- D.J. U-Neek - Producer, Recording
- Layzie Bone - Producer
- Anne Catalino - Engineer
- Aaron Connor - Engineer and Recording
- Don Cunningham - Design and Art Direction
- Tony Cowan - Recording
- Madeleine Smith - Sample Clearance
ChartsEdit
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
Weekly chartsEdit
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (1995–1996) | Peak position |
|---|
Year-end chartsEdit
| Chart (1996) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
32 |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 16 | |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 10 |
| Chart (1995) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 35 | |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
5 |
Decade-end chartsEdit
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200<ref name="1990sbb">Template:Cite book</ref> | 54 |
CertificationsEdit
Template:Certification Table Top Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Bottom
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- E 1999 Eternal at Discogs
- "Back to the Lab" series - E 1999 Eternal at RapReviews