The five members of Bone Thugs have always been family-orientated. The recognized leader Layzie Bone (Steven Howse) is the younger brother of oft-absent and eldest member Flesh-N Bone (Stanley Howse), while both are cousins of Wish Bone (Charles Scruggs, Jr.). Layzie first met Krayzie Bone (Anthony Henderson) in seventh grade, when he and Flesh-N would beatbox and Krayzie would rap. Youngest member Bizzy Bone (Bryon McCane II) joined the group at age thirteen when he relocated back to Cleveland, Ohio after a notoriously harrowing childhood.

“While we stood on the block and kicked it all night, and was out doing our thing as children, we would stand around and sing old songs. Then singing old songs turned into, ‘Well, let’s harmonize right here.’ ” — Layzie

In May 1993, Cleveland, Ohio entrepreneur Kermit Henderson provided mentorship instrumental in assisting the group achieve preliminary success, as he recorded their first album Faces of Death in his studio and released it on his label, Stoney Burke Records.

“I basically will do public service: advising guys what to do, giving them options of recording studios to go to, the people to contact with demos, suggesting to them how to increase their skills. But I like the opportunity to be able to showcase people. I really feel good about giving people opportunity.” — Kermit Henderson

Layzie, Krayzie, Bizzy and Wish (stylized as Wi$h) re-branded their initial Band-Aid Boys moniker to B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e and released Faces of Death without Flesh-N, thanking him in the credits. Younger brother Stewart Howse was also thanked in the credits as was Noreen and “Looney” Lynn Scruggs, the mother and sister of Wi$h.

The last credit provided one definition to the B.O.N.E. acronym:

To tha Cops : STOP! Beating On Niggaz Everyday!!! — B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e

The majority of production on Faces of Death came from Associate Producer Archie Blaine, who later resurfaced on the first two Mo Thugs compilations: Family Scriptures and Mo Thugs Family Scriptures Chapter II: Family Reunion.

Kris “K. Chill” Ford — fellow Stoney Burke artist and member of the Band-Aid Boys — handled the layout and was one of three Executive Producers.

“The Band-Aid Boys was me, Krayzie, Flesh and a nigga named K. Chill. It was in junior high, like in ‘87. And after junior high everybody went to different high schools.” — Layzie

The second Executive Producer was Ralph Rock, who also Executive Produced No Fear No Pain, an EP by Mr. Money Loc and the second release from Stoney Burke Records. The third Executive Producer (and group Manager) Diego Hodge would directly impact the next phase of B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e to the point of no return.

The first track off Faces of Death is a true ‘90’s posse cut entitled “Flow Motion” and has a reference by Layzie to “my bigger brother Stan Howse”. With Krayzie rapping fourth, his verse would be the very first B.O.N.E. rap heard by Compton, California legend Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, who ultimately signed and mentored the group.

“We ain’t gonna make it up outta Cleveland if we don’t leave Cleveland.” — Krayzie

The five friends were deeply inspired by the bravado and iconic approach taken by Eazy-E, and found their position in Cleveland unsuitable to harbor and nourish dreams larger than just Faces of Death. The resourceful familial bond provided necessary, as Flesh-N saved up enough funds from his work at Kentucky Fried Chicken to purchase five individual three-day Greyhound Bus tickets from Cleveland, Ohio to Los Angeles, California in hopes of securing a record deal — be it from Eazy-E and Ruthless Records or otherwise.

“Flesh was working at KFC. He got all the money. He saved up two, three checks at like $6-$7–$800 a motherfucking check. Plus, he know a couple people out there, he was a connection. That whole Flesh-N link to Bone Thugs, that’s a whole ‘nother issue, that’s a whole other side. He fronted the money for the tickets. We went down with a few pairs of drawers, a few shirts, pants, sisters crying and shit. I had to leave my baby’s momma at the shelter. Niggas just basically left everything and told the whole hood we was gonna make it. We gonna bring Eazy-E here and make a video. Niggas was videotaping and shit. It was prophetic as fuck.” — Bizzy

Now simply known as B.O.N.E., the initial three-day trip turned into weeks in California. Without proper income nor a fallback plan, the group transferred from street to street, flop house to trap house in hopes of gaining the attention of Wright. Dozens of phone calls to Ruthless Records eventually reciprocated a call from Ruthless co-owner and eventual E. 1999 Eternal Executive Producer Eazy-E.

“We rolled out there with twenty blunts apiece … couple of bucks. But it was just getting up and going, it’s go-mode. It’s time to take a chance.” — Bizzy

Eazy co-founded Ruthless Records with Shaker Heights, Ohio native and business partner Jerry Heller in March 1986, partially as an exit from the street life which provided Wright with his investment portion. Heller was initially the manager for both C.I.A. — Los Angeles, California native O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Sr.’s first group — and The World Class Wreckin’ Cru, the first group of Compton, California natives Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby.

The first four releases from Ruthless are standard-bearer classics: certified gold N.W.A. and the Posse from N.W.A., certified gold Supersonic from J.J. Fad, certified double-platinum Straight Outta Compton from N.W.A. and certified double-platinum Eazy-Duz-It from Wright himself.

Wright was not only the co-founder and co-owner of Ruthless Records, he was also responsible for two of the biggest acts on the label: both Niggaz Wit Attitudes (N.W.A.) and his own solo career as Eazy-E. N.W.A. went on to beget the careers of Cube, Dre and Yella, who later joined Wright on Creepin on ah Come Up, the debut EP from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony on Ruthless Records in June 1994.

A tenth-grade high school dropout with a discerning eye for talent, Wright initially sponsored Dr. Dre, who eventually sponsored Detroit, Michigan native and fifteen-time Grammy winner Marshall “Eminem” Mathers, who eventually sponsored Queens, New York native and Grammy winner Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. Wright also initially sponsored Ice Cube, who eventually released ten solo albums and starred, produced, wrote and/or directed over thirty feature films.

In December 1992, Wright released the certified gold 5150: Home 4 tha Sick. The five-track EP featured Atban Klann — also known as A Tribe Beyond A Nation — making their major-label debut. Their own debut record Grass Roots was shelved — partly due to the emergence of Bone — and the group was eventually dropped from Ruthless after the death of Wright. The two founding members of Atban Klann — Los Angeles, California native William Adams, Jr. and Pampanga, Philippines-born Allan Lindo — would eventually reform and rebrand themselves as the six-time Grammy-award winning quartet The Black Eyed Peas — going on to become one of world’s all-time best-selling groups.

“From what I heard, when he met Bone, he said that’s like the fastest he’s ever signed anybody. He signed them like pretty much immediately. He had a really good ear for knowing talent. He had will.i.am before anybody even knew what the hell a will.i.am is.” — Shawn “DJ Speed” Lewis

As a cultural visionary and creative icon, Wright literally and completely forever changed the scope of hip-hop and music in general; developing and pioneering ‘gangsta rap’ and affecting pop culture with his style, delivery, lyrical content, thematic explorations and seemingly indifference to authority of any kind.

In November 1993, Wright yet again sponsored one of the most commercially successful rap groups in history despite passing away prior to their fully-realized success.