Songoftheday 4/13/20 - Let's all bring it in for wally eazy sees uncle charlie, little boo god's got him and I'm gonna miss everybody...
from the album E.1999 Eternal (1995)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (eight weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 16
Today's song of the day comes from the Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who landed their second top-40 pop hit in the fall of 1995 with the lead single from their second full-length album E.1999 Eternal, the welfare check celebration "1st of Da Month". Their follow-up release, "E.1999https://youtu.be/jBlF-oeeqbk", made the top-40 on the R&B chart at #39, while stopping at #62 on the pop Hot 100. But their third single would take the group in an entirely new direction. Originally recorded as "Crossroad" as a tribute to a friend of the group, it was re-recorded after the death of their mentor and gangsta-rap leader Eazy-E (of N.W.A.) to become "Tha Crossroads", which was put out commercially and eventually included in the new versions of the album. A softer and more melodic "ballad" style of rap not meant to get in a girl's panties, the song touched an audience way greater than their hip-hop base, as the song raced to the top of the pop and R&B charts...
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's revamp of "Tha Crossroads" became their first and only #1 on both the pop (eight weeks) and R&B (seven weeks) charts in Billboard magazine in May of 1996. The song also topped the Rap Singles chart for six weeks as well. Internationally, the single spent six weeks at #1 in New Zealand, and made the top ten in the Netherlands (#5), Ireland (#6), Sweden (#7), and the UK (#8). It also reached the top 40 in Australia (#15), Germany (#15), Canada (#17), Switzerland (#19), Belgium (#20W/#28F), France (#28), and Austria (#34). At the Grammy Awards in 1997, the group won for Best Rap Group/Duo Performace, while the E.1999 Eternal album became their first #1 record on the sales chart.
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Here's the original version of "Crossroad" included on the E.1999 Eternal album, which puts it in a completely different vibe...
Next up is the group appearing live at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards...
And the group live in concert...
In 2000, British "chav" hip-hop act Blazin' Squad released a cover of "Tha Crossroads" as their debut single, which topped the British chart and went to #13 in Ireland...
And finally, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony from their Live In Concert DVD...
Up tomorrow: A Faith-ful singer seeks immediate gratification.
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