The science of crowd-pleasing

From their humble beginnings in Ohio and signing with Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records, to securing a Grammy win and platinum certifications, to working with hip-hop icons Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., Bone Thugs-n-Harmony has solidified themselves as one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time.

Not stopping there: with over 25 years in the music industry, the multiplatinum recording artists are returning to Sacramento for a June 7 show at Ace of Spades.

The show marks the first time since last December’s V101 Throwback Holiday Jam at the Golden 1 Center that Bone Thugs—consisting of Krayzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone and Wish Bone­—will be performing in Sactown.

“Sacramento always shows out for us,” Flesh-n-Bone told SN&R. “We’re going to dig deep into the archive–old and new.”

Flesh teased further—the “new” could potentially mean performing unreleased solo songs from other members of the group, or previews of tracks from a pending 2018 album from the entire collective. Flesh also revealed that he may have some solo music in the works and that fans can expect to catch an appearance from the group on rapper Wiz Khalifa’s upcoming album, Rolling Papers 2, due out in July.

For the show at Ace of Spades, the group is ready to bring their infectious signature energy back to the city. An energy which the group has remained consistent with since their early days, both onstage and in the recording booth.

“The key is to stay creative,” Flesh said. “We try to be innovators, motivators and such with respect to our music.”

And the music translates to the stage in a way that is only relative to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, he said.

“Bone Thugs’ energy on stage is so electrifying,” Flesh said. “After over 25 years, bringing that energy is second nature to us. We’re scientists when it comes to it.”

To be consistent with that energy, you also need a devoted following to match what you bring to the stage. The West Coast is a major outlet for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

And for Sacramento, the city remains a special place for the iconic group.

“It’s been 25 years or so, and we try to make it to Sac twice a year,” said Flesh. “It’s all love. Thanks for always embracing us as if we’re from there. We’ll see you soon.”