Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

It’s hard to imagine a new generation of confused suburbanites and project kids embracing Cleveland gangbangers/harmonizers Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in the way those of us who came up in the late ’90s did. Despite a resurrection of sorts courtesy of Swizz Beats, who awoke the trio (Bizzie’s off the corner now, leaving only Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish Bone) from a five-year siesta and signed them to his Interscope imprint, they haven’t managed to holster their weapons (see the track “9mm” on last year’s Strength and Loyalty) and come up with tunes that don’t reek of old corpses. In short: They’re still thugs, despite the fact that they’re not. That said, Bone’s strange, choirlike sing-rapping is genuinely affecting at times, if only because it triggers the memory switch. With guests. KEVIN CAPP

Listen to a sample of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "Lil Love."