Bone Thugs: It's an Ohio Thing

"Boy with a coin he crammed in his jeans, then making a wish, and tossed in the sea."
-Iron and Wine, Boy with a Coin




I had been seeing Mary Jane on a fairly regular basis for the past month. The two of us had been friends for almost a year but after loosing touch for a bit, we had recently reconnected. We'd go out for a drink or a movie. There were kisses on occasion and daily correspondence via text, so I guess we were qusi-dating, although we never got to the title stage. I was into her on a romantic level but the feeling would NOT grow to be mutual.

One night after work, I went over to her place to hang out. I'd had a very shitty couple of days for reasons I won't get into for the sake of time. We always seemed to enjoy each others company and I was hoping to take my mind of things for awhile. It was a typical night for us: wine, weed and tunes. I was starting to cheer up, until she brought up our foggy at best situation.

"I enjoy your company," she said. Uh oh, I didn't like her tone. "I feel a connection but I don't want to press feelings that aren't prominent." Sweeeet. These are the kind of phrases any guy with a crush hopes to never hear.

We talked about it for awhile and I had the feeling she thought I wanted more from her then I really did. Maybe she felt pressured. She shouldn't have. I was totally satisfied with being stranded on first base. I was in no hurry. We had just started to share the bed, after about three weeks of me sleeping on the couch. I felt some sort of progress had been made and I was content. The strange part was I didn't even mind being relegated to the living room. For the first time in awhile, I was in no rush to sleep with a girl I was into.

Regardless, from that night on we would be just friends. My feelings were hurt but I was cool with it. Nothing had gotten serious and we'd only been an "item" for a short while. We had made plans to go see Bone Thugs-n-Harmony the following Thursday. Since I already had tickets, we decided to go anyway. Could be awkward but I was willing to try. After all we had been friends first and I wished to return to our previous form.

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The day of the show everything was planned. After work she would come over to pregame, we'd get PODed and then head out. She had packed an overnight bag so she could crash at my apartment and shower in the morning before heading back in to work. I had cold beer in the fridge, a few blunts rolled and a killer Bone mix ready to go. I even gave the bathroom a quick scrub down so she wouldn't have to bathe in man filth. But at the last minute she bailed.

It wasn't her fault, she had gotten sick at work. Bad burrito or something of the sort. She tried but wouldn't be able to shake it off in time for the concert. In addition, she had forgotten her over-night bag, which I found somewhat suspect but it didn't matter at that point. She wouldn't be going. Bummer.

Irritated and slightly pissed while still trying to be understanding, I frantically started making phone calls to find a pinch-ragger. I only had 2 hrs before the doors opened so I had to work quickly. After four no's from friends that claimed to be Bone fans, I called Janis who is always down for whatever. She wasn't working and had no plans so my search had ended. I went over to her place to get my buzz on.

Six PBR Tallboys and a blunt later we were walking to Newport. It was a sold out show and the line was massive. Janis stashed the rest of the weed in her bra and we got through with no problems. 99 Problems by Jay-Z was bumping through the speakers as we ordered our first Labbat Blue pints. The song seemed appropriate to my current situation.

Warm up, after warm up performed. At least four total, pretty normal for a Hip-Hop show, but still annyoing. We got drunker and we grew more agitated by the minute. Get to the meat and potatoes already! I don't give a fuck about so and so's boys from Akron trying to act gangster and rhyme shitty raps. They were all trying to be Bone Thugs, unsuccessfully.

Just before the headliners took the stage, Janis and I crept our way to the rail on the ground level. The lights cut out. The subs barked to life. East 1999. The crowd exploded. They were all in gray or red, in honor of Columbus and OSU. Krayzie Bone was even wearing a James Laurinaitis jersey. Their rhymes were lighting quick and sharper than broken glass. The sound man was on point. Dayz of Our Livez was also cd perfect and then they addressed the crowd.

"It's personal," Layzie Bone said into his mic. "It's an Ohio thing!" They launched into Thuggish Ruggish Bone next and I felt euphoric. I had always liked Krayzie the best growing up, but I found that Layzie was the best live. He strode around stage and interacted with the crowd more then the others. They were all there minus Bizzy and Flesh who had some legal troubles keeping them from traveling with the rest.

We sparked an L during 1st of tha Month and made friends with a couple standing next to us. The girl was a pretty blond and the boyfriend was the whitest black man I had ever met. We passed them the blunt and grooved to the music. By the end of the show the boyfriend and I were high-fiving and hugging. We both knew every word to every song and became temporary best friends.

They did Easy E's Still Cruisin' and Notorious Thugs with the crowd rapping every word of Biggie's and Easy's verses in unison. Prolific amounts of pot smoke filled the air. Bone was smoking on the stage as was nearly everyone in the crowd. Weed was everywhere; in line for the bathroom, while waiting for beer, even the security guys were blazing.

After a new song that was absolutely awful (we thought it was an April Fools joke, the show was on April 1st) they did some freestyling and a short encore featuring Thug Love. They closed with an old 70s Motown song I recognized but couldn't name.

We made the short walk back to my place and Janis immediately passed out on the couch. I was lucky to call her my friend. She had saved the day for sure and I was thrilled to see one of my favorite groups from my childhood. However, laying in bed I couldn't help but wonder how things would have gone if Mary Jane had come. Despite the amazing night I had hanging out with Janis, I found myself asking the obvious questions about MJ, wishing for what could have been. I wished for a lot of things when it came to her but they wouldn't come pass.

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In hind sight, I've decided Mary Jane and I are better and more comfortable as friends. We don't talk as often but still hang out on occasion. Sometimes I long for how things were before we had "the talk" but life doesn't work like that. It keeps moving forward in a predetermined direction we can't navigate ahead of time. What is meant to be will be. Maybe someday things will be different for me and her. I doubt it, but no one can predict the future.


-J.R.