"Tha Crossroads" is a song written and performed by hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, taken from their album E. 1999 Eternal and released in 1996. The song is dedicated to the group's mentor, the late gangsta rap icon Eazy-E, and other family members. The song was the highest-debuting rap single when it debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It is their biggest selling single, reaching number one on the Hot 100, and in 1996, the song won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Background
"Crossroad" originally debuted in 1995 on the E. 1999 Eternal album. It was dedicated to Bone's dead friend Wallace (Wally) Laird III, but after the death of Eazy-E they decided to remake it as "Tha Crossroads".
The original song appears on the edited version of the album, though the European release has the original as track number 8 and the remix as track 18. The song is performed by four of the group's members, (Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone and Wish Bone). After receiving high praise for their song the group decided to make it their third single for their already released album, E. 1999 Eternal.
The song was a smash hit worldwide and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It has been certified 2x platinum in the United States.
In 2008, "Tha Crossroads" was ranked number 33 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Music video
The music video was filmed on February 27–28, 1996. It opens with the female vocal group Tre' (Kimberly Cromartie, Rebecca Forsha and Maniko Williams) singing the traditional spiritual "Mary Don't You Weep" in a church funeral setting, followed by the members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony singing the main song in several settings, such as a church and a mountain top.
The main focus of the video is an imposing man with sunglasses and a trench coat, akin to a Reaper. Bone are among the few who can see the man, and watch him as he gathers souls of various individuals who are marked for death, such as a young man who leaves his distraught mother behind (presumably have died after entering life as a gang member), Bone's friend Mike G, Wish Bone's uncle Charles, Eazy-E, and a newborn baby (possibly to have died from a childbirth complication). The Reaper then leads the souls, with the baby in his arms, up a mountain where he reveals himself to be an angel, then takes the dead to Heaven.
Track listings
Australian CD single
"Tha Crossroads" (D.J. U-Neek's Mo Thug remix) – 3:50
- "Tha Crossroads" (D.J. U-Neek's remix instrumental) – 3:48
- "Crossroad" (LP version – radio edit) – 3:33
- "1st of tha Month" (The Kruder and Dorfmeister remix) – 6:15
- "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" – 4:42
Charts and sales
Peak positions
| Year-end charts
End-of-decade charts
Sales and certifications
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