CLEVELAND — Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are Cleveland classics that made the intersection of East 99th and St Clair an iconic spot that people from all over travel to see.
Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone and Flesh N Bone have had fans bopping to the "First of the Month" for decades. While other big artists were representing New York and California, they represented Cleveland, specifically East 99th Street.
“That's where our roots are, that’s where we originated from, we made that street famous,” said Krayzie Bone.
But if you didn’t know the history and drove through the East Side, you’d never know the greater story behind those street blue signs. That's what led a few residents in Cleveland to start an initiative to dedicate East 99th Street to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
“There's nothing here that pays homage to that or to the group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony,” said Felicia C. Haney, Owner of Beach Street Publicity.
Haney’s petition is not to change the street name, but instead to add a sign above East 99th Street that reads, “Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Way.” So Felicia and Juan Goodwin went door-to-door getting signature after signature. They needed 70% of the street, and that’s what they got within a span of two hours in the cold.
Once the petition was done and signed, it was sent to the Cleveland Council where Councilman Kevin Conwell was left shocked by how quickly they got the signatures.
“This is the fastest petition I have seen signed and I have been on council for 20 years. I’ve done a lot of street dedications, and this is the fastest one I’ve seen here. That’s proof that it’s in the pudding,” said Councilman Conwell.
Now that the City Council has received the petition, the dedication must be introduced in a meeting by Councilman Anthony Hairston. Then it will be voted on.
Haney and Goodwin are excited for what’s next, hoping the vote will happen soon, because to them and the community, it’s bigger than just putting up another sign.
“When the group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony made it, they not just made it from Cleveland, they made it from this area and gave people from around here hope. They are people from our neighborhood, they are not from the suburbs. They really took Cleveland to the level that they did and 30 years later, people are still talking about it,” Haney said.
“Bone Thugs-N-Harmony from the city of Cleveland is our champion,” said Juan.
For Krayzie Bone and the group, their reaction is simple.
“First I was like, 'About time!” Krayzie Bone said. “When I heard how receptive the community was, I was very happy they still had our backs like that.”
He's hoping soon they'll see their fans at 'Tha Crossroads' of East 99th and St. Clair.
If you’d like to sign the petition click here. The honorary addition will be introduced to the council in the coming weeks.
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