Family Scriptures is the debut studio album by American hip hop collective Mo Thugs. It was released on November 5, 1996, via Mo Thugs/Relativity Records. The recording sessions took place at Private Island Trax in Los Angeles. It was produced by Krayzie Bone, who also served as executive producer together with Layzie Bone, Archie Blaine, Bobby Jones and Paul "Tombstone" O'Neil, with co-producers Gates and Sin. It features contributions from Flesh-n-Bone, II Tru, Ken Dawg, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Poetic Hustla'z, Souljah Boy, the Graveyard Shift, and Tré.

Family Scriptures
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 5, 1996 (1996-11-05)
Recorded1995–96
StudioPrivate Island Trax (Los Angeles, CA)
GenreHip hop
Length1:14:51
Label
Producer
Mo Thugs chronology
Family Scriptures
(1996)
Chapter II: Family Reunion
(1998)
Singles from Family Scriptures
  1. "Thug Devotion"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[2]
The Source[3]

The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States selling 219,000 copies. On January 3, 1997, it received Platinum certification status by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 1,000,000 copies.

Its sequel, Mo Thugs Family Scriptures Chapter II: Family Reunion, was released on May 26, 1998.

Controversy

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On April 28, 2011, former Bone Thugs-n-Harmony/Mo Thugs associate Roland Brown filed the lawsuit in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, for breach of contract over unpaid royalties, claiming he wrote “Take Your Time” and “Here With Me” by Tré. Naming Mo Thugs Records, Loud Records, Relativity Records, Ruthless Records, Sony Music and Warner Music Group as defendants, Brown was seeking for $27 million ($24 million in damages and $3 million in mechanical royalties for the single, music video, and Family Scriptures album).[4]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro" (performed by Tré and Krayzie Bone)  1:20
2."Searchin' 4 Peace" (performed by Poetic Hustla'z)
Krayzie Bone3:32
3."Ghetto Bluez" (performed by II Tru and Layzie Bone)
Archie Blaine5:49
4."Killing Fields" (performed by the Graveyard Shift)
  • Paul O'Neil
  • Actavius Mills
  • Arran Baldwin
  • Henderson
  • Jones
  • Krayzie Bone
  • Bobby Jones (co.)
5:15
5."Mo' Murder" (performed by Krayzie Bone)Krayzie Bone4:55
6."Ain't No Reason" (performed by Ken Dawg)
  • Kendon Anthony
  • Blaine
Archie Blaine4:59
7."Take Your Time" (performed by Tré and Krayzie Bone)
  • Kimberly Cromartie
  • Niko Williams
  • Rebecca Forsha
  • Henderson
  • Jones
Bobby Jones4:53
8."Welcome to My World" (performed by II Tru and Ken Dawg)
Archie Blaine4:42
9."Thug Devotion" (performed by Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, Tré, Ken Dawg and Souljah Boy)
Bobby Jones4:35
10."Here With Me" (performed by Tré)
  • Cromartie
  • Williams
  • Forsha
  • Henderson
  • Jones
  • Krayzie Bone
  • Bobby Jones (co.)
5:36
11."Playa in Me" (performed by Ken Dawg)
Archie Blaine4:38
12."No Pretender" (performed by Jhaz, Tombstone, Boogie Nikke and Krayzie Bone)
  • Henderson
  • Jones
Krayzie Bone4:37
13."Rumors and War" (performed by the Graveyard Shift and Flesh-n-Bone)
  • Bobby Jones
  • Krayzie Bone (co.)
  • Paul "Tombstone" O'Neil (co.)
  • Actavius "Sin" Mills (co.)
  • Arran "Gates" Baldwin (co.)
5:17
14."II Tru" (performed by II Tru)
  • Wallace
  • Wilson
  • Blaine
Archie Blaine3:53
15."Low Down" (performed by Souljah Boy and Krayzie Bone)
  • Lyons
  • O'Neil
  • Paul "Tombstone" O'Neil
  • Bobby Jones (co.)
4:44
16."Family Scriptures" (performed by the Graveyard Shift, Poetic Hustla'z, II Tru, Ken Dawg, Souljah Boy, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone and Tré)
  • O'Neil
  • Mills
  • Baldwin
  • Poole
  • Chappell
  • Drake
  • Wallace
  • Wilson
  • Anthony
  • Lyons
  • Henderson
  • Steven Howse
  • Stanley Howse
  • Cromartie
  • Williams
  • Forsha
  • Krayzie Bone
  • Bobby Jones (co.)
6:35
Total length:1:14:51
Sample credits

Personnel

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  • Anthony Henderson – performer (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 16), producer (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 10, 12, 16), co-producer (track 13), executive producer
  • Kimberly Cromartie – performer (tracks: 1, 7, 9, 10, 16)
  • Niko Williams – performer (tracks: 1, 7, 9, 10, 16)
  • Rebecca Forsha – performer (tracks: 1, 7, 9, 10, 16)
  • Ronald Poole – performer (tracks: 2, 12, 16)
  • Anthony Chappell – performer (tracks: 2, 16)
  • Richard Drake – performer (tracks: 2, 16)
  • Belinda Wallace – performer (tracks: 3, 8, 12, 14, 16)
  • Cabrina Wilson – performer (tracks: 3, 8, 14, 16)
  • Steven Howse – performer (tracks: 3, 9, 16), executive producer
  • Paul O'Neil – performer (tracks: 4, 12, 13, 16), keyboards & producer (track 15), co-producer (track 13)
  • Actavius Mills – performer (tracks: 4, 13, 16), co-producer (track 13)
  • Arran Baldwin – performer (tracks: 4, 13, 16), co-producer (track 13)
  • Kendon Anthony – performer (tracks: 6, 8, 9, 11, 16)
  • Willy Lyons – performer (tracks: 9, 15, 16)
  • Stanley Howse – performer (tracks: 13, 16)
  • Bobby Jones – keyboards (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16), producer (tracks: 7, 9, 13), co-producer (tracks: 4, 10, 15, 16), mixing & recording (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16)
  • Jimmy Zavala – saxophone (track 3)
  • Romeo Antonio – guitar (tracks: 4, 7, 9, 16)
  • David Sewell – guitar (track 13)
  • Archie Blaine – producer, mixing & recording (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 11, 14)
  • Jeff Shirley – mixing (tracks: 2-4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 14), recording (tracks: 3, 5-8, 10, 11, 14-16)
  • Brian K. Nutter – recording (track 2)
  • Furman Smith – recording (track 4)
  • John Wydrycs – mixing (tracks: 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 16)
  • Eric Fahlborg – recording (track 9)
  • Paul Real – assistant engineering (track 9)
  • Mark "V" Myers – mixing & recording (track 10)
  • Jason Mackey – recording (track 12)
  • Jessie Stewart – recording (track 13), assistant engineering (tracks: 4, 12)
  • Nate Carpenter – assistant engineering (track 13)
  • David Bett – art direction
  • Patrick Aquintey – art direction
  • Josh Nichols – cover
  • Christian Lantry – photography
  • Steve Lobel – A&R

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Mo Thugs Family Scriptures - Mo Thugs Family | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Diehl, Matt (November 29, 1996). "Music Review: 'Mo Thugs Family Scriptures'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Gordon, Allen S. (December 1996). "Record Report: Mo' Thugs – Mo' Thugs Family Scriptures". The Source. No. 87. New York. p. 124.
  4. ^ Kuperstein, Slava; Cooper, Roman (May 1, 2011). "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Sued For $27 Million By Mo Thugs Affiliate". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "Charts.nz – Mo Thugs Family – Family Scriptures". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  6. ^ "Mo Thugs Family Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "Mo Thugs Family Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "1997 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-39. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "American album certifications – Mo Thugs – Family Scriptures". Recording Industry Association of America.
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