XXL celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with this moment:

July 25,1995: On this day, in 1995, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony released one of hip-hop’s most beloved albums, E. 1999 Eternal. In 1994, the Cleveland-based collective released their debut EP, Creepin On Ah Come Up, and introduced the hip-hop world to their melodic-yet-hardcore style. While their debut album established Bone Thugs-N-Harmony as a group to watch, their sophomore LP, E. 1999 Eternal solidified the group as one of hip-hop’s very best acts.

E. 1999 Eternal was executive produced by, and dedicated to the late Eazy-E, who passed away just months before the completion of the album. The album spawned classic singles including “1st of Tha Month” and their Grammy-winning tribute to Eazy-E, “Tha Crossroads.”

The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 1996 Grammy Awards but lost out to Naughty by Nature’s Poverty’s Paradise. E. 1999 Eternal sold over four million copies and is widely regarded as a hip-hop classic.—Chisom Uzosike

Twenty-eight years after releasing their debut album, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will be honored on the very same street they referenced on the project. The Cleveland group will have a street renamed after them on August 11, 2023. The intersection of East 99th Street and St. Clair Avenue will be renamed “Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Way.”

The event is the result of a fan petition that was started in February 2022, which requested that a sign above East 99th Street be changed to read “Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Way” in honor of the legendary rap group.

Felicia C. Haney, owner of Beach Street Publicity, and Juan Goodwin reportedly went door-to-door in freezing temperatures to collect signatures from neighbors in support of their cause. They were able to obtain 70% of the signatures and present them to the Cleveland City Council. “There’s nothing here that pays homage to that or to the group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony,” Haney told News 5 Cleveland.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony manager Steve Lobel saluted the rap quintet on their prestigious honor via his Instagram account. Read it below.

Watch Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “Crossroads” Video Below

Watch Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “East 1999” Video Below

Check out rap albums with hidden messages on their album covers below.