Thug by Nature

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Thug by Nature | type = Studio | artist = L-Burna {{abbr|a.k.a.|also knows as}} [[Layzie Bone]] | cover = Layzie Bone - Thug by Nature.jpg | alt = | released = {{Start date|2001|3|20}} | recorded = 2000–01 | studio = | genre = {{hlist|[[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]|[[hardcore hip hop]]}} | length = {{Duration|h=1|m=10|s=42}} | label = *[[Ruthless Records|Ruthless]] *[[Epic Records|Epic]] | producer = {{hlist|[[Layzie Bone]] ([[Executive producer|exec.]])|Tomica Wright ({{abbr|exec.|executive producer}})|BB|Buddy Banks|[[Damon Elliott]]|Darren Vegas|Dre Ghost|[[L.T. Hutton]]|Mauly T|[[Michael Seifert (producer)|Michael Seifert]]|[[Red Spyda]]|Step|Thin C}} | chronology = [[Layzie Bone]] | next_title = [[It's Not a Game]] | next_year = 2005 | misc = }} {{Music ratings | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] | rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|last=Azpiri|first=Jon|title=Thug By Nature - L-Burna {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/thug-by-nature-mw0000001207|access-date=March 1, 2021|website=[[AllMusic]]|language=en}}</ref> | rev2 = RapReviews | rev2score = 7.5/10<ref>{{Cite web|last=Juon|first=Steve 'Flash'|date=April 3, 2001|title=RapReviews.com Feature for April 3, 2001 - L-Burna's "Thug By Nature"|url=https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2001_04F_bynature.html|access-date=March 1, 2021|website=www.rapreviews.com}}</ref> | rev3 = ''[[The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' | rev3score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Brackett|first1=Nathan|author-link=Nathan Brackett|last2=Hoard|first2=Christian David|author-link2=Christian Hoard|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&q=Layzie+Bone+Thug+By+Nature&pg=PA92|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster|Simon and Schuster]]|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8|page=92|language=en}}</ref> | noprose = yes }}

'''''Thug by Nature''''' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper [[Layzie Bone]], released under his L-Burna alias. It was released on March 20, 2001, through [[Ruthless Records]] with distribution via [[Epic Records]]. [[Hip hop production|Production]] was handled by [[L.T. Hutton]], Darren Vegas, [[Michael Seifert (producer)|Michael Seifert]], BB, Buddy Banks, [[Damon Elliott]], [[Red Spyda]], Dre' Ghost, Mauly T., Step and Thin C., with Tomica Wright and Layzie Bone serving as executive producers. It features [[guest appearance]]s from [[Aaron Hall (singer)|Aaron Hall]], Baby S, Big Chan, Dekumpozed, [[Flesh-n-Bone]], [[WC (rapper)|WC]], Geraldine Sigler and [[Bizzy Bone]] and Emmortal Thugs on the bonus disc. The album peaked at number 43 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and number 17 on the [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums]], with 36,406 copies sold in the United States in the first week.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Boucher|first=Geoff|date=March 29, 2001|title=Shaggy Holds Off 112's Latest to Top the Charts|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-mar-29-ca-44016-story.html|access-date=March 1, 2021|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US}}</ref> It also made it to number 30 on the [[Official New Zealand Music Chart]].

"Battlefield" and "Deadly Musical" are [[Diss (music)|diss]] songs aimed at [[Chicago]]-based group [[Do or Die (group)|Do Or Die]].

The song "Back Up Against The Wall" is featured on the Soundtrack of ''[[Down to Earth (2001 film)|Down to Earth]]''.

== Track listing == {{Track listing | all_writing = | extra_column = Producer(s) | title1 = Carole of the Bones | note1 = featuring Geraldine Sigler | writer1 = {{hlist|[[Layzie Bone|Steven Howse]]|[[Michael Seifert (producer)|Michael Seifert]]}} | extra1 = [[Michael Seifert (producer)|Michael Seifert]] | length1 = 0:54 | title2 = Battlefield | writer2 = {{hlist|Howse|[[L.T. Hutton|Lenton Terrell Hutton]]}} | extra2 = [[L.T. Hutton]] | length2 = 4:04 | title3 = Connectin' the Plots | note3 = featuring [[WC (rapper)|WC]] | writer3 = {{hlist|Howse|[[WC (rapper)|William Calhoun]]|Darren Thomas Hubbard}} | extra3 = Darren Vegas | length3 = 4:23 | title4 = Fear No Man | writer4 = {{hlist|Howse|Hutton}} | extra4 = L.T. Hutton | length4 = 3:39 | title5 = Time Will Tell | note5 = featuring Dekumpozed | writer5 = {{hlist|Howse|Brence Skinner|Hutton}} | extra5 = L.T. Hutton | length5 = 4:16 | title6 = Where You Goin? | note6 = Skit | length6 = 1:10 | title7 = How Long Will It Last | writer7 = {{hlist|Howse|Hutton}} | extra7 = L.T. Hutton | length7 = 4:53 | title8 = Deadly Musical | writer8 = {{hlist|Howse|Edward Banks|Amefika Williams}} | extra8 = {{hlist|Buddy Banks|Thin C.}} | length8 = 4:18 | title9 = Fire in tha Hole | note9 = Skit | length9 = 0:39 | title10 = There They Go | note10 = featuring [[Aaron Hall (singer)|Aaron Hall]] | writer10 = {{hlist|Howse|[[Aaron Hall (singer)|Aaron Hall]]|M. Taylor}} | extra10 = Mauly T. | length10 = 3:59 | title11 = My Niggaz | writer11 = {{hlist|Howse|Robin Hardwick|Andre Bell}} | extra11 = D.J. Dre Ghost | length11 = 3:11 | title12 = Still the Greatest | note12 = featuring [[Flesh-n-Bone]] and Big Chan | writer12 = {{hlist|Howse|[[Flesh-n-Bone|Stanley Howse]]|Chan Gaines|Hubbard}} | extra12 = Darren Vegas | length12 = 5:29 | title13 = Make My Day | note13 = featuring Baby S | writer13 = {{hlist|Howse|David Ware|Leonard Bunn}} | extra13 = Step | length13 = 3:54 | title14 = Lock-n-Load | writer14 = {{hlist|Howse|Hutton}} | extra14 = L.T. Hutton | length14 = 4:34 | title15 = Up Against the Wall | writer15 = {{hlist|Howse|Hubbard}} | extra15 = Darren Vegas | length15 = 3:45 | title16 = Thug by Nature | writer16 = {{hlist|Howse|[[Red Spyda|Andy Thelusma]]|BB}} | extra16 = {{hlist|[[Red Spyda]]|BB}} | length16 = 4:42 | title17 = Smoke On | writer17 = {{hlist|Howse|[[D'wayne Wiggins]]|[[Raphael Saadiq|Charles Ray Wiggins]]|Timothy Christian Riley}} | extra17 = [[Damon Elliott]] | length17 = 3:57 | title18 = Listen | writer18 = {{hlist|Howse|Hubbard}} | extra18 = Darren Vegas | length18 = 4:05 | title19 = As the Rain | writer19 = {{hlist|Howse|Seifert}} | extra19 = Michael Seifert | length19 = 4:50 | total_length = 1:10:42 }}

===Bonus disc=== ;Bonus disc 1 #"It's all Hood Niggaz" #"M.O.G."

;Bonus disc 2 #"Money on da Wood" (featuring [[Bizzy Bone]], Skant Bone and [[E-Mortal Thugs]]) #"No Matter"

==Personnel== {{div col}} *Steven "[[Layzie Bone]]"/"L-Burna" Howse – main artist, executive producer *Geraldine 'Gere' Sigler – vocals (track 1) *William "[[WC (rapper)|WC]]" Calhoun – featured artist (track 3) *Brence "Dekumpozed" Skinner – featured artist (track 5) *[[Aaron Hall (singer)|Aaron Hall]] – featured artist (track 10) *Stanley "[[Flesh-n-Bone]]" Howse – featured artist (track 12) *"Big Chan" Gaines – featured artist (track 12) *David "Baby S" Ware – featured artist (track 13) *[[Michael Seifert (producer)|Michael Seifert]] – producer & recording (tracks: 1, 19) *[[L.T. Hutton|Lenton Terrell Hutton]] – producer (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 14) *Darren "Vegas" Hubbard – producer (tracks: 3, 12, 15, 18) *Edward "Buddy" Banks – producer (track 8) *Amefika "Thin C" Williams – producer (track 8) *Mauly Taylor – producer (track 10) *Andre "Dre Ghost" Bell – producer (track 11) *Step – producer (track 13) *BB – producer (track 16) *[[Red Spyda]] – producer (track 16) *[[Damon Elliott]] – producer & recording (track 17) *Aaron Connor – mixing (tracks: 1, 3, 8, 11–13, 15, 16, 18) *Brian Springer – recording (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7), mixing (tracks: 2, 4, 7, 14) *Richard E. Harris Jr. – recording (tracks: 3, 8, 15, 18, 19) *Gabe Chiesa – recording (tracks: 4, 7) *Erik Nordquist – recording (tracks: 11, 17) *Dino "The Cut" Johnson – recording (track 13) *Tim Nitz – recording (track 14) *"[[Disco Rick]]" Taylor – recording (track 16) *[[Mike Dean (record producer)|Michael Dean]] – mixing (track 17) *Eric Williams – recording (track 19) *Jason Walker – engineering assistant (track 10) *Joe Brown – engineering assistant (track 17) *Tomica Wright – executive producer *Giulio Costanzo – art direction, design *Image Lumumba – photography {{div col end}}

==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (2001) ! scope="col"| Peak position |- {{album chart|New Zealand|30|artist=L-Burna aka Layzie Bone|album=Thug By Nature|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 1, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|43|artist=Layzie Bone|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 1, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|17|artist=Layzie Bone|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 1, 2021}} |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Discogs master|278844|L-Burna aka Layzie Bone – Thug By Nature}}

[[Category:2001 debut albums]] [[Category:Layzie Bone albums]] [[Category:Ruthless Records albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by L.T. Hutton]]