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The Source

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.

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 . 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

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).

Track listing

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)Ronald PooleAnthony ChappellRichard DrakeAnthony HendersonBobby JonesKrayzie Bone3:32
3."Ghetto Bluez" (performed by II Tru and Layzie Bone)Belinda WallaceCabrina WilsonSteven HowseArchie BlaineArchie Blaine5:49
4."Killing Fields" (performed by the Graveyard Shift)Paul O'NeilActavius MillsArran BaldwinHendersonJonesKrayzie BoneBobby Jones (co.)5:15
5."Mo' Murder" (performed by Krayzie Bone)HendersonJonesAnne DudleyGary LanganJonathan JeczalikPaul MorleyTrevor HornKrayzie Bone4:55
6."Ain't No Reason" (performed by Ken Dawg)Kendon AnthonyBlaineArchie Blaine4:59
7."Take Your Time" (performed by Tré and Krayzie Bone)Kimberly CromartieNiko WilliamsRebecca ForshaHendersonJonesBobby Jones4:53
8."Welcome to My World" (performed by II Tru and Ken Dawg)WallaceWilsonAnthonyBlaineGeorge ClintonWilliam CollinsGary Lee CooperArchie Blaine4:42
9."Thug Devotion" (performed by Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, Tré, Ken Dawg and Souljah Boy)Steven HowseHendersonCromartieWilliamsForshaAnthonyWilly LyonsJonesPhilip BaileyMaurice WhiteBobby Jones4:35
10."Here With Me" (performed by Tré)CromartieWilliamsForshaHendersonJonesKrayzie BoneBobby Jones (co.)5:36
11."Playa in Me" (performed by Ken Dawg)AnthonyBlaineLeo GrahamPaul RichmondDarryl EllisArchie Blaine4:38
12."No Pretender" (performed by Jhaz, Tombstone, Boogie Nikke and Krayzie Bone)HendersonJonesKrayzie Bone4:37
13."Rumors and War" (performed by the Graveyard Shift and Flesh-n-Bone)O'NeilMillsBaldwinStanley HowseJonesBobby JonesKrayzie Bone (co.)Paul "Tombstone" O'Neil (co.)Actavius "Sin" Mills (co.)Arran "Gates" Baldwin (co.)5:17
14."II Tru" (performed by II Tru)WallaceWilsonBlaineArchie Blaine3:53
15."Low Down" (performed by Souljah Boy and Krayzie Bone)LyonsO'NeilPaul "Tombstone" O'NeilBobby 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'NeilMillsBaldwinPooleChappellDrakeWallaceWilsonAnthonyLyonsHendersonSteven HowseStanley HowseCromartieWilliamsForshaKrayzie BoneBobby Jones (co.)6:35
Total length:1:14:51

Sample credits

Personnel

  • 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

Chart (1996–97)Peak position
Weekly charts Chart (1996–97) Peak position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 20 US Billboard 200 2 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 2Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position US Billboard 200 90 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 76
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)20
US Billboard 2002
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)2
Chart (1997)Position
US Billboard 20090
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)76

Certifications

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)Platinum1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

External links