Bone Thugs-N-Harmony still rocks – er, raps

Let it be stated unequivocally: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is the most underrated rap group of all time. Sure, the Cleveland group, now a trio after the 2005 departure of Bizzy Bone, has sold more than 20 million records in its 14-year career, and snagged a Grammy for 1996’s “Crossroads,” a touching ode to their deceased mentor Eazy-E.

But in discussions ranking the greatest groups, they rarely receive the same adulation as EPMD, Run-DMC, A Tribe Called Quest, et al. That leaves Bone Thugs a mere curio of the ephemeral ’90s speed-rap explosion.

But watching them blaze through a brilliant greatest-hits set on Friday at Crash Mansion, it was hard to miss how innovative and original they really were. Of course, the group’s die-hard fan base never really forgot, allowing them to sustain relevance well into their second decade.

Last year’s “Strength and Loyalty” was certified gold, no small feat in an industry plagued by declining sales and an obsession with youth. Indeed, Friday’s packed show found a diverse demographic cutting across age and race. Storming the stage backed by the pulsing strains of “Flow Motion,” Bone immediately dazzled the crowd with lightning-fast, blinding flows, a half-rapped, half-sung tornado of words that was particularly conducive to the live setting.

Classic cuts such as “Crossroads,” “E. 1999,” “Days of Our Livez” and “1st of Tha Month,” displayed both virtuosic skills and a rare ability to write introspective semi-ballads side-by-side with paeans to welfare checks.

But magnetic performances of “Foe Tha Love of $,” “Thug Luv,” and “Notorious Thugs,” their respective collaborations with Eazy-E, 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G., drew the most deafening response.