It’s just your average evening at a Starbucks in New Jersey. Random teenagers are doing homework, old friends are catching up, and new couples are on first dates. Several months prior, Kim Osorio sat in that very same Starbucks penning her novel Straight from the Source – a partial tell-all about her time as the first female Editor-In-Chief of Hip-Hop’s original Bible. When Kim walks into Starbucks to sit and discuss the book she wrote there, she is comparable to a war soldier in that her emotions aren’t apparent until she discusses that period of her life. See, Hip-Hop has its set of elements that are heralded as the foundation. But Hip-Hop journalists sit by the sidelines and report the elements as they happen. Kim Osorio was an original b-girl whose love affair with Hip-Hop brought her to the greatest position a Hip-Hop journalist could have at the time…along with a set of memories that she will ultimately never forget.“This is a story that I’ve always wanted to tell,” Osorio explains about Straight from the Source. “There are people out there that have always tried to speak for me and always try to say what they want to say about what happened to me at The Source. So I wanted it to be documented by me in print, and I wanted to get it out there.” The novel details Osorio’s five years at the publication, starting with her hiring as Associate Editor in 2000 and leading up to her firing as Editor-In-Chief in 2005. While the book reads like a story, it’s far from fiction, as it’s a very honest tale of Osorio’s time at the since beleaguered magazine – for better or worse. The novel goes into great length about The Source’s overlords at the time – co-founder Dave Mays and rapper turned entrepreneur Raymond “Benzino” Scott, whose feud with Eminem both on and off wax spilled onto the pages of The Source much to the chagrin of its termination-fearing staff.

“For women it always comes down to the Scarlet Letter, sexual – oh my

God, it doesn’t matter what year, what millennium we’re in; we are

always looked at in that sort of light.”

“I just got to a point where I was like, ‘Okay they want another Eminem hate story, let’s do it,’” recalls Osorio. “I didn’t want to deal with the backlash of even saying anything positive about Eminem, because we all knew you would get fired [if you did].”Prior to accepting her post as EIC, Kim Osorio was romantically linked to two MCs in particular – Nas and 50 Cent. While many women who have “dated” rappers pen exposés on their time in bed, Osorio had to include her intimacies as they became reference points for both her mistreatment at The Source and later dishonorable mentions in a few rap tracks. In any industry as highly i##### as music, there’s bound to be love connections. However, the world applauds when Jay-Z and Beyonce canoodle, and eventually wed, but are appalled at the co-mingling of industry people (particularly women) with artists. No one crucified Tommy Mottola for finding his way toward Mariah Carey. However, Osorio’s history with artists was magnified and exaggerated. “The double standard is evident – not just in Hip-Hop – but in Hip-Hop it sure is magnified,” Osorio says. “I don’t think that I did anything wrong by dating people or being involved in relationships with people. For women it always comes down to the Scarlet Letter, sexual – oh my God, it doesn’t matter what year, what millennium we’re in; we are always looked at in that sort of light.” She comments on Hip-Hop’s unconditional adoration of the MC. “I love the way they hold rappers on a whole different level. Are you saying that no one is allowed to date anyone in the industry? Or are you saying writers aren’t allowed to date rappers? Or are you saying writers aren’t allowed to date anyone in the industry? What is it that you’re saying?”Osorio gives an eye roll and a shrug when she remembers the backlash at her job for her dealings with 50 Cent and Nas, but it’s obvious that it’s still a painful memory. Her novel highlights lewd comments from Benzino in addition to his countless racial slurs and misogynistic remarks to various members of The Source’s staff. Before even taking the publication to court for sexual discrimination (and settling for $7.5 million) Osorio, a Law School graduate, knew something was up. “There were things going down at The Source that were triggers like, ‘Wait a minute, that isn’t right. You can’t say that to me.’ And regardless if we were working in Hip-Hop or there were songs or we even liked songs that used the word b***h – whatever the case may be, you can’t use that to justify mistreatment of people in the workplace. Two totally separate things, and people don’t know how to make that distinction.”

“[50 Cent] should stick to beefing with rappers… Leave little ol’ me alone.”

Osorio marks her taking the position as Editor-In-Chief when everything truly erupted. “It really came to a head when I was in the position of power. Before there were definitely glimpses of things that I knew were wrong, but when you were on the other side – when you were not making the decisions and stuff – you were part of the editorial staff,” she says. “I don’t think there were too many times when the editorial staff itself treated women badly. The treatment I had been dealing with in the book was coming from the two individuals that were in control [Benzino and Mays] that I reported to.” To date, Straight from the Source is receiving excellent feedback from men and women alike. While Nas has yet to comment on his mention in the novel, 50 Cent has made disparaging remarks not only directed at Osorio, but all female journalists. “[50 Cent] should stick to beefing with rappers,” Osorio jokes. “Leave little ol’ me alone.” His inclusion of all female writers brings to light the ever-growing disrespect of women in Hip-Hop. “I think that unfortunately Hip-Hop has definitely mistreated women more as of lately,” Kim explains. “I saw so many different representations of women in the earlier years of Hip-Hop. Nowadays, you don’t see as much when it comes to women. You are really just given this image of a woman – of a video vixen – and that’s all you see. That one type of woman in Hip-Hop.” She continues, “That’s not to say that there aren’t other women behind the scenes – executives that are making it happen, writers, editors, artists – there’s a lot of that. For some reason they’re not making their way to the forefront. I think that’s a problem.”Osorio’s story is far from gender specific, as the isms she faced at The Source went above and beyond being a female. Her story is special given the circumstance and her importance in Hip-Hop history. The one question that looms overhead is why did it take a termination for Osorio to leave The Source? After a long pause, Kim responds, “I loved my job, despite everything that was happening there. I wanted to do a good job and make a name for myself. As things worsened, I had to weigh the options of having a child to take care of, bills to pay, and whether or not it was a good decision to leave. Being within Hip-Hop, that magazine, that was the top. That was where most journalists aspired to be.”

“No one is above the law. You can’t treat people that way. Just because it’s Hip-Hop does not make it okay.”

As the noise in Starbucks grows louder, Kim gets quieter once the discussion on the end of the story grows near. She points outside in the direction of a Borders, where she had her fateful meeting with an attorney regarding her problems at The Source. Even now when she references that secret meeting spot, she has a moment of apprehension – forgetting that it’s all over. Consequently, Kim Osorio filed a complaint with Human Resources against The Source big bosses, citing her grievances. When she refused to retract her complaint, she was fired. “My getting fired was a wake-up call,” Osorio states, and what followed was a heinous trial with Benzino and Dave Mays (who were later “relieved” of their duties at the magazine as well). Truth be told, Benzino made an example out of himself in the courtroom, with subtle insulting gestures, threats, and being thrown out of court on some occasions. As previously stated, Osorio’s sexual discrimination case was settled to the tune of $7.5 million. In speaking with Kim, though, it’s apparent that it really wasn’t about the money. “No one is above the law. You can’t treat people that way. Just because it’s Hip-Hop does not make it okay.” Osorio hasn’t picked up a copy of The Source since she left. Maybe it has something to do with the memories attached, but above all she seems disinterested. For someone who donated countless hours of her life to reporting on Hip-Hop, it seems that the game has desensitized her. Engaged and a mother of two, at this point in her life she has bigger fish to fry. While currently the Vice President of Content for the Hip-Hop aggregator Global Grind, Osorio has finally found a way to balance her personal life with her career. While Straight from the Source may be one of many books to expect from Kim Osorio, this novel marks her inevitable separation from one relationship with Hip-Hop, battle wounds included. “My decision to write this book was something that I knew I needed to do to grow out of what I did. Obviously my story took a turn and it became something different, but there was always that story…Hip-Hop from a woman’s point of view.”

He has spent the better part of the millennium stuck inside a six by nine cell, held behind cold walls and dealing with conditions that could break even the strongest man’s spirit. Coupled with the fact the group he helped elevate to superstar status had broken apart at the seams, one wouldn’t blame Stanley “Flesh-N-Bone” Howse for living life with a sense of bitterness. However, what would have broken a lesser man only made the Cleveland native stronger. While the Bone camp may have been dealing with turmoil on the outside, Flesh was formulating a master plan on the inside.  On July 13, 2008 that plan was finally put in motion. After spending almost a decade behind the walls, Flesh walked the world a free man. With the other four remaining Bone members there to greet him, Flesh and his comrades wasted no time doing what they do best and hit the studio. In ’94, Flesh was the Bone who bought the bus tickets that began Bone’s historical run in the game. Fourteen years later his release has spearheaded a new sense of unity and resolve between the Thugs that hasn’t been seen for quite some time. For the first time since his release Flesh has broken his silence for an exclusive interview AllHipHop.com. Pay heed.  AllHipHop.com: Try and put into words the feeling you had when you finally were released from jail after almost ten years on the inside?Flesh-N-Bone: Words can’t even begin to explain the feeling that I had after being locked down for damn near a decade. The best way for me to describe it is to tell you that it was like a rebirth, a second chance at a new life, and a relief. It was over the top. I’ll never forget it. I thank God for giving me the immense blessing of the sense of complete freedom.Bone Thugs-N-Harmony “Foe The Love Of Money” VideoAllHipHop.com: Jail is certainly not the spot anyone wants to be at, but was there anything positive you were able to take out of your bid?Flesh-N-Bone: Looking back, I can tell you that I was definitely able to extract a lot of good out of the experience of being in prison. That’s not to say that it wasn’t complete hell and torture but my incarceration was like a major blessing in disguise. It was something that left me with not much choice but to open up myself to realizing that I had to accept, deal with, and get rid of every last one of my shortcomings in order to make myself better as a human being. Taking on the responsibility of owning up to everything that I did wrong in my life up to the point that I was incarcerated and then correcting it all was no easy feat but it was definitely necessary in order for my life to get better. That’s what being in prison did for me and looking back, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.  

“We have all perfected our God-given gift and we have matured as men and as artists to the point where we are able to relate to the human struggle even more now than we ever have before and create music that is relevant and inspiring to all walks of life.”

AllHipHop.com: Describe the feeling of finally getting back into the studio and how important it was that it was with the rest of Bone?Flesh-N-Bone: My music is my career, it’s my craft and my passion. Being kept away from really being able to produce my music at the level that it needed to be done made me all that much more grateful and anxious to be able to hit the studio. The fact that all five of us founding members of Bone were in the studio together was of monumental importance too. We all had to be there. There was gonna be no way around that. That was very important to me, to the rest of Bone, and I think that it was just as important to the fans as well. It’s more than a blessing to have the opportunity to record again at that magnitude together with the entire group. Another reason why it was so important for us to be as productive as we have been since my release from prison is because we were written off by so many people who we thought were in our corner. It’s not hard for us to tell if the intentions of industry folk toward us are for the sake of our benefit or not. You have to understand that people thought that it was impossible for us to get back together and they questioned whether we still had the ability to create and deliver. Throughout our individual struggles during the past decade, we have all perfected our God-given gift and we have matured as men and as artists to the point where we are able to relate to the human struggle even more now than we ever have before and create music that is relevant and inspiring to all walks of life. It’s important for us to vindicate ourselves of the unfairness and the lack of respect that has been directed toward us. Being back working this way, together, is important because it sends the message loud and clear that we are still here, still standing strong, and still willing to weather any battle or storm.  AllHipHop.com: In ’94 you were the one who bought the bus tickets to L.A. that started the whole Eazy-E and Bone connection that really got things rolling. Fourteen years later your release from jail seemed to bring the group back together. Talk about the parallels about the start of your career to now.Flesh-N-Bone: There are many parallels between 1994 and 2008. I’m taken aback by how history repeats itself and I’m grateful to have the same feelings of strong determination, noble aspirations and unshakable will power. I thank God for instilling in me this gift to remain diligent and hungry for improvement. There is absolutely nothing in God’s creation that I don’t see us being able to accomplish and that feeling still remains strong. I had the dream of being able to help us get to the level where we could share our craft with the entire world when I bought those tickets. Thank God that through diligence and hard-core faith and work the dream actually became a reality just like the dream of us reuniting also became a reality.

“We’re not at liberty to discuss any release dates at this point but

when the new album finally drops, the fans can expect to enjoy that

innovative and legendary Bone Thug music…”

AllHipHop.com: How has the vibe been in the studio with all five Bone members finally back together?Flesh-N-Bone: So far, the recording process has been greater than all five of us could ever have fathomed. We have far exceeded our own expectations in all this. We are reaching new heights of perfection. These days our vibe is more powerful and miraculous than it was when we first started it off as teenagers. We’re literally musical composers and lyrical technicians. We’re not at liberty to discuss any release dates at this point but when the new album finally drops, the fans can expect to enjoy that innovative and legendary Bone Thug music that has always been known to raise the bar and set the standard. Flesh-N-Bone “World So Cruel” VideoAllHipHop.com: There has also been word that you guys are working on a reality show. What’s the word on that?Flesh-N-Bone: The reality show has been going great. Even in its production stages it’s amazing to see how much demand there is for it already. What we wanted to do with this project was to give the world an inside view on the exclusive lives of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The show is about living in harmony. It’s also about how we deal with and solve conflict, how we cope with the hard times, and how we take what goes on in our lives to use as fuel for our creativity. This project is one that other families from all walks of life all over the world can relate to. We want to show that we share in the same struggles as everybody else living this life. What we also want is for others to be able to extract and gain from our lives and our experiences. Our lives are examples of how it doesn’t matter what kind of a background you come from because everyone has the ability to rise from the trenches of less favorable conditions and accomplish greatness. We want to give everyone out there our formula of success so that they can gain whatever it is that is meant for them to gain from it. Fans will get to see what makes us tick and what makes us who we are as artists and individuals. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will once again raise the bar and set the standard in this business with the release of our reality show. AllHipHop.com: What’s been the most surprising thing you’ve encountered since your release from prison? Flesh-N-Bone: The most surprising thing that I have experienced so far since my release has been the amount of love and support that the fans have given me and the rest of Bone from all over the world. We have received love from people from literally every corner of the globe from the tiniest countries in Africa all the way to top executives in the industry in Hollywood. It’s exciting to see how the projects that we’re putting all this work into have turned into the most highly anticipated projects ever. AllHipHop.com: Is there anything you and the group have in the works besides the new Bone album?Flesh-N-Bone: Right now we’re working on a whole arsenal of projects besides the new Bone Thugs album. Just to give you a few, we have the reality show, we have our solo projects, we’re working with film executives to further our aspirations on the big screen, and we’re also expanding our entertainment base to the Internet which will include never before used technology. Our fans really deserve the best and we’re going to stop at nothing to provide them with nothing less than that.

“We’re not interested in putting forth anything that isn’t going to help, motivate and inspire others in a positive way.”

AllHipHop.com: You guys have gotten back together only to break up again in the past. Why should fans look at this reunion differently and not expect that to happen again?Flesh-N-Bone: We have separated in the past mainly because of the fact that we had to experience our own individuality but that never meant that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony didn’t exist anymore. It was just all part of the master plan by which we matured and evolved into who we are today. What’s different about us getting back together now is that we have learned how important it is to strive to stick together and keep it strong. There’s something unmistakable about us when we’re together and we realize that now more than ever because this last separation was the most difficult one that we have ever been through. We all went through the hardest times of our lives during the past decade but we learned from our mistakes. Without the mistakes and the hard times we would not have became the men that we are today.   AllHipHop.com: Any last message you want to put out there for the fans?Flesh-N-Bone: What we want to convey to all the fans is that we have all the love in the world for you all. The feedback that we always receive is about how we have touched other people’s lives through our music. That means the world to us because that has always been our aim. We’re not interested in putting forth anything that isn’t going to help, motivate and inspire others in a positive way. I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful we are to have been able to accomplish our mission in that sense. Throughout all of the years our fans have thanked us time and time again for how much we have helped them through the worst times of their lives but what we want all of them to know is that the pleasure will always be ours.  Flesh-N-Bone “Player Hater (Live)” Video