Peak
1
Weeks
20
Score
5,212
Chart Year
1996
The music video was filmed on February 27–28, 1996. It opens with the female vocal group Tre' (Kimberly Cromartie, Rebecca Forsha and Maniko Williams) singing the traditional spiritual "Mary Don't You Weep" in a church funeral setting, followed by the members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony singing the main song in several settings, such as a church and a mountain top. The main focus of the video is an imposing man with sunglasses and a trench coat, akin to a Reaper. Bone are among the few who can see the man, and watch him as he gathers souls of various individuals who are marked for death, such as a young man who leaves his distraught mother behind (presumably having died after entering life as a gang member), Bone's friend Wally, Wish Bone's Uncle Charles, Eazy-E, and a newborn baby (possibly to have died from a childbirth complication). The Reaper then leads the souls, with the baby in his arms, up a mountain where he reveals himself to be an angel, then takes the dead to Heaven. "Tha Crossroads" was nominated for the Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, although it lost to Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise".
This song was dedicated to Eazy-E (real name: Eric Wright), a rapper and music mogul who was a member of the group NWA. He died of AIDS in 1995; Bone Thugs-N-Harmony were signed to his label, Ruthless Records. The Isley Brothers' song "Make Me Say It Again Girl" was sampled onto this song. This song won the 1996 Grammy for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group. There are 12 credited songwriters on this song, making it the record amount of songwriters credited for a #1 American hit. When "This Is Why I'm Hot" by Mims reached pole position in 2007 it created a new record, with 13 credited songwriters. In 2002 the British group Blazin' Squad released a cover version, which topped the UK charts. All 10 members were approximately 16 when this track was released and had just taken their GCSE school exams. One of the group's members, Tommy B, says in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, "I heard the track on MTV and thought it would be good to cover. It's one of the Top 10 biggest rap tracks of all-time in America, it spent eight weeks at #1 there, but didn't reach those heights over here, so I thought we could give it a UK vibe."
Bone bone bone bone, bone, bone, bone, bone, bone
Now tell me whatcha gonna do
When there ain't no where to run (tell me what)
(When judgment comes for you, when judgment comes for you)
And whatcha gonna do
When there ain't no where to hide (tell me what)
When judgment comes for you ('cause it's gonna come for you)
Let's all bring it in for Wally, Eazy sees uncle Charlie
Little boo, god's got him and I'm gonna miss everybody
I only roll with bone my gang look to where they lay
When playin' with destiny, plays too deep for me to say
Lil' Layzie came to me, told me if he should decease well then, please
Bury me by my grand-grand and when you can, come follow me
God bless you workin' on a plan to heaven
Follow the lord all twenty-four-seven days, God is who we praise
Even though the devil's all up in my face
But he keepin' me safe and in my place, say grace
For the case to race with a chance to face the judge
And I'm guessin' my soul won't budge
Grudge because there's no mercy for thugs
Oh what can I do it's all about our family and how we roll
Can I get a witness let it unfold
We livin' our lives to eternal our soul aye-oh-aye-oh
Pray, and we pray and we pray, and we pray, and we pray
Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday
And we pray, and we pray, and we pray, and we pray
Still we laced, now follow me roll stroll
Whether is tell of his heaven
Come let's go take a visit of people that's long gone
Darris, Wally, Eazy, Terry, Boo
It's steadily creepin' up on the family
Exactly how many days we got lastin'
While you laughin' we're passin', passin' away
So y'all go rest y'all souls
'Cause I know I'ma meet you up at the crossroads
Y'all know y'all forever got love from them bone thugs baby
Now Eazy's long gone
Really wish he would come home
But when it's time to die
Gotta go bye bye
All a thug could do is cry, cry
Why they kill my dog and man
I miss my uncle charles y'all
And he shoudn't be gone, in front of his home
What they did to boo was wrong
Oh so wrong, oh so wrong
Gotta hold on gotta stay strong
When the day comes
Better believe bone got a shoulder you can lean on (lean on)
Hey and we pray, and we pray, and we pray, and we pray
Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday
And we pray, and we pray, and we pray, and we pray
Everday, everyday, everyday, everyday
See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads
And I'm gonna miss everybody
And I'm gonna miss everybody when I'm gone
And I'm gonna miss everybody
And I'm gonna miss everybody
And I'm gonna miss everybody
Livin' in a hateful world sendin' me straight to heaven
That's how we roll
Livin' in a hateful world sendin' me straight to heaven
That's how we roll
Livin' in a hateful world sendin' me straight to heaven
That's how we roll
And I'm askin' the good lord with a sigh
It's I he told me we live to die
What's up with murder y'all, see my little cousin was hung
Somebody was really wrong, everybody want to test us dawg
Then miss sleazy set up eazy to fall, you know why we sinnin
And Krayzie intended on endin' it when it ends
Wanna come again, again and again
Now tell me whatcha gonna do
Can somebody anybody tell me why?
Hey, can somebody anybody tell me why we die, we die?
I dont wanna die
Oh, so wrong
Oh, wrong
Oh, so wrong
Oh, wrong
See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads
See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads
So you won't be lonely
See you at the crossroads, crossroads| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 11, 1996 | 2 | 124 |
| 2 | May 18, 1996 | 1 | 125 |
| 3 | May 25, 1996 | 1 | 125 |
| 4 | Jun 1, 1996 | 1 | 125 |
| 5 | Jun 8, 1996 | 1 | 125 |
| 6 | Jun 15, 1996 | 1 | 125 |
| 7 | Jun 22, 1996 | 1 | 125 |
| 8 | Jun 29, 1996 | 1 | 125 |
| 9 | Jul 6, 1996 | 1 | 125 |
| 10 | Jul 13, 1996 | 3 | 123 |
| 11 | Jul 20, 1996 | 5 | 121 |
| 12 | Jul 27, 1996 | 10 | 116 |
| 13 | Aug 3, 1996 | 18 | 108 |
| 14 | Aug 10, 1996 | 25 | 101 |
| 15 | Aug 17, 1996 | 29 | 97 |
| 16 | Aug 24, 1996 | 35 | 91 |
| 17 | Aug 31, 1996 | 46 | 80 |
| 18 | Sep 7, 1996 | 51 | 75 |
| 19 | Sep 14, 1996 | 57 | 69 |
| 20 | Sep 21, 1996 | 58 | 68 |