NEW YORK -- Bizzy Bone has a problem staying busy, according to his partners in rhyme.

He was down with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, then booted from the foursome, and later welcomed back. Now Layzie Bone, Wish Bone and Krayzie Bone say he's gone for good.

"We would like to clear this rumor up about Bizzy Bone," Layzie said recently. "That cat made his own choices, his own decisions. He's no longer in our group. ... Please believe we love him, but he's doing his thing. We doing Bone Thugs. That's what the f--- we wanna do."

On Friday (January 31) Bizzy reacted, saying, "I've been kidnapped, I've been touched on as a kid, I've been homeless, I've been starving -- this can't hurt my feelings.

"When you been kidnapped and the FBI is looking for you, you tend to take pain better than some muthaf---as," continued the rapper, who was abducted as a child and later rescued after his story was told on "America's Most Wanted" (see [article id="1453923"]"Bone Thugs' Bizzy Bone Discusses Being Kidnapped At Age 4"[/article]).

In September Bone Thugs announced they were kicking Bizzy out after he appeared to be intoxicated during their Grey Goose Tour kickoff in New York (see [article id="1457827"]"Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Toss Out Bizzy Bone"[/article]), but Bizzy claims he was presented with walking papers even before the show.

"Lay said to come on tour, so I come to be on the tour," Bizzy recalled. "Lay said, 'I need to talk to you. [Krayzie Bone] don't want you on the tour. He was back there talking with his manger and they just badmouthed you.' I played it off. I was hurt, [so] ... I go to the bar and I was like, 'F--- it. I'm gonna drink because I don't wanna snap.' I felt like I was being dogged out. Nobody was talking to me, everybody put me to the side."

A few weeks after the incident, the collective announced that he was reinstated. Drama is certainly no stranger to Bone Thugs; the group feuded a couple of years ago because Bizzy refused to promote BTNHResurrection due to a dispute he had with their label, Ruthless. (The remaining members say they still have beef with the label but will help to promote their next two Ruthless releases, which will complete their contract.)

Bone Thugs said they had enough this last go 'round because he kept missing their public appearances and shows.

"We would all agree to do something and he don't want to show up for some reason," explained Krayzie, who's dropping two solo albums this year. "He'd need a extra tour bus, he needs an extra $20,000 just to come be on TV and be seen with us."

"They didn't show up to more stuff than I did," Bizzy countered before admitting that his business endeavors kept him from "follow[ing] these young brothers around different states."

"I did everything within my means," he insisted. "I tried. It's just not meant to be."

Bone Thugs said they decided to stop holding their tongues about Bizzy because fans were resentful when the group wouldn't appear in full force at events.

"I told our fans, 'What you want us to do?' " Layzie said. "They really be mad at us. I'm like, 'How long you gonna be mad at us for what another n---a do?' "

The harmonizing thugs have looked to Phil Collins to fill the void left by Bizzy -- at least in their latest video, "Take Me Home." Wish, Krayzie and Layzie, who put their own spin on the Collins hit of the same name, flew to Switzerland for a video shoot with the singer they call Phil Bone.

"You talk about cold," Krayzie chuckled. "We shot the whole video, all day outside from like six in the morning 'til 10 p.m. at night. Phil really liked the song. He said a lot of rappers use his song 'In the Air Tonight,' but he said he felt special about this song. He wasn't going to clear it, but he heard the song and he was all with it. He was flattered that we chose to pick that particular song to remake."

The remaining Bone Thugs are also planning to collaborate with Tupac protégés the Outlaws for an album called Thug Brothers due later this year.

"Pac's sprit is there," Layzie said of the recording sessions with the Outlaws. "It feels like a blessing, so it's real easy to do. We feel Eazy-E, we feel Pac. We feel their presence in the room even though they're not there."

As for Bizzy, he said he doesn't rule out a Bone Thugs reunion -- as long as it makes good business sense. "I'll never say never. I won't burn the bridge. I'll just walk across the muthaf---a and hopefully I'll see y'all later."