Geto Boys
The Geto Boys was a hardcore hip hop group from Houston , Texas. The band is known for their drastic and detailed lyrics dealing with violence as well as for their socially critical attitude. Members of the Geto Boys, founded in the late 1980s, were Scarface and Willie D and Bushwick Bill.
The Geto Boys changed rap music as they broke older boundaries in their lyrics when it came to depicting violence, sex and death. In this respect, they were among the fathers of the style that was later coined by Esham and Eminem . They were among the first nationally successful bands from the Dirty South of the USA.
The band name supposedly comes from a street sign in Houston and graffiti in their high school. Only on their 1989 release Grip It! they used the spelling correct Ghetto Boys .
Career
The group was founded in 1986 under the name Ghetto Boys by James "Lil 'J" Smith, owner of the Rap-A-Lot Records label . The original cast included rappers Sire Juke Box, Sir Rap-A-Lot and Raheem. After Sir Rap-A-Lot and Raheem left the group, Prince Johnny C, DJ Ready Red and Bushwick Bill joined them. In 1988 the Ghetto Boys released their debut album Makin 'Trouble , shortly afterwards Prince Johnny C and Sire Juke Box left the group and were replaced by Willie D and Scarface.
They became publicly known through their 1990 album The Geto Boys . The compilation of older and already published pieces has been enriched by two new tracks. The band had to change distribution because Geffen Records refused to publish the explicit portrayal of rape, necrophilia and murder in the song Mind Of A Lunatic after a controversial discussion on the topic had broken out in advance. Eventually Giant Records took over distribution. The album itself appeared on Rick Rubin's Def American Recordings.
In the early 1990s, the hip hop scene came under verbal attack from various politicians and US organizations. Although these mainly focused on Ice-T and the 2 Live Crew , less well-known rappers like the Geto Boys also came under the spotlight.
In 1991, Bushwick Bill lost an eye after a gunshot went off in an argument with his girlfriend at the time. On the cover of the next album We Can't Be Stopped he could be seen with his injured eye, being pushed down a hospital corridor by Scarface and Willie D. in his sickbed. The album achieved high sales. The song Mind Playing Tricks On Me became a hit on the hip-hop scene and even hit the US pop charts.
After that, all three group members began solo careers. Willie D. got out of the Geto Boys completely. Scarface and Bushwick Bill included Big Mike , the three of whom produced 'Til Death Do Us Part in 1993 . Willie D. returned, The Resurrection appeared in 1996 and Da Good, Da Bad & Da Ugly in 1998 . Mike Judge used the two songs "Damn it feels good to be a gangsta" and "Still" in his film Office Space . The latter was also used by Seth MacFarlane in his Family Guy cartoon series in a scene that parodied the scene from Office Space. After a seven-year hiatus, The Foundation was finally released in 2005 .
On June 9, 2019, longtime member Bushwick Bill died of pancreatic cancer.
On his album Note 1+ , the Berlin rapper Jack Orsen refers to the group in the song "Geto Boys" in the beat and title.
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
|||
| 1988 | Making Trouble | - |
First published: February 17, 1988
|
| 1989 | Grip It! On that other level | - |
First published: March 12, 1989
|
| 1991 | We Can't Be Stopped |
US24  (42 weeks)US |
Initial Publication: July 1, 1991
US sales: 1,000,000+ |
| 1993 | Till Death Do Us Part |
US11  (27 weeks)US |
First published: March 19, 1993
US sales: 500,000+ |
| 1996 | The Resurrection |
US6th (18 weeks)US |
Initial publication: April 2, 1996 US sales: 500,000+ |
| 1998 | Da Good, Da Bad & Da Ugly |
US26 (12 weeks) US |
First published: November 17, 1998
|
| 2005 | The Foundation |
US19 (8 weeks) US |
First published: January 25, 2005
|
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
|||
| 1992 | Uncut Dope: Geto Boys' Best |
US147 (9 weeks) US |
First published: November 5, 1992
|
| 2002 | Greatest hits | - |
First published: November 19, 2002
|
| 2008 | Best of the Geto Boys | - |
First published: June 17, 2008
|
Remix albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
|||
| 1990 | The Geto Boys |
US171 (7 weeks) US |
First published: October 17, 1990
|
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
US
|
|||
| 1991 | Mind Playing Tricks on Me We Can't Be Stopped |
- |
US23 (20 weeks)US |
Sales US: 500,000+
|
| 1993 | Six Feet Deep Till Death Do Us Part |
- |
US40 (15 weeks) US |
|
| 1996 | The World Is a Ghetto The Resurrection |
UK49 (2 weeks) UK |
US82 (7 weeks) US |
|
More singles
- 1990: Do It Like a GO
- 1991: Ain't with Being Broke
- 1993: Crooked Officer
- 1993: Straight Gangstaism
- 1996: Geto Fantasy
- 1998: Gangsta (Put Me Down)
- 2005: Yes, Yes, Y'all
- 2005: G Code
Individual evidence
- ↑ Geto Boys History on tshaonline.org, accessed on July 13, 2015 (English)
- ↑ a b c d Chart positions: DE AT CH UK US
- ↑ Awards: US
Web links
- Geto Boys in the All Music Guide (English)