Geto Boys
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| Geto Boys | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop |
| Years active | 1986-1998 2005-Present |
| Label(s) | Rap-A-Lot, American Recordings |
| Website | Official Website |
| Members | |
| Bushwick Bill Scarface Willie D |
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| Former members | |
| Big Mike | |
Geto Boys (intentionally misspelled, although sometimes also spelled Ghetto Boys) is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill.
The Geto Boys earned notoriety for their lyrics dealing with violence, sex and death. Despite the explicit content of their songs, critic Alex Henderson argues that the group "comes across as much more heartfelt than the numerous gangsta rap [...] wannabes who jumped on the gangsta bandwagon in the early '90s."[1]
The Geto Boys broke new ground with their soulful southern sound (perhaps a precursor to the Dirty South style), which was produced by people like Johnny C, Doug King, and later N.O. Joe and Mike Dean.
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[edit] History
Their 1990 album The Geto Boys had to switch distributors from Geffen to Warner Bros. Records because of controversy over the graphic portrayal of rape, necrophilia, and murder in the song "Mind of a Lunatic." It was later released with alternate lyrics on iTunes and in their compilation CD, Uncut Dope. The Geto Boys (released by Rick Rubin's Def American Recordings, later re-named American Recordings) is actually a compilation, consisting mainly of ten tracks taken from its 1989 album Grip It! On That Other Level, as well as two new songs and one song from its debut LP, Making Trouble.
In the early part of the decade, several American politicians attacked rappers, including the Geto Boys (though most famously Ice T and 2 Live Crew). A high-profile incident in which Bushwick Bill lost an eye in a shooting with his girlfriend helped boost sales of their third album We Can't Be Stopped. The album cover had a picture of the injured Bushwick being carted through a hospital by Scarface and Willie D. In the album's title track, they responded to being dropped by Geffen. "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" became a hit in the rap community.
All three members began solo careers, but Willie D. was the only one who actually left the group. Scarface and Bushwick Bill continued with Geto Boys, adding Big Mike for Till Death Do Us Part in 1993. Willie D. returned for 1996's The Resurrection and 1998's Da Good Da Bad & Da Ugly. After years on hiatus, they released their seventh album The Foundation in 2005. The Geto Boys were featured on Scarface's My Homies Part 2 album.
The Geto Boys' popularity was boosted somewhat in 1999 by the prominent use of two songs — "Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" (original, later released as a single on vinyl) and "Still" (from The Resurrection) — in Mike Judge's film Office Space, now considered a cult classic. Also, the song "Mind of a Lunatic" was covered by rock band Marilyn Manson in 2003, as a B-side off of the album The Golden Age of Grotesque. The single "Damn it Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" has also been covered by the band Aqueduct.[2]
[edit] Name
Their name, Geto Boys, is incorrectly spelled Geto, and not Ghetto. For both their first album "5th Ward Chronicles: Making Trouble" (1988) and their second album, "Grip It! On That Other Level" (1989), the spelling was Ghetto Boys, according to standard English spelling rules. For their third album, "The Geto Boys", they changed it to the "Geto" spelling, which they still use today.
According to an urban legend, the "Geto" spelling originated from a spray-painted street sign in North Houston (the sign has long since been replaced), along with graffiti written within the restroom walls at Willowridge High School in Missouri City, Texas during the late 1980s.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album information |
|---|
Making Trouble
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Grip It! On That Other Level
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The Geto Boys
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We Can't Be Stopped
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| Till Death Do Us Part |
| The Resurrection |
Da Good Da Bad & Da Ugly
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The Foundation
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[edit] Compilation albums
| Album information |
|---|
Uncut Dope: Geto Boys' Best
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Greatest Hits
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[edit] Members and Lineup Changes
| (1986-1988) |
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| (1988-1992) | |
| (1993) | |
| (1996) | |
| (1998) | |
| (2005-Present) |
[edit] References
- ^ Henderson, Alex. Review of We Can't Be Stopped. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ Aqueduct - "Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangster". Youtube. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
