Geto Boys was a rap group from Houston, TX. It was founded in 1986 by James “Lil’ J” Smith, the owner of Rap-A-Lot Records. Before you ask, yes, it was originally “Ghetto Boys,” but it was changed for marketing reasons after their first two albums were released. The original lineup consisted of Keith Rogers (Sire Juke Box, age 15), Thelton Polk (K-9/Sir Rap-A-Lot, age 19), and Oscar Ceres (Raheem, age 14). The trio released the single “Car Freak” in 1986, but it was not widely received.
The group underwent lineup changes consistently, but the most notable was that consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface, and Willie D. The group was active from its founding year in 1986, up until 2019, with the unfortunate death of Bushwick Bill. Since his death, Scarface and Willie D have started a podcast, Geto Boys Reloaded.
Contributions
The Geto Boys are thought of as the group that put not only Houston (and the Fifth Ward) but also the South on the rap and hip-hop map. They also are regarded as one of the first contributors to what we now know as ‘horrorcore’ or what some may call “gangta rap.” Horrorcore, also known as death rap or horror rap, is a subgenre of hip-hop based on horror-themed lyrics and imagery. The themes often associated with this genre are death, psychosis, psychological horror, mental illness, self-harm, cannibalism, mutilation, murder, torture, drug abuse, etc., which we all see are prevalent in Geto Boys music. The song above, Mind Playing Tricks, is about “extreme paranoia and the stresses of the street life built around haunting narratives.” Below is another song by the Geto Boys, Mind of a Lunatic, where you can see these controversial and gory lyrics in full force.
Artifact 2: Lyrics, Mind of a Lunatic
[Verse 1: Bushwick Bill] Paranoid, sitting in a deep sweat Thinking, I gotta fuck somebody before the week ends The sight of blood excites me, shoot you in the head Sit down, and watch you bleed to death I hear the sound of your last breath Shouldn't have been around, I went all the way left You was in the right place for me at the wrong time I'm a psychopath, in a minute lose my fucking mind Calm down, back to reality Don't fear death, cause I know that it's promised to me Flashes, I get flashes of Jason Gimme a knife, a million lives I'm wastin' The shadow of death follows me, I don't give a fuck Pussy play Superman, your ass'll get boxed up Put him in a straight jacket, the man's sick This is what goes on in the mind of a lunatic [Verse 2: Bushwick Bill] Looking through her window, now my body is warm She's naked, and I'm a peeping tom Her body's beautiful, so I'm thinking rape Shouldn't have had her curtains open, so that's her fate Leaving out her house, grabbed the bitch by her mouth Drug her back in, slammed her down on the couch Whipped out my knife, said, "If you scream, I'm cuttin'" Opened her legs and commenced the fuckin' She begged me not to kill her, I gave her a rose Then slit her throat, and watched her shake till her eyes closed Had sex with the corpse before I left her And drew my name on the wall like helter skelter Run for shelter never crossed my mind I had a gauge, a grenade, and even a nine Dial 911 for the bitch But the cops ain't shit when they're fucking with a lunatic [Verse 3: Scarface] I sit alone in my four-cornered room staring at candles Dreaming of the people I've dismantled I close my eyes and in a circle Appears the images of sons of bitches that I murdered Flashbacks of bodies being fucked up Once I attack, I'm like a pit on a rage that's going for guts Boys used to die when I'm full of that fry I be amping when I'm high So I say 'fuck' and just let bullets fly Like I said before, Scarface is my identity A homicidal maniac with suicidal tendencies I'm on the violent tip, so yo, get a grip And bitch, come equipped, ain't taking no shit Cause here comes a lunatic [Verse 4: Scarface] My girl's getting skinny, she's strung out on coke So I went to her mother's house and cut out her throat Her grandma was standing there, she was screaming out, "Brad!" As she reached for the telly, I put the blade on granny's ass Went to the back and grabbed a shovel Now granny's on her way to meet the devil Pulled out my .38 and aimed at the bitch A cop says (Freeze, motherfucker!) Bitch, suck my dick I said, "Die, motherfuckers!" as I blasted Something clicked in my head, visions of bodies in plastic The scent of buckshots in human flesh Pigs dying, from bullet wounds to the chest No sheriff's gonna take me on a road Dark as fuck, and let his pistols explode Fuck that, cause I ain'ts to die So I reloaded my Uzi and fired up another fry It got me crazy as fuck A raging psychotic full of that Angel's Dust The cops had the place surrounded Hunted for a way to get out - I found it Innocent bystanders were watching; set an example I popped one "Let me go, goddammit, Scot free Or all of these mothafuckas coming with me" All of a sudden the shit got silent I remember waking up in an asylum Bein' treated like a troubled kid My shirt was all bloody, and both of my wrists was slit Think this is harsh? This ain't as harsh as it gets No telling what's being thought of in the mind of a lunatic [Verse 5: Willie D] November 1st 1966 A damn fool was born with the mind of a lunatic I should've been killed But sister fucked around and let me live Now I developed a criminal behavior Fuck with me, and I'll slay ya Ass, beyond recognition shit Your dental records couldn't prove your identity, bitch I beg your pardon, on talking to Borden You'll never find a mother fucker, so save your milk cartons Cross the line, your ass is mine I don't give a fuck if you're 9 or 99 Blind, crippled, or crazy, don't phase me Your funky ass will be pushing up daisies You wanna know what makes me click? My psychiatrist said I got the mind of a lunatic [Verse 6: Willie D] I ain't got it all, so don't fuck with me Unless your ass wanna be made history I'll blow your motherfucking house up And if your wife and kids are inside, they're fucked I don't give a damn who I slay Don't let me get a hold to some E&J Cause when the shit hit the fan I'll stab your ass quicker than a Mexican The nightmares I leave you with on the scene Will make Freddy bitch ass look like a wet dream This is fact, not fictional, son of a bitch I got the mind of a lunatic
As you can see, this genre is not for the faint of heart. Other artists associated with this genre are Three 6 Mafia, Gravediggaz, Ganksta N-I-P, and Tech N9ne. The Geto Boys had a large contribution to the rap game and this subgenre in particular. Multiple artists cite Geto Boys as their inspiration such as 2 Pac, Eminem, T.I., Outkast, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Insane Clown Posse.
Fun, but not so fun, Fact
Bushwick Bill, who stood at just 3 ft 8 inches, lost his eye in a very interesting way. One day in 1991, he was high on PCP and was drinking Everclear, a very strong liquor. He claims he went home and woke his girlfriend up, asking her to shoot him because he “wanted to die.” She did not want to do this, so he shot at her and their 3-month-old baby. He then attempted to assault her with a vacuum cleaner, by hitting her over the head and missed. He says she reached for the gun and put her finger on the trigger, and he put his eye in front of it. Other sources claim he shot himself in the eye himself, or his mother did it as a way to claim insurance money (which was an idea Bushwick Bill came up with himself.) He claims he ‘died and came back to life’. Bushwick Bill’s eye injury was featured as the cover for their album, “We Can’t Be Stopped” where you can see the other two members wheeling him down a hospital corridor.
Content Warning for the images shown below.
Sources
Anderson, Jack. “We (Still) Can’t Be Stopped: A Geto Retrospective.” KUTX, 9 July 2021, https://kutx.org/words-on-music/deep-dives/we-still-cant-be-stopped-a-geto-retrospective/.
Aziz, Adam. “How Horrorcore Became a Forgotten Sub-Genre.” Okayplayer, 9 Aug. 2020, https://www.okayplayer.com/music/horrorcore-rap-albums.html.
Cockburn, Harry. “The Incredible Story of the 3ft 8in Rapper Who Shot Himself in the Head and Did an Album Cover Photoshoot the next Day.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 10 June 2019, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/bushwick-bill-dead-geto-boys-shot-self-eye-head-album-we-cant-be-stopped-a8952396.html.
“Horrorcore Music Guide: 3 Characteristics of Horrorcore Music.” MasterClass, 21 Mar. 2022, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/horrorcore-music.
Lopez, Raymond. “Geto Boys.” TSHA, 29 May 2013, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/geto-boys.
