Editing Geto Boys (section)

==History==
The original '''Ghetto Boys''' consisted first of Raheem, The Sire Jukebox and Sir Rap-A-Lot.  When Raheem and Sir Rap-A-Lot left, the group added DJ Ready Red, Prince Johnny C, and Little Billy, the dancer who later came to be known as [[Bushwick Bill]]. The first single the group released was "Car Freak" in 1986, which then followed with two singles: "You Ain't Nothin'/I Run This" in 1987, and "Be Down" in 1988. In 1988, the group released its debut album, ''[[Making Trouble]]''. With the release receiving very little attention, the group broke up shortly thereafter and a new line-up was put together in which Bushwick Bill was joined by Scarface and Willie D, both aspiring solo artists. This new line-up recorded the 1989 album, ''[[Grip It! On That Other Level]]''. The group's 1990 album, ''[[The Geto Boys (album)|The Geto Boys]]'', caused [[Def American Recordings]], the label to which the group was signed at the time, to switch distributors from [[Geffen Records]] to [[Warner Bros. Records]] (with marketing for the album done by Warner Bros. sister label [[Giant Records (Warner Bros. subsidiary label)|Giant Records]]) because of controversy over the lyrics.

In the early 1990s, several American politicians attacked rap artists associated with the subgenre [[gangsta rap]], including the Geto Boys. A high-profile incident in which Bushwick Bill lost an eye in a shooting helped boost sales of the group's 1991 album ''[[We Can't Be Stopped]]''. The album cover features a graphic picture of the injured Bushwick being carted through a hospital by Scarface and Willie D. On the album's title track, the group responded to [[Geffen Records]] ending its distribution deal with Def American. The album featured the single "[[Mind Playing Tricks on Me]]," which became a hit and charted at No.&nbsp;23 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].

[[File:Scarface (rapper).jpg|thumb|right|Rapper Scarface]]

After Willie D left the group, Scarface and Bushwick Bill continued with the Geto Boys with the addition of [[Big Mike (rapper)|Big Mike]], who made his debut appearance with the group on 1993's album ''[[Till Death Do Us Part (Geto Boys album)|Till Death Do Us Part]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=LeBlanc |first1=Ondine |title=The Geto Boys |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/geto-boys |website=Encyclopedia |access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref> ''Till Death Do Us Part'' was certified gold. The album spawned one top 40 hit in "Six Feet Deep" which peaked at #40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Subsequently, Big Mike was dropped and Willie D returned for 1996's critically acclaimed ''[[The Resurrection (Geto Boys album)|The Resurrection]]'', and the 1998 followup ''[[Da Good Da Bad & Da Ugly]]'', of which Bushwick Bill was not a part. After three years on hiatus, the group reunited in 2002 to record its seventh album, ''[[The Foundation (Geto Boys album)|The Foundation]]'', which was released on January 25, 2005. The Geto Boys were featured on Scarface's ''[[My Homies Part 2]]'' album.

The song "Street Life" from ''Till Death Do Us Part'' was featured on the motion picture ''[[South Central (film)|South Central]]''. A video clip for the song with footage from the film was released.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnyC-NPEPtk | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122233157/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnyC-NPEPtk| archive-date=2010-01-22 | url-status=dead|title=geto boys street life |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=2007-04-19 |access-date=2012-03-31}}</ref> Although the band rarely releases albums or perform together, the group came together for a reunion at [[Cypress Hill]]'s SmokeOut festival in [[San Bernardino, California]] on October 23, 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/smoke-out-festival-2009-offers-reunited-bands-and-munchies/|title=Smoke Out Festival 2009 offers reunited bands and munchies…|date=2009-09-01|newspaper=Consequence of Sound|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-23}}</ref> In 2010, Bushwick Bill was threatened with deportation to Jamaica.<ref>Carroll, Susan. "[http://blogs.chron.com/immigration/archives/2010/07/geto_boy_faces.html Houston's own Geto Boy faces deportation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101040142/http://blogs.chron.com/immigration/archives/2010/07/geto_boy_faces.html |date=January 1, 2011 }}." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. July 19, 2010. Retrieved on July 20, 2010.</ref> In a 2015 DJ Vlad interview, Scarface stated that he will not be involved in another Geto Boys album.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Todd|first1=Jessica|title=EXCLUSIVE! Scarface: I'll Officially Never Do Another Geto Boys Album|url=http://www.vladtv.com/article/214501/scarface-ill-officially-never-do-another-geto-boys-album|website=VladTV|access-date=17 September 2015}}</ref>

On August 24, 2018, founding member DJ Ready Red died at the age of 53, from an apparent heart attack.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/08/25/geto-boys-dj-ready-red-dead-53/1098715002/|title=DJ Ready Red, hip hop group Geto Boys' first DJ and producer, dead at 53|website=Usatoday.com|access-date=25 August 2018}}</ref>

Following the stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis of Bushwick Bill in early 2019, a farewell tour, titled ''The Beginning of a Long Goodbye, The Final Farewell'' was announced, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to pancreatic cancer awareness.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bushwick Bill's Cancer Diagnosis Prompts Geto Boys Farewell Tour |url=https://www.tmz.com/2019/05/11/bushwick-bill-cancer-diagnosis-geto-boys-reunion-final-tour-shows-farewell/ |website=TMZ |access-date=11 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref> However, this tour was cancelled just before its anticipated start. On June 9, 2019, Bushwick Bill died as a result of pancreatic cancer, at the age of 52.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/obituaries/bushwick-bill-dead.html|title=Bushwick Bill, Rapper Who Told Harrowing Tales in Geto Boys, Is Dead at 52|website=The New York Times|date=10 June 2019|access-date=19 September 2024|last=Caramanica|first=Jon}}</ref>