Editing Geto Boys

{{short description|American hip-hop group}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Geto Boys
| image           = File:Geto-Boys-Hip-Hops-Grittiest-Innovators-1024x276.jpg
| image_size      = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels. Set the value as a number without "px". -->
| caption         = 
| alias           = Ghetto Boys<br />{{small|(1986–1990)}}
| origin          = [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Texas]], U.S.
| genre           = {{hlist|[[Southern hip hop]]|[[hardcore hip hop]]|[[gangsta rap]]|[[G-funk]]|[[horrorcore]]}}
| years_active    = 1986–2019
| label           = {{hlist|[[Rap-a-Lot Records|Rap-a-Lot]]|[[American Recordings (US)|Def American]]}}
| associated_acts = {{hlist|[[Mike Dean (record producer)|Mike Dean]]|[[Devin the Dude]]|[[N.O. Joe]]}}
| past_members    = *[[Willie D]]
*[[Scarface (rapper)|Scarface]]
*[[Bushwick Bill]]
*Raheem
*Sir Rap-A-Lot
*Sire Jukebox
*Prince Johnny C
*DJ Ready Red
*[[Big Mike (rapper)|Big Mike]]
}}

'''Geto Boys''' (originally spelled '''Ghetto Boys''') were an American hip hop group originally formed in [[Houston]], [[Texas]]. They saw commercial success in the 1990s with the lineup consisting of [[Bushwick Bill]], [[Scarface (rapper)|Scarface]] and [[Willie D]]. The group became best known for their 1991 single "[[Mind Playing Tricks on Me]]", which peaked at number 23 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Geto Boys Biography |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwclassical/classical/Geto-Boys/bio |website=Broadway World |access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref> Formed in 1986, the group was active until the 2019 death of Bushwick Bill. 

The Geto Boys became notorious for lyrics which discussed controversial subject matter, including [[misogyny]], violence, [[psychotic]] experiences, and [[addiction|drug addiction]]. [[About.com]] ranked the Geto Boys No.&nbsp;10 on its list of the 25 Best Rap Groups of All-Time, describing them as "[[southern rap]] pioneers who paved the way for future southern hip-hop acts."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://rap.about.com/od/artist1/tp/BestHipHopGroups.01.htm | title=25 Best Rap Groups of All-Time | website=About.com | access-date=27 March 2014 | author=Adaso, Henry | archive-date=April 5, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405192134/http://rap.about.com/od/artist1/tp/BestHipHopGroups.01.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==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>

==Lyrics and influence==
The group's name, Geto Boys, comes from an alternate spelling of the word "[[ghetto]]". For its first two albums, ''Making Trouble'' (1988) and ''Grip It! On That Other Level'' (1989), the spelling was the English standard "Ghetto Boys". For their third album, ''The Geto Boys'', they changed it to the "Geto" spelling, which the group has used since. The Geto Boys' lyrics push gangsta rap themes to extremes, and sometimes focus on [[murder]], explicit [[sex]], and violence. The group is credited for putting [[Southern hip hop]] on the hip hop music map and inspired a legion of acts, including [[Tupac Shakur|2Pac]], [[Eminem]], [[UGK]], [[T.I.]], [[Goodie Mob]], [[Outkast]], [[50 Cent]], [[Chamillionaire]], [[Jay-Z]], [[Lil Wayne]], [[Rick Ross]], [[Young Jeezy]], [[Juvenile (rapper)|Juvenile]], [[Mystikal]], [[Mac Lethal]], [[Esham]]<ref name="BehindthePaint174"/> and [[Insane Clown Posse]].<ref name="TheOpening">{{cite video |people=[[Violent J]] (performer) |date=2010-06-08 |title=The Opening |medium=song |publisher=Hatchet House/Psychopathic Records |time=0:54 |quote=Much love to Cube, Awesome Dre, The Geto Boys, and Esham / for making us want to be rappers, self employed, and the bomb }}</ref> Insane Clown Posse's [[Violent J]] (Joseph Bruce) described the Geto Boys as the first rappers to perform [[horrorcore]], with their song "Assassins", released on their debut album, ''Making Trouble''.<ref name="BehindthePaint174"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.spin.com/2011/10/insane-clown-posses-violent-j-picks-11-horrorcore-classics/?page=0%2C5 |title=Insane Clown Posse's Violent J Picks 11 Horrorcore Classics |author=Weingarten, Christopher |date=October 28, 2011 |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref> Bruce says that the Geto Boys continued to pioneer the style with their second release ''Grip It! On That Other Level'', with songs such as "Mind of a Lunatic" and "Trigga-Happy Nigga".<ref name="BehindthePaint174">{{cite book |last=Bruce |first=Joseph |author-link=Violent J|author2=Hobey Echlin |editor=Nathan Fostey |title=ICP: Behind the Paint |url=https://archive.org/details/icpbehindpaint00viol |url-access=registration |date= August 2003 |edition=second |publisher=Psychopathic Records |location=Royal Oak, Michigan |isbn=0-9741846-0-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/icpbehindpaint00viol/page/174 174–185] |chapter=The Dark Carnival }}</ref> Conversely, "The Unseen", a song which appears on the group's compilation ''[[Uncut Dope]]'', expresses [[anti-abortion]] views.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-13-ca-3810-story.html?_amp=true |title=Geto Boys Wave Anti-Abortion Flag With 'The Unseen' |last=Hochman |first=Steve |date=December 13, 1992 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=June 23, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/a-psychotic-ranking-of-all-97-geto-boys-songs-8244917 |title=A Psychotic Ranking of All 97 Geto Boys Songs |last=Smith |first=Nathan |date=March 17, 2016 |publisher=[[Houston Press]]|access-date=June 23, 2021 |quote=“The Unseen” is a nasty, murderous anti-abortion screed }}</ref>

The Geto Boys' popularity was boosted somewhat in 1999 by the prominent use of two songs—"Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" (released as a promotional single for the 1992 compilation album ''Uncut Dope'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Geto-Boys-Damn-It-Feels-Good-To-Be-A-Gangster/release/1267770 |title=Geto Boys - Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangster (CD) at Discogs |website=Discogs.com |access-date=2012-03-31}}</ref> and "Still" (from ''The Resurrection'')—in [[Mike Judge]]'s comedy satire film ''[[Office Space]]''. The song "Mind of a Lunatic" has been covered by many recording acts including [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]] in 2003, as a B-side off 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 (band)|Aqueduct]] and country singer Carter Falco.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/RjgWgjOyhuo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140217114254/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjgWgjOyhuo Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjgWgjOyhuo |title=Aqueduct - "Damn it Feels Good to Be a Gangster"'' |access-date=2007-12-21 |publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The Geto Boys were also heavily influenced by the social politics of the day. Their lyrics consistently include themes ranging from [[police brutality]] (such as in "Crooked Officer") to concerns over the negative impact of violence on the urban community (such as "[[The World Is a Ghetto (Geto Boys song)|The World Is a Ghetto]]", "Geto Fantasy", and "Six Feet Deep").{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

==Discography==
{{Main|Geto Boys discography}}

;Studio albums
* ''[[Making Trouble]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Grip It! On That Other Level]]'' (1989)
* ''[[The Geto Boys (album)|The Geto Boys]]'' (1990)
* ''[[We Can't Be Stopped]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Uncut Dope]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Till Death Do Us Part (Geto Boys album)|Till Death Do Us Part]]'' (1993)
* ''[[The Resurrection (Geto Boys album)|The Resurrection]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Da Good da Bad & da Ugly]]'' (1998)
* ''[[The Foundation (Geto Boys album)|The Foundation]]'' (2005)

==Band members==

* [[Willie D]] – vocals (1989–1992, 1996–2019)
*[[Scarface (rapper)|Scarface]] – vocals (1989–2019)

===Former members===

*[[Bushwick Bill]] – hype man (1986–1989), vocals (1989–1997, 2002–2016; died 2019)
* Prince Johnny C. – vocals (1986–1989), production (1988–1991)
* Raheem – vocals (1986–1987)
* Sir Rap-A-Lot – vocals (1986–1987)
* Sire Jukebox – vocals (1986–1989)
* DJ Ready Red – vocals, turntables, production (1986–1991; died 2018)
*[[Big Mike (rapper)|Big Mike]] – vocals (1992–1994)

===Timeline===

<timeline>
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:15
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:1986 till:2020
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1986

Colors =
 id:vocals     value:red     legend:Vocals
 id:hypeman    value:orange  legend:Hype_man
 id:production value:yellow  legend:Production
 id:Lines1  value:black  legend:Studio_release

LineData =
 at:1988 color:Lines1 layer:back
 at:1989 color:Lines1 layer:back
 at:1990 color:Lines1 layer:back
 at:1991 color:Lines1 layer:back
 at:1993 color:Lines1 layer:back
 at:1996 color:Lines1 layer:back
 at:1998 color:Lines1 layer:back
 at:2005 color:Lines1 layer:back

BarData =
 bar:BushwickBill text:"Bushwick Bill"
 bar:JohnnyC      text:"Prince Johnny C"
 bar:Raheem       text:"Raheem"
 bar:RapALot      text:"Sir Rap-A-Lot"
 bar:Jukebox      text:"The Sire Jukebox"
 bar:ReadyRed     text:"DJ Ready Red"
 bar:WillieD      text:"Willie D"
 bar:Scarface     text:"Scarface"
 bar:BigMike      text:"Big Mike"

PlotData=
 width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:BushwickBill from:1986 till:1989 color:hypeman
 bar:BushwickBill from:1989 till:1997 color:vocals
 bar:BushwickBill from:2002 till:2019 color:vocals
 bar:JohnnyC      from:1986 till:1988 color:vocals
 bar:JohnnyC      from:1988 till:1991 color:production
 bar:Raheem       from:1986 till:1987 color:vocals
 bar:RapALot      from:1986 till:1987 color:vocals
 bar:Jukebox      from:1986 till:1988 color:vocals
 bar:ReadyRed     from:1987 till:1991 color:vocals
 bar:ReadyRed     from:1987 till:1991 color:production width:3
 bar:WillieD      from:1989 till:1992 color:vocals
 bar:WillieD      from:1996 till:2019 color:vocals
 bar:Scarface     from:1989 till:2019 color:vocals
 bar:BigMike      from:1993 till:1994 color:vocals
 
</timeline>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Texas|Biography}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060820035519/http://virginrecords.com/geto_boys/home.html Official website]

{{Geto Boys}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American hip-hop groups]]
[[Category:Asylum Records artists]]
[[Category:Horrorcore groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1986]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2019]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Houston]]
[[Category:Southern hip-hop groups]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Gangsta rap groups]]
[[Category:Hardcore hip-hop groups]]
[[Category:Rap-A-Lot Records artists]]
[[Category:Rappers from Houston]]