STILL BY THE GETO BOYS FULL

Hell, the beat even samples the theme music from the ’60s sitcom The Odd Couple! And fam! Get a load of these lines: It takes a special kind of eccentricity to be this weird and vulgar, and in all my years of rap-listenin’ I haven’t heard any other performances, save O.D.B.’s “Brooklyn Zoo,” that come close to how utterly deranged this one sounds. It’s a wild record for sure.Īnd that brings me to “Size Ain’t Shit.” Damn, where do I even begin?! Commenting on his short stature, this Bushwick Bill solo joint completely flies off the rails as Bill lets the verbal 100-round chopper spray, hurling insults at all challengers, boasting of his sexual prowess, threatening prison rape, and throwing out all sorts of completely oddball, wildly problematic, stream-of-consciousness rhymes which are captivating in just how random and out there they are.

STILL BY THE GETO BOYS FULL

The shocking lyrics from the emcees still pack a punch and are wildly entertaining, and the beats, though a bit dated, still sound raw and are chock full of Scarface samples (This group, and Scarface the rapper, helped kickstart rap’s interest with the classic 1983 crime film). The record was my introduction to the Geto Boys, and an album I’ve been putting a lot of plays on this week. The album was released in early 1990 to strong sales and continued controversy.

In 1989 Grip It! was remixed by the acclaimed producer Rick Rubin and set to be re-released as The Geto Boys, but due to the group’s extreme lyrics, the album’s distributor, Geffen Records, refused to release the album, eventually resolved when Warner Bros stepped in. Very few hip-hop acts were as explicit as the Geto Boys were, or as fascinating, and they opened the door for later acts like Eminem and Tyler the Creator. And Bushwick Bill? The dude was less than four feet tall and he let those demons manifest, idolizing Chucky from the Child’s Play movies and rhyming about some damn-near reprehensible shit. Scarface was building a cocaine empire, stacking paper, and suppressing inner demons. Willie D was railing against trifling women and telling censors, politicians and racists to fuck off. The group was acutely aware of rap’s burgeoning popularity and scrutiny by parents and watchdog groups, and kept pushing the envelope further and further.

Actually, hardcore is an understatement: The record is goddamned obscene. One of the top acts for the Houston label Rap-A-Lot Records, it was their 1989 record, Grip It! On That Other Level which was their artistic and commercial breakthrough, a notorious record known for it’s hardcore lyricism. Hailing from Houston’s Fifth Ward, emcees Willie D, Bushwick Bill, Scarface (originally known as “Akshun”) and DJ Ready Red brought the South into the spotlight as a new hotbed for hip-hop, and also stirred up a wave of controversy which hadn’t been seen since N.W.A. The Geto Boys is not exactly a guilty pleasure for me, because I’m a fan all day and I’ll happily admit that, but it feels kinda… naughty to bump their music on my headphones while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with buttoned-down business people on the morning commute, y’know?

Still by the geto boys