In a time when rappers from coast to coast tried to capitalize off the blacklisting of explicit gangsta rap, the Geto Boys instead come armed with a distinct agenda.
“The Resurrection” is an inspired album with strong political undertones, a smart move positioning the Geto Boys as advanced figures from their days as kings of controversy. It would seem that 1996 marked the coincidence of Rap-A-Lot’s finest both behind the mic and the boards. Joe, Uncle Eddie, and Scarface himself, who each helped pad the mid-90s Rap-A-Lot catalog with the deep, furious Texas funk that sustained long careers for such modest talents as The Terrorists, Too Much Trouble, Blac Monks, Trinity Garden Cartel, and 5th Ward Boyz. And if the Boys were entering their rapping primes, then the same could definitely be said of the producers involved, namely Dean, N.O. In the years that immediately preceded it, each member dropped the solo album I consider the best of his respective career (Willie D’s 1994 effort “Play Witcha Mama,” Bushwick Bill’s “Phantom of the Rapra” from 1995, and Scarface’s seminal 1994 classic “The Diary”), and each had expanded his already huge vision both musically and lyrically. On paper, “The Resurrection” has a whole lot going for it. Also, between 19 Rap-A-Lot had grown from a regional niche label to a coast-to-coast gangsta rap empire, developing a signature sound based on the lean funk of prolific in-house producers N.O. But by 1996, countless rappers had taken violence and misogyny to a whole new level in hip hop music, and authorities realized that efforts to censor them would provide futile.
In 1991 the group was labeled dangerous to society and their own distributors slapped stickers on their records warning listeners of its violent content. Eager to capitalize off their still-growing fame, the group soldiered on and replaced him with Houston-by-way-of-New Orleans rapper Big Mike, a Rap-A-Lot veteran, for 1993’s less-acclaimed “Till Death Do Us Part.” Another round of solo albums followed, and finally in 1996 Willie D was back with Scarface and Bushwick Bill for the reunion effort “The Resurrection.”Ī whole lot had changed in the five years since the trio had last recorded together. In 1992, however, Willie D cut ties with Geto Boys and Rap-A-Lot, citing financial and creative differences. After “We Can’t Be Stopped,” each member released celebrated solo efforts and watched many artists from their native Houston establish themselves on the national rap radar. Scarface, the most talented of the three who acted as the glue that bridged Bill and Willie’s massive characters. And then of course there was the reflective, contemplative Mr. There was the eternally angry Willie D, a former pugilist who yelled his wild rage into the microphone. There was the pistol-toting, gang-banging midget Bushwick Bill, who portrayed himself as a miniature version of the slashers in the 1980s’ beloved horror films. Each member was so individually complex that hearing all three together could be exhausting. More than just controversial, Geto Boys proved themselves to be among rap’s most compelling and indeed talented artists, spinning startling narratives with chillingly visual imagery as they took listeners inside the singular realm of their horrific ghetto fantasies. Geto Boys became Rap-A-Lot Records’ go-to act on the strength of “We Can’t Be Stopped” and found international fame for their gruesomely violent content, sexual explicitness, militant anti-political rants, and funky southern-fried production. Prince had assembled the Houston trio we know and love of Scarface, Bushwick Bill, and Willie D for the monumental “We Can’t Be Stopped,” the group’s best-selling album which featured the classic single “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” and an iconic cover photo of the group rushing 3’8″ Bushwick Bill through a hospital hallway after he shot his right eye. Although the original 1980s Ghetto Boys consisted of an entirely different lineup, by 1991 J.