When the Geto Boys came together in 1986, though, it was with a completely different lineup. Formed as THE GHETTO BOYS in Houston by rap entrepreneur JAMES "LIL'J " SMITH . The group originally consisted of PRINCE JOHNNY C.,THE SLIM JUKEBOX, and DJ REDDY RED. During 1987-1988, both JOHNNY C. and THE JUKEBOX quit, forcing SMITH to add a dwarf-dancer-turned-rapper named BUSHWICK BILL and two Rap-A-Lot solo acts: SCARFACE and WILLIE 'D' DENNIS. From then on they were known as The Geto Boys.Formed: 1986 // Houston, TX, United States Members: Prince Johnny C (1986-1988)The Slim Jukebox (1986-1988)DJ Ready Red (1986-1990)Bushwick Bill (1986-present)Willie D (1989-1992, 1996-present)Scarface (1989-present)Big Mike (1993-1994)
In the early part of the decade, several American politicians attacked rappers, including the Geto Boys (though most famously Ice-T and 2 Live Crew). A high-profile incident in which Bushwick Bill (actually a dwarf) lost an eye in a shooting incident with his girlfriend helped sales for their third album, We Can't Be Stopped, which showed Bushwick on the cover being carted through a hospital by Scarface and Willie D. They responded to being dropped by Geffen on the title track, and "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" became a hit in the rap community.
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From Wikipedia:Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill. The original Ghetto Boys consisted of: Prince Johnny C, The Slim Jukebox, DJ Ready Red and Little Billy, the dancer who later came to be known as Bushwick Bill. The group released an album titled Making Trouble in 1988, which got very little attention. The group broke up shortly after and a new line-up was put together with the inclusion of Scarface and Willie D, both aspiring solo artists.
The Geto Boys earned notoriety for its transgressive lyrics which included gore, psychotic experiences, necrophilia and misogyny. Despite the explicit content of their songs, critic Alex Henderson argues that the group "comes across as much more heartfelt than the numerous gangsta rap...wannabes who jumped on the gangsta bandwagon in the early '90s." The Geto Boys broke new ground with their soulful southern sound (a precursor to the Dirty South style).