Aiight, so we're taking yet another trip to the Dirty with this edition of Thought Y'all Knew. Now, the group that I'm covering today is one of my personal favorites. Their record "We Can't Be Stopped" is a bonafide classic, and in addition to having Bushwick Bill, the greatest living midget rapper in their crew, they also have Scarface, one of the South's godfathers as well as Willie D, who in my opinion has always been severely underestimated. "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" is still one of the 10 best Hip-Hop songs of all time. However, this was never their original line-up. In fact, the Geto Boys had about three different incarnations of the group, which changed twice by the time they'd released "We Can't Be Stopped."
Q. Who were the original members of the Geto Boys (or the "Ghetto Boys," as the group's name was originally spelled)?
A. Sire Jukebox, Prince Johnny C, Little Billy (later known as Bushwick Bill...although Little Billy may be the greatest rap name in Hip-Hop history) and DJ Ready Red.
The crew released one record together, "Making Trouble," in 1988. Then, Rap-A-Lot Records decided to drop Jukebox and Johnny C from the group in place of Willie D and Scarface. DJ Ready Red remained onboard for the next two records released by the group ("Grip It! On That Other Level" and "The Geto Boys"), but would no longer be there by the time "We Can't Be Stopped" saw the light of day.
Thus, you have the history behind one of the most storied groups in the history of Hip-Hop, and one of my favorite collectives of all time. Shouts go out to 'Face, Willie D, and Little Billy.
