Geto Boys - The Geto Boys

 A typical rap album, which is mostly bad, occasionally good...
There are 3 genres of music I really hate with a passion, and that is punk, rap, and indie rock. Rap generally consists of a pontificating, sanctimonious black man (and occasinoally a white one) talkin' about how rap is music from the streets. At first, it was. Rap came out of Compton/South Central L.A. in the 80's in protest of the poverty and crime there. But then it turned into music in which we hear how big rappers' c**ks are, how much money they got, how many ho's they got, how much they can swear, and how nobody better mess with them. Rarely do I hear rap get truly political. The Geto Boys epitomize rap here. They have several examples of songs that I talked about. They have the song where they swear a lot and tell people not to mess with them (F**k 'em, with lyrics by an uncredited Oliver Stone, who wrote the screenplay for Scarface, and who The Geto Boys use quite liberally throughout the song), they have the song about how many ho's they have (Gangster of Love, which samples Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd), a song where they fantasise about killing (Mind of a Lunatic), and one real political song (City Under Seige). Now, sometimes when you hear rap stuff at first, it gives an awesome visceral kick, and this album does that. Gangster of Love is reminiscent of 2 Live Crew, except much more brutally funny (or misogynistic, depending on your gender or outlook on life). But the visceral kick rapidly fades, and you're left with a boring, pointless, beat heavy, profanity contest that really has little or no art in it. The Geto Boys played the "censorship" card really well (acting like their music was being censored because of the man and the "politics" of the man), where in all likelihood it was kept off the radio because of the barrage of profanity and generally in your face attitude of The Geto Boys. So, it's funny and visceral the first time, but the high doesn't last. The album never resonates beyond the first few listens, like most rap albums I've had. July 2, 2007

 Deadly as an A bomb
I had almost forgotten that I had this record, but one recent day, feeling particularly incensed, I remembered it and dug it out. Singing along to f#@* `em, I found myself already feeling much better. The last time I played that track so loud was many years ago when I threw in the towel and walked out of a job, and this time round it had the same highly therapeutic effect. By the time Assassins came on, I had abandoned the idea of becoming one, as my rage had abated, having been absorbed by this first class record, which is as incredible today as when it was first released in 1995. It has some of the catchiest gangsta rap tunes you will ever hear.

As other reviewers have noted, this record is the polar opposite of sweet and the lyrics are seething with anger, nastiness and good 'ol fashioned sexism, although they should not be taken entirely seriously. Still, if you are feeling homicidal, they hit the spot. It is the perfect antidote to a bad day.

Play it loud and feel your troubles and deadly thoughts melt away. Far cheaper than therapy, and beats a murder rap.
December 13, 2006

 It Set The Standard
Nothing really compares. Okay, well maybe early NWA. Still, this album holds up some 16+ years later. Rick Rubin heard most of the tracks from their 1989 Rap-A-Lot debut "Grip It On That Other Level", had a not-so-known Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine) and Sylvia Massy (Tool) remix it, and the result was one of the best rap albums to this day. The controversy that followed resulted in Rubin being forced to have it distributed by parent company WEA (as Geffen refused to do so). March 22, 2006

 One of the greatest, vilest records ever made
The guitarist from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs put it like this: 'In times of indecision, I often think to myself "What would Bushwick Bill do?" Usually I do the opposite because the midget rapper from this crew has been shot in the face and I haven't. Yet.'

That about sums it up. In Dublin in the 1980s, if you were a middle-class suburban teenager (and I'm afraid that in those days it pretty much went without saying that you were a white M.-C. S.T.), you either liked U2 or you didn't. If like me you didn't, then outside of your brother's vintage heavy metal collection there were few signs of life; a lot of rubbish pop music, some big-hair poodle-rock bands, and not a lot else. But then a cousin lent me this album, and at last I saw the light.

The Geto Boys were and for all I know still are not necessarily anyone you'd want to hang out for an evening with, if only because of the risk of gunfire or your girlfriend putting your eye out, but good god could they make a noise. I used to put this on my walkman and play it to people at my school to make them go away. 'Triggy Happy Nigga' is the one I played to death, but 'Gangsta of Love' is without doubt the funniest. One day, long in the future, my kids will play me something that they think is going to offend me, and I'll play them this back. And we'll be quits. March 14, 2006

 THE BEST RAP ALBUM OF ALL TIME!
NO CONTEST! The Geto Boys self-titled album is the greatest rap album I've ever heard. This album came out right around the time The 2 Live Crew were getting a bunch of hassles about the explicit language they were using. The Geto Boys pushed the envelope even further with this obscene, hilarious, and brutal album! They not only paved the way for other rap artists to express themselves more freely (more cussing) they busted a cap in censorship at the same time! The songs are unbelievable..."Gangster Of Love" had me in hysterics! "F*** 'Em" simply blew my mind! BUY THIS ALBUM AND PURCHASE A PIECE OF GANKSTA HISTORY! March 8, 2006

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