A HHDX Review by David Lopez
The king of the south title might not have been that lofty of a goal if a trio out of Houston, Texas hadn’t paved the way by putting the region on the map with hard core Hip Hop close to fifteen years ago.
Their album We Can’t Be Stopped proved to be a classic featuring the timeless single “Mind Playing Tricks On Me,” but it’s been seven years since their last group album The Resurrection was released.
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Fast Forward to 2005 and the Geto Boys have returned to explain how they laid down The Foundation coming from the resurrected Rap-a-Lot/Asylum label when most of the rappers currently competing for the top spot of the south were still in grammar school. To think otherwise is ludicrous. The south is now a hotbed for talent, everybody from Lil Jon to Lil Flip has seen the fruits of GB‘s labor. The group earned their stripes and despite their separation years ago, are back to show the young buck’s how to really put it down in the south.
Lead single “Yes, Yes, Y’all” proves to GB‘s return to the Gangsta rap landscape that they helped create as they convince listeners that they are back stronger than ever after their long hiatus.
” Declaration of war,” produced by Tone Capone features thumping piano synths and proves to be their affirmation of conflict, as Bushwick Bill cleverly spits:
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“Bust him in the ass until he is still, I am chuckwick bitch your Achilles heel, a short nigga quick to give a tall ass whooping, got a chip on my shoulder the size of Brooklyn.”
The heartfelt “Leanin On You,” features soulful production as the trio vents about the circumstances of everyday life in an impoverished neighborhood. Continuing with the honest lyrics on “I tried” GB presents their sensitive testimonies over an old school beat that features melodic female chants on the track’s background. On the chorus Scarface proclaims their efforts:
“I tried to the best I could, sometimes I guess my best ain’t good, enough, because when it’s over said shit done you sitting by yourself mixed up.”
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Each member showcases a single on the album. On the track “Nothin’ 2 show,” the third GB Willie D explains how he will go through desperate measures including producing counterfeit money not to die broke.
The treacherous “Dirty Bitch,” is a somber letter Bushwick Bill pens to his ex wife:
“Burned my Car and my clothes like you was Angela Bassett, I left town, you moved out all you left was a mattress.”
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And Scarface breaks down the “G Code” of not cooperating with the police on his dedication to snitches.
With very few mishaps on this opus, the Geto Boys prove that the chemistry they have created over the years can’t be replaced. Their three voices mesh together like good gumbo, and the south will be forever in debt to these pioneer’s contributions in the game. Though the current crop of southern rappers are profiting off of the recent southern craze, if it wasn’t for the Geto Boys there would be no foundation to build on.
