Geto Boys Foundation CD

Explicit. Bushwick Bill,Willie D & Scarface Are Back!

Geto Boys: Scarface, Willie D, Bushwick Bill (rap vocals).
Audio Mixer: Mike Dean .
Recording information: Dean's List House Of Hits, Houston, TX; M.A.D.D. Studios, Houston, TX; NoddFactor Studios, Houston, TX; The Garage, Houston, TX.
The Foundation, or the re-resurrection, is the first time Scarface, Bushwick Bill, and Willie D -- along with group founder, Rap-A-Lot head, and producer Lil' J/J Prince -- have recorded as the Geto Boys since 1996's Resurrection. It was originally supposed to be titled War and Peace, like the Ice Cube album, but the group opted to go with The Foundation, much like the Brand Nubian album (itself a reunion affair). For three MCs well past their prime -- Scarface has been busy with Def Jam South, while Bushwick and Willie D have released some poor solo material -- The Foundation is better than expected, even if it shows all the signs of being wrapped up in a couple weeks. Pre-album single "Yes, Yes, Y'all" thankfully provided little in the way of an adequate preview; a stumbling club banger, nearly every aspect of the track is out of character for the group. However, there are several moments where the MCs show flashes of their former fiery selves. Bushwick in particular can still be one of the most insightful, thought-provoking, rib-tickling lyricists around, regardless of genre. While the album is packed with all the grim violence, unapologetic misogyny, and wild boasts you can imagine, "I Tried" is one of the most poignant tracks the group has recorded, just as emotionally open as "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" and "Six Feet Deep." Veterans Mike Dean and Mr. Mixx take on much of the production work, with Scarface and Tone Capone handling the remainder; in most cases, the beats stay true to the Geto Boys' past and sound fresh without sad attempts at hanging with the new school. You can't say it's as if the Geto Boys never went away, because their absence has been too noticeable, and their influence continues to spread across the South, hip-hop's dominating region. Even if it's temporary, their visibility is a good thing for hip-hop. ~ Andy Kellman
2005's THE FOUNDATION marks the return of Houston, TX kings of controversy the Geto Boys, and reunites all three longstanding members--Scarface, Willie D., and Bushwick Bill--after nearly a decade. The record stays true to the complex, conflicted, horror-drenched world the trio conjured up in its early days, with the music recalling the group's heyday of stark albums such as WE CAN'T BE STOPPED. There's a wisdom in the Geto Boys sticking to beats virtually unaltered since the late1980s; considering that their style informed most of the sounds coming out of the South in the early 2000s, it comes across as more princely than dated.
Part of the threesome's genius lies in the ability to shift from the darkest scenes of graphic violence to moments of absolute silliness, exemplified by the first two tunes of THE FOUNDATION, the uncompromising "Declaration of War" and playful single "Yes, Yes, Y'All." For all of their schizophrenic fire, the Geto Boys are also good at exploring the flawed features of their own minds with a disarming tenderness, and both "I Tried" and "Leanin On You" echo with a surprising sincerity.