Twisted Tales: Bushwick Bill Asks for and Receives a Bullet in the Eye
- Posted on May 18th 2007 5:00PM by Gaylord Fields
- Comments
To become a highly successful shock rocker, all it seems to take is slapping on a ghoulish makeup job, slipping into your big sister's corset and re-enacting your favorite Vincent Price movie onstage. But even in the hip-hop world, where the concept of "keepin' it real" is sometimes regrettably all too strictly adhered to, not many have taken that credo to the extreme degree that Bushwick Bill, of Houston gangsta-horror-rap group Geto Boys, has. And while thousand of singers have regaled us in countless songs about the sacrifices they would make, the three-and-a-half-foot-tall rapper actually put his money where his mouth is -- or, rather, where his eye was.The Geto Boys, with Scarface and Willie D rounding out the trio, formed in the late '80s, and from the beginning were awash in controversy. Owing their early sound to gangsta rappers such as N.W.A., the trio would subsequently present a world view a lot more gruesome than even the harsh ghetto realities portrayed by their West Coast counterparts. With psychopathic tales of murder and necrophilia turning up in tracks like 'Mind of a Lunatic,' they laid the foundation for the hip-hop subgenre of horrorcore, as practiced by '90s rap groups the Gravediggaz and the Flatlinerz.
In May 1991, Bushwick Bill, either in a suicidal funk, a drunken rage or as a scheme to have his mother collect on his insurance policy (Bill himself intimates that it was a combination of all three), began goading his 17-year-old girlfriend into shooting him. Some reports say he had threatened to harm the child they had together if she refused to go through with the deed. What actually transpired has never been divulged by either party involved, but by either his or her hand, Bill caught a slug in the right eye. A photo of Bill, his eye clearly and significantly bloodied, being wheeled down a hospital corridor on a gurney with the other two Geto Boys flanking him became the front cover of their next and most successful album, both creatively and in sales, 1991's 'We Can't Be Stopped.' The novelty of Bushwick Bill going from being a dwarf rapper to a one-eyed dwarf rapper helped the record gain both publicity and credibility. It also helped that the platinum-selling LP contained the Geto Boys' undisputed high point, the bleak yet affecting 'Mind Playing Tricks on Me,' the trio's only No. 1 rap single.
These days, Bushwick Bill has reinvented himself as a Christian -- one can wonder if a certain line from the Book of Exodus concerning an eye for an eye will be part of his hip-hop homily.
- Filed under: Twisted Tales
Katy Perry Divorce: With No Prenup How Much Will Russell Walk Away With?
Can You Guess This Famous Face?
It's Pink!
Randy Travis Apologizes for Public Intoxication
M.I.A., Fiance Benjamin Bronfman Split, Singer Rarely Sees Son -- Report
Josh Powell's Last Words: 'I Am Not Able To Go On Anymore': Report
Alori Joh Dead: Singer and Kendrick Lamar Affiliate Dies at 25
American Heart Month: 17 Celebrities Who Faced Heart Problems
Can You Guess This Famous Face?
Powell 911 Call Released: Cops Declare Investigation Of Missing Mom A Murder Case
Thudda Boy Dead: Rapper Brondon McDaniel Dies From Gunshot Wound
PHOTOS: Anti-Gay Protesters Getting Pwned
It's Madonna!
PHOTO: Miley Cyrus Wears Racy Garter Tights
Chi Cheng Improving: Deftones Bassist Raises Leg After Three Years in Coma
Mia Farrow's Low-Key, Philanthropic Style
Dead Man Found In Foreclosed Home Four Years Later
The Best And Worst Burgers
Post 50 Celebrity Dream Homes on the Market (PHOTOS)
PHOTOS: Massive Whale Shark Reeled Into Harbor
Is Social Media Causing The Mystery Illness?
Lacrosse Player Accused Of Killing Ex-Girlfriend Emailed Her 'I Should Have Killed You'
Powell Boys Suffered 'Chop Injuries' Before Explosion
Prop 8, California's Same-Sex Marriage Ban, Declared Unconstitutional
Staten Island Mother Suing City For $900 Trillion
Freakish Fossil Upends Ideas About Origins Of Animal Life
Missing Alaska Barista Had Filed Restraining Order Against Man
Werewolf Sisters Are Coated In Hair (PICTURES)
Obama's Favorite Day As President?
The 10 Biggest Sources Of Salt In Our Diets
Good Things Come In Small Packages: Top Selling American Craft Breweries (PHOTOS)
'Dancing With The Stars' Season 14 Dream Casting
Teen Describes Killing As 'Ahmazing' And 'Pretty Enjoyable'
1 Comment