Bushwick: The Man and the Hood Have Changed
In New York, rappers are inseparable from their neighborhoods. Biggie and Bed-Stuy; Nas and Queensbridge; Cam’ron and Harlem; 50 Cent and Connecticut. The list goes on. But what does it say about your neighborhood when it shares a name with a clinically insane midget rapper whose bizarre suicide attempt led to one of the greatest album covers in hip-hop, not to mention a lawsuit against Everclear grain alcohol?
It means you live in Bushwick, where Richard Shaw, aka Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys, grew up. This has long been a source of confusion, because the Geto Boys are well known to be from Houston’s Fifth Ward. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Bill’s music rarely deals with his childhood in New York. But, it was here that he first discovered hip-hop. Bill grew up on Linden and Irving, and became a member of the breakdancing group Linden Crash Crew at nine years old. From Bushwick, Bill moved to Houston and got a gig as a hypeman for a new rap group then called the Ghetto Boys. The rest, as they say, is history.
Unfortunately, Bill never seems to make mention of his stomping grounds in any Geto Boys songs. The closest he comes is a track off of Til Death Do Us Part, “Murder Avenue,” — Myrtle Avenue’s old nickname. Really it’s only a tip of the hat; the song mostly describes bizarre murder fantasies taking place in Houston (thank goodness!). But the title does serve as a reminder of how much Bushwick has changed since the ’80s and early ’90s. As it turns out, both the neighborhood and the man have experienced rebirth in recent years. Bushwick Bill was recently born again as a Christian, and his latest work is a Gospel Rap album.
thank you Willy. I wonder if there was a particular incident that made Bill pack his bags for H-Town, or maybe his midget legs wanted to move to a more auto-focused city?
Good post Willy. Bill is the inspiration for my name. My introduction to the Geto Boys in high school was the first knowledge of Bushwick.
“it’s fucked up I had to lose an eye to see shit clearly” ~ just magical.
That was my favorite line!
Gospel?
Born again?
“My minds playin’ tricks on me” is an awesome song!
“last year Halloween fell on the weekend…me abd Ghetto Boys trick or treatin”
“day by day keeps gettin’ harder and harder to cope….feeel like I’m the one that’s doin’ dope”
This is a great post, Ghetto Boys and Bushwick Bill are definitely lost Bushwick trivia. Bill brings back fond memeories of JH 162.
Lets not forget the HBO boys from Suydam.
I think artists like bushwick bill should come bac to the hood and give our children a role model. Moreiver, 50 cent is from jamaica queens not CT he just lives there now. In fact most of GUnit is from QNS.
^^that is very true. A lot of rappers make fun of 50 for living in CT, so I thought I’d make a joke. Didn’t mean to mislead…
Woah.. I didn’t know this! I loove the Ghetto Boys. Come back Bushwick Bill !
Bushwick Bill hAS DONE NUTHIN FOR BUSHWICK! IF I SEE HIM I MIGHT punch HIM IN THE MOUTH I AM DOLLARMENTARY FROM THE BUSHWICK CLIQUE
BUSHWICK& PUTNAM I BEEN DOING MUSIC FOR YEARS BUSHWICK BILL AND EVIL DEE TWO GUYS from bushwick who could have opened the doors and changed alot of things for this neighborhood i guess they was scared and didnt really have the enough power to do so
i am born and raised in bushwick fought and would and still will die for my neighborhood and thats what i am about since day one do your research on me and find out who you should support and push and follow in the music business
http://www.myspace.com/dollarmentary
http://www.youtube.com/dollarmentary
see what io ahve done so far and the places i been representing the realness and the lives of us in BUSHWICK..
we have alot of new talent yet to be shown EVERYWHERE IN new york has a star but when it comes to bushwick look
im here now im back im still living i am a survivor time for the hood to know and follow