Rewind: Geto Boys 'We Can't Be Stopped'

This will mark this blog's first Halloween and I plan to celebrate it with a Halloween themed post each year (if it, in fact, runs longer than a year). What better way to celebrate Halloween than with the Geto Boys and their Halloween themed biggest hit?

'We Can't Be Stopped' was the album that put the Geto Boys on the map (though, remarkably, three of their later four albums charted better than 'Stopped') and as much as it's full of shocking imagery, it's also full of outstanding beats. The title track 'We Can't Be Stopped' samples the mid 70s Average White Band cut 'Love Your Life'. The album cut 'Homie Don't Play That' uses a number of classic West Coast cuts including Funkadelic's '(Not Just) Knee Deep', Zapp's 'More Bounce to the Ounce', Ronnie Hudson's 'West Coast Poplock', George Clinton's party starter 'Atomic Dog', and 'Pumpin' It Up' by the P-Funk All Stars. That list of sampled material itself is a peak hour house party soundtrack.

The Geto Boys' biggest single and the focus of this post is, of course, 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me', a #1 rap single in 1991 and an often referenced hip-hop milestone. The song's bassline is cut from Isaac Hayes' 'Tough Guys' album track 'Hung Up on My Baby'. The song also samples Graham Central Station's popular break 'The Jam'. There are many quotable moments on 'Playing Tricks', but I think it is safe to say that no one in the past or the future will be able to rhyme 'sword' and 'paranoid' together as well as here. Finally, November 4th approaches and it's necessary to say 'F--- a War'. The Geto Boys' deep album cut 'F--- a War' clips Sound Experience's 'Devil with the Bust', a huge drum break for you producers out there (I'm actually amazed Amazon has this one).

The success of the Geto Boys would continue despite a slight line-up change and solo projects from Bushwick Bill and Scarface.

The Lowdown:
Geto Boys 'We Can't Be Stopped', 'Homie Don't Play That', 'Mind Playing Tricks on Me', and 'F--- a War'
from 'We Can't Be Stopped' (1991) (MP3 not available/CD)
Average White Band 'Love Your Life'
from 'Soul Searching' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic '(Not Just) Knee Deep'
from 'Uncle Jam Wants You' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD)
Zapp 'More Bounce to the Ounce'
from 'Zapp' (1979) (MP3/CD)
Ronnie Hudson 'West Coast Poplock'
from 'West Coast Poplock'(1982) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
George Clinton 'Atomic Dog'
from 'Computer Games' (1982) (MP3 not available/CD)
P-Funk All Stars 'Pumpin' it Up'
from 'Urban Dancefloor Guerillas' (1983) (MP3/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Hung Up on My Baby'
from 'Tough Guys' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Graham Central Station 'The Jam'
from 'Ain't No Bout-a-Doubt It' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Sound Experience 'Devil with the Bust'
from 'Don't Fight the Feeling' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)