The cultural impact hip-hop’s golden era left in its wake can be felt across all genres. The rawness of their storytelling, the simplistic yet impactful instrumentals, and almost everything the genre coined has been flipped into the pop culture stratosphere. In the early ’90s, a term like “gangster rap” had a negative image. The idea of youthful energy and poor living conditions being employed in an artistic effort was terrifying for the general public. Never before had the realities of inner-city neighborhoods been articulated in such a violent and artistic manner, and no one paints that picture like The Geto Boys.
The most prominent example of The Geto Boys’ vulnerability is their 1991 LP We Can’t Be Stopped. The artwork features a heinous image of member Bushwick Bill’s hospital trip after a bullet went through his eye. Some would call this a dark publicity stunt, but the reality of it is far more profound. This image reflected The Geto Boys’ harsh upbringing in Huston’s 5th Ward. The album contained some of the group’s most haunting records while producing one of their biggest hits. “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” details the roughness of their upbringing and how it still lingers in their mind even after success had found its way to the Texas group.
For this Golden Age Thursday, we look at The Geto Boys’ performance of “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” on MTV’s Yo! MTV Raps from 1991. The episode premiered on November 15 of that year, only a few months removed from the July release of We Can’t Be Stopped. The album was praised for the group’s raw honesty and stellar storytelling. Everything great about this LP can be found on the hit “My Mind Playing Tricks On Me.” This performance details the gruesome imagery of the song while showcasing the group at the top of their fame.
