After several conflicting reports earlier Sunday — initially disseminated by TMZ — regarding the health of the Geto Boys’ Bushwick Bill, it has now been confirmed that the pioneering rapper has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 52
.
Bushwick Bill was born Richard Stephen Shaw on Dec. 8, 1966, in Kingston, Jamaica. Born with dwarfism, as an adult he stood at 3 foot 8 inches tall. At age 19, he joined Houston’s Geto Boys, whose core lineup eventually included Scarface and Willie D., originally as a dancer known as “Little Billy.” That core lineup released Grip It! On That Other Level in 1989.
The uproar surrounding The Geto Boys generated publicity and made the group a cause célèbre like 2 Live Crew and Ice-T’s Body Count, although the Geto Boys never received the mainstream attention of some of their peers. Still, the group’s follow-up album in 1991, We Can't Be Stopped, went platinum; its single"Mind Playing Tricks on Me," a grim inner-city reflection on trauma and PTSD, went top 10 on the R&B chart, to No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, and to No.
The classic Geto Boys lineup began to splinter in 1993. After a brief reunion in 1996 for the critically acclaimed album The Resurrection, Bill left to pursue a full-time solo career , though there would be other, sporadic reunions over the years. Following his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis in February 2019 , Bushwick was supposed to reunite with Scarface and Willie D.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hong Kong to push ahead with bill that sparked huge protestHONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong's leader signaled Monday that her government will push ahead with amendments to extradition laws despite a massive protest against them that underscored fears about...
Read more »
Hundreds of thousands of protesters march through Hong Kong to oppose extradition billHundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Hong Kong on Sunday to voice their opposition to legislation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China, where they could face politically charged trials.
Read more »
Hundreds of thousands march in Hong Kong to protest China extradition billHong Kong was plunged into a fresh political crisis on Sunday night after more t...
Read more »
Factbox: What Hong Kong people are saying about controversial China extradition billAt least half a million people in Hong Kong are expected to brave sweltering hea...
Read more »
Protesters flood Hong Kong streets angered over extradition billHundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Hong Kong on Sunday to voice their opposition to government-sponsored legislation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China to face charges.
Read more »
Sanders on bills with Hyde Amendment: 'Sometimes ... you have to vote for things you don't like'Bernie Sanders defended his past votes for legislation containing a provision prohibiting federal funding for most abortions
Read more »