First off, the Geto Boys album cover is one of the rawest ever. After a long night of drug abuse, member Bushwick Bill shot himself after his girlfriend refused to do so.  This photo was taken after he was brought to the hospital and was used for the album – insane.  On to the music… The Geto Boys are one of the most influential groups in rap history, and along with groups like UGK, put Southern hip-hop on the map.  The group changed members on more than one occasion, but found their most success with members Bushwick Bill, Willie D and Scarface (the real“King of the South”).  In 1992 they released their single “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” which reached number one on the charts and cemented the Geto Boys place in hip-hop history. Packed with paranoia, violence, and hallucinations, the song features some of the haunting storytelling of which the Geto Boys became known for.

The song features a sample from Isaac Hayes’s “Hung Up On My Baby”, a track where Hayes shows off his arrangement and composing ability which made Black Moses one of the greatest musicians ever. Laced with Hayes’s alluring guitar riffs, the Geto Boys turned his gem into a classic of their own.  The sampled record contains so many ill loops, there is enough material to make 5 dope beats, at least.  The Geto Boys use the loop at 0:10 for the main sections of the verses, and then the loop at 0:29 for the hook, which contains a melody catchy enough to whistle along with.  I mean, who’s fucking with Isaac Hayes when it comes to providing samples for classic hip hop records… no one? (P.Walsh / K.Casey)

Isaac Hayes – Hung Up On My Baby

Geto Boys – Mind Playing Tricks On Me

via KevinCaseyMusic and Et Musique Pour Tous