We Can't Be Stopped
Encyclopedia
We Can't Be Stopped was the 4th studio album
by Geto Boys
, released in 1991. It was among their most successful records in terms of units sold. The album is broken down track-by-track by Geto Boys
in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique
. We Can't Be Stopped was certified Platinum in early 1992.
The title track was a criticism of the Geto Boys' former label, Geffen Records
, after the label refused to distribute the group's previous album
due to the album's violent lyrics. The Bushwick Bill solo, "Fuck a War" is a criticism of then president George Bush
and an anti-war song and was inspired by a close relative of Bill's going serving in the Persian Gulf War. The hit single "Mind Playing Tricks on Me
" was originally intended to be a Scarface solo with three verses but later became a group song with Bushwick Bill rapping Scarface's last verse. "I'm Not a Gentleman" was a response to Queen Latifah
's "Ladies First," while "Chuckie" is a Bushwick Bill solo written by fellow Rap-A-Lot
member, Ganksta N-I-P
after two watched the movie Child's Play together. The track "Punk Bitch Game" was influenced by Salt
of Salt-n-Pepa
wanting more female participation in the song, while the album's final track, "Trophy," was about the Geto Boys' frustration over the lack of attention they were receiving from music awards.
In We Can't Be Stopped, each member of the group has three solo tracks and three tracks feature all three members on the rapping roster, including a short verse from DJ Ready Red on the title track.
in the hospital. Bill had shot himself in the eye after his girlfriend refused to shoot him during an altercation. The other two Geto Boys members and the group's management team yanked Bill out of the hospital room in order to take the picture, removing Bill's eyepatch and IV in the process. Bill has expressed regret over the album cover, saying "Its still hurts me to look at that cover because that was a personal thing I went through... I still feel the pain from the fact I've got a bullet in my brain... I think it was pretty wrong to do it, even though I went along with the program at first."
gave the album a "B," concluding his review with "Still, much of their new album stings, and their raw honesty has driven it onto the Billboard pop Top 40..."
The track "Mind Playing Tricks on Me
" has been singled out for praise. Pitchfork Media ranked the song #45 on its Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s list, with reviewer Tom Breihan writing "This track established the South as a serious force in the music, proving that these Texans could do dark better than anyone on either coast." XXL
ranked the song #14 on its list of the 250 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs from 1990 to 1999. The Source
gave the track its "Best Song" award in 1991.
"Rebel Rap Family"
"Homie Don't Play That"
"Mind Playing Tricks On Me"
"Gota Let Your Nuts Hang"
"Fuck A War"
"Ain't With Being Broke"
"Quickie"
"Punk-Bitch Game"
"The Other Level"
"Trophy"
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Geto Boys
Geto Boys
Geto Boys is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill. The Geto Boys earned notoriety for its lyrics which included misogyny, gore, psychotic experiences, and necrophilia...
, released in 1991. It was among their most successful records in terms of units sold. The album is broken down track-by-track by Geto Boys
Geto Boys
Geto Boys is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill. The Geto Boys earned notoriety for its lyrics which included misogyny, gore, psychotic experiences, and necrophilia...
in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique
Check the Technique
Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies is a book by music journalist Brian Coleman that covers the making of thirty-six classic hip hop albums, based on interviews with the artists who created them, also providing a track-by-track breakdown for each album entirely in the words of the...
. We Can't Be Stopped was certified Platinum in early 1992.
Recording
We Can't Be Stopped took only few weeks to record. During the recording of the album, DJ Ready Red, one of the original Geto Boys member, left the group due to personal reasons.The title track was a criticism of the Geto Boys' former label, Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, after the label refused to distribute the group's previous album
The Geto Boys (album)
The Geto Boys is the self-titled album by the Geto Boys, which was released in 1990. The album contained 11 revamped tracks from its previous albums Grip It! On That Other Level and Making Trouble and three new songs...
due to the album's violent lyrics. The Bushwick Bill solo, "Fuck a War" is a criticism of then president George Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and an anti-war song and was inspired by a close relative of Bill's going serving in the Persian Gulf War. The hit single "Mind Playing Tricks on Me
Mind Playing Tricks on Me
Mind Playing Tricks on Me is a single by the Geto Boys, featured on their 1991 album We Can't Be Stopped.The lyrics used within describe various mental states such as hallucination, delusion and paranoia. The sample used in the song is 'Hung Up On My Baby' by Isaac Hayes from his 1974 film Tough Guys...
" was originally intended to be a Scarface solo with three verses but later became a group song with Bushwick Bill rapping Scarface's last verse. "I'm Not a Gentleman" was a response to Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
's "Ladies First," while "Chuckie" is a Bushwick Bill solo written by fellow Rap-A-Lot
Rap-A-Lot Records
Rap-a-Lot Records is a Houston hip hop record label. Rap-a-Lot was created in 1986. Sublabels include Smoke-a-Lot Records. The label was founded by James Prince in the mid-1980s and, with its most famous act the Geto Boys, put the South on the hip hop map. Since then, it has maintained its success...
member, Ganksta N-I-P
Ganksta N-I-P
Rowdy Williams, better known as Ganksta N-I-P or Ganxsta Nip, is rapper from South Park, Houston, Texas and a member of the South Park Coalition, which he joined in 1987. In 1992 he released his debut album South Park Psycho. This record also help put the South Park Coalition name on the map due...
after two watched the movie Child's Play together. The track "Punk Bitch Game" was influenced by Salt
Cheryl James
Cheryl R. James , better known as Salt, is an American rapper and actress. She is a member of the rap trio Salt-N-Pepa, which also includes Pepa and Spinderella...
of Salt-n-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens and Brooklyn, New York, that was formed in 1985. The group, consisting of Cheryl "Salt" Renee James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper, was one of the first all-female rap crews....
wanting more female participation in the song, while the album's final track, "Trophy," was about the Geto Boys' frustration over the lack of attention they were receiving from music awards.
In We Can't Be Stopped, each member of the group has three solo tracks and three tracks feature all three members on the rapping roster, including a short verse from DJ Ready Red on the title track.
Album Cover
The album cover is a graphic picture of member Bushwick BillBushwick Bill
Richard Shaw , better known by the stage name Bushwick Bill, is a member of the American hip hop group Geto Boys. He was born in Jamaica, but moved to Brooklyn, NY as a young child.- History :...
in the hospital. Bill had shot himself in the eye after his girlfriend refused to shoot him during an altercation. The other two Geto Boys members and the group's management team yanked Bill out of the hospital room in order to take the picture, removing Bill's eyepatch and IV in the process. Bill has expressed regret over the album cover, saying "Its still hurts me to look at that cover because that was a personal thing I went through... I still feel the pain from the fact I've got a bullet in my brain... I think it was pretty wrong to do it, even though I went along with the program at first."
Reception
Alex Henderson of Allmusic called the album "an engaging, disturbing effort that comes across as much more heartfelt than the numerous gangsta rap albums by the N.W.A and Cube clones and wannabes who jumped on the gangsta bandwagon in the early '90s." James Bernard of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album a "B," concluding his review with "Still, much of their new album stings, and their raw honesty has driven it onto the Billboard pop Top 40..."
The track "Mind Playing Tricks on Me
Mind Playing Tricks on Me
Mind Playing Tricks on Me is a single by the Geto Boys, featured on their 1991 album We Can't Be Stopped.The lyrics used within describe various mental states such as hallucination, delusion and paranoia. The sample used in the song is 'Hung Up On My Baby' by Isaac Hayes from his 1974 film Tough Guys...
" has been singled out for praise. Pitchfork Media ranked the song #45 on its Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s list, with reviewer Tom Breihan writing "This track established the South as a serious force in the music, proving that these Texans could do dark better than anyone on either coast." XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
ranked the song #14 on its list of the 250 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs from 1990 to 1999. The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
gave the track its "Best Song" award in 1991.
Track listing
Samples used
The following samples were used on We Can't Be Stopped:"Rebel Rap Family"
- "Scarface Theme" by Giorgio MoroderGiorgio MoroderHansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
"Homie Don't Play That"
- "(Not Just) Knee Deep(Not Just) Knee Deep" Knee Deep" is a funk song running 15 minutes, 21 seconds on side 1 of Funkadelic's 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You.-Song information:...
" by FunkadelicFunkadelicFunkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:... - "More Bounce To The Ounce" by Zapp & Roger
- "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson
- "Atomic DogAtomic Dog"Atomic Dog" is a song by George Clinton from his 1982 album Computer Games. The track was released as a single in December 1982 and became the P-Funk collective's last to reach #1 on the U.S. R&B Chart...
" by George ClintonGeorge Clinton (musician)George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost... - "Pumpin' It Up" by P-Funk Allstars
"Mind Playing Tricks On Me"
- "Hung Up On My Baby" by Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
"Gota Let Your Nuts Hang"
- "Corey Died on the Battlefield" by The Wild MagnoliasThe Wild Magnolias-History:A group calling itself the Wild Magnolias, participating in the local "Indian masking" traditions and performing New Orleans Mardi Gras music, extends at least back into the 1950s. The group's lead member was called the Big Chief, and at least three Big Chiefs are known to have headed the...
"Fuck A War"
- "Devil With The Bust" by Sound ExperienceSound ExperienceSound Experience was an American funk ensemble, founded at Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland in 1970.The group played locally and recorded with producer Stan Watson, recording with him in Philadelphia. They recorded several singles and one full-length album in 1974, Don't Fight the...
"Ain't With Being Broke"
- "Damn Right I'm Somebody" by Fred WesleyFred WesleyFred Wesley is an American jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
& The J.B.'sThe J.B.'sThe J.B.'s were James Brown's band during the first half of the 1970s. On record the J.B.'s were sometimes billed under various alternate names such as The James Brown Soul Train, Maceo and the Macks, A.A.B.B., The First Family and The Last Word...
"Quickie"
- "Oh Honey" by The DelegationDelegation (band)Delegation was a British soul musical group with a lengthy career, and an amount of international success. They are generally viewed in the U.S. as a one-hit wonder, based on the crossover hit, "Oh Honey"...
"Punk-Bitch Game"
- "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" by Sly & The Family StoneSly & the Family StoneSly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
"The Other Level"
- "Kool Is Back" by Funk Inc.
- "Love HangoverLove Hangover"Love Hangover" was the fourth number one single for Motown singer Diana Ross. It was released in March 1976, and rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles and Hot Dance Club Play charts simultaneously....
" by Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
"Trophy"
- "The Grunt Pts. 1 & 2The Grunt"The Grunt" is a funk instrumental recorded in 1970 by James Brown's band The J.B.'s. It was released as a two-part single on King. Part 1 of the recording was included on The J.B.'s 1972 album Food for Thought. It was one of only two instrumental singles recorded by the original J.B.'s lineup with...
" by Fred Wesley & The JBs
Album
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
24 |
| R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
5 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop |
Hot Rap Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
Rhythmic Top 40 |
||
| 1991 | "Mind Playing Tricks on Me Mind Playing Tricks on Me Mind Playing Tricks on Me is a single by the Geto Boys, featured on their 1991 album We Can't Be Stopped.The lyrics used within describe various mental states such as hallucination, delusion and paranoia. The sample used in the song is 'Hung Up On My Baby' by Isaac Hayes from his 1974 film Tough Guys... " |
23 | 10 | 1 | 32 |