Bushwick Bill

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Bushwick Bill
Rap-a-Lot
Height3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
Children4

Richard William Stephen Shaw (December 8, 1966 – June 9, 2019), better known by his stage name Bushwick Bill, was a Jamaican rapper.[3] He was a member of the Texas hip hop group Geto Boys, a group he originally joined as a breakdancer in 1986 as Little Billy.[4] He went on to become one third of one incarnation of the group, alongside Willie D and Scarface.

Early life

Bushwick Bill was born Richard William Stephen Shaw on December 8, 1966, in Kingston, Jamaica. His father was a merchant mariner, and his mother was a maid. Shaw was born with dwarfism and as an adult was listed as 3 feet 8 inches (112 cm) tall.[5]

Career

Shaw got his start in the music industry in 1986 as a member of the

platinum in 1992.[10]

Bushwick Bill can be heard on the album

Fort Bend County prosecutor who was shot dead in Houston, Texas, in 1996.[11]

Personal life

On June 19, 1991, during an argument with his girlfriend (who was also the mother of his child), Bill was shot in the face. He lost his right eye as a result. Reports vary as to who actually fired the gun, as both participants' hands were on the weapon during the altercation. Bill has clarified that he was suicidal and attempting to force her into killing him, even going as far as to threaten their sons' life. It has also been suggested that part of the motivation was an attempt to score life insurance money for his mother. He had been under the influence of

Everclear grain alcohol and PCP.[12] The aftermath of the incident was documented on the album cover for Geto Boys' 1991 album We Can't Be Stopped, which shows Shaw being pushed through the hospital on a gurney by bandmates Willie D and Scarface. Shaw claimed he "died and came back to life" during the incident, and he made reference to it in his music.[13][14][15]
In 2006, he became a
born-again Christian.[2]
In May 2010, Shaw was arrested in
marijuana and cocaine. Based on his prior arrest record and not being an American citizen, he faced deportation.[3][2]

Illness and death

On May 1, 2019, Shaw revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.[16] Over a month later, on June 9, reports emerged that Shaw had died, but news of his death was later refuted by his son.[17][18] However, it was subsequently reported and confirmed that Shaw died later that day at a hospital in Denver, Colorado.[5][19]

Discography

See also: Geto Boys discography
Album information
Little Big Man[20]
  • Released: September 8, 1992
  • Billboard 200 chart position: No. 15[21]
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 32
  • Singles: "Ever So Clear"/"Call Me Crazy" (No. 49 R&B)
Phantom of the Rapra[22]
  • Released: July 11, 1995
  • Billboard 200 chart position: No. 43[21]
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 3
  • Singles: "Who's the Biggest"/"Only God Knows" (No. 113 Pop, No. 88 R&B)
No Surrender…No Retreat[22]
  • Released: October 27, 1998
  • Billboard 200 chart position: -
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 43
  • Singles:
Universal Small Souljah[22]
  • Released: March 13, 2001
  • Billboard 200 chart position: -
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: -
  • Singles: "Unforgiven"
Gutta Mixx[23]
  • Released: March 29, 2005
  • Billboard 200 chart position: -
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: -
  • Singles: "20Minutesormore"
My Testimony of Redemption[20]
  • Released: November 17, 2009
  • Billboard 200 chart position: -
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #66

References

  1. ^ "Dr. Wolfgang Von Bushwickin The Barbarian Mother-Funky Stay High Dollar Billster". Howtogrowarapper.wordpress.com. April 30, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Radford, Chad (August 30, 2010). "Bushwick Bill teeters on the brink of deportation | Music Feature | Creative Loafing Atlanta". Clatl.com. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-56976-606-4
    .
  4. ^ Moskow 0, Ben (November 10, 2021). "Bushwick Bill Was One of Houston's Most Provocative Rappers. A New Documentary Reveals the Man Behind the Outrage". Texas Monthly. Retrieved April 22, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (June 10, 2019). "Bushwick Bill, Rapper Who Told Harrowing Tales in Geto Boys, Is Dead at 52". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  6. ^ "Making Trouble – Geto Boys | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  7. The Source
    . Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  8. ISBN 0-9741846-0-8
    .
  9. ^ Full Clip: Scarface Breaks Down Geto Boys & Solo Catalogue. Vibe. August 6, 2010
  10. ^ Bush, John. "Geto Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2011
  11. ^ "Bushwick Bill Dedicates Album To Slain Prosecutor—Music, Celebrity, Artist News". Mtv.com. November 19, 1998. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  12. ^ "Bushwick Bill of Rap Group Geto Boys Dies at 52 After Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis". People.com. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  13. ^ Wyman, Bill (September 24, 1992). "An Eye for a Truth: Bushwick Bill in extremis/Turn Down That Damn Music!". Chicagoreader.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  14. ^ "A History of Rappers Getting Shot and Surviving". Complex.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  15. ^ "Geto Boys' Bushwick Bill Reveals Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis". Pitchfork. May 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  16. People.com. Meredith Corporation
    . Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  17. ^ Blais-Billie, Braudie; Minsker, Evan (June 9, 2019). "Update: Bushwick Bill's Son Says the Geto Boys Rapper Is "Fighting For His Life" Despite Reports of His Death". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  18. Billboard Magazine
    , June 9, 2019
  19. ^ Aswad, Jem (June 9, 2019). "Geto Boys Rapper Bushwick Bill Dies at 52". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  20. ^ a b Setaro, Shawn. "Bushwick Bill Couldn't Be Stopped". Complex. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Bushwick Bill Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  22. ^
    ISBN 0-8135-3548-4
    . Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  23. ^ Serrano, Shea. "The H-Town Countdown, No. 16: Bushwick Bill's Little Big Man". Houston Press. Retrieved June 11, 2019.

External links

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