Bushwick Bill

Richard William Stephen Shaw (December 8, 1966 – June 9, 2019), better known by his stage name Bushwick Bill, was a Jamaican rapper.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He went on to become one third of the most popular 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 and was raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn. His father was a merchant mariner and his mother was a maid. He was born with dwarfism and as an adult was listed as Template:Convert tall.<ref name="NYTobit" />

Career

Shaw got his start in the music industry in 1986 as a member of the Geto Boys, where he performed as a dancer known as Little Billy. He later transitioned to rapping and was featured on the Geto Boys' debut album, Making Trouble in 1988. The album received little attention and negative reviews, which led to Rap-A-Lot dropping all members from the group except for Bill and DJ Ready Red.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Soon afterwards, Rap-A-Lot CEO J. Prince recruited Scarface and Willie Dee, two local aspiring artists from Houston to be in the second incarnation of the group. The new lineup began recording together in 1988 and their debut project as a group and second overall for the Geto Boys, Grip It! On That Other Level was released in 1989 to a much better reception, being considered a classic album and one of the earliest entries into the horrorcore genre.<ref>Columnist. Template:Usurped. The Source. Retrieved February 21, 2014.</ref><ref name="BehindthePaint174">Template:Cite book</ref> Around that time the group's lyrical content began to generate controversy, which multiplied in 1991 when the cover of the group's third album We Can't Be Stopped depicted a graphic image of Bill moments after he was shot during an argument with his girlfriend.<ref name="ScarfaceInterview">Full Clip: Scarface Breaks Down Geto Boys & Solo Catalogue. Vibe. August 6, 2010</ref> Nevertheless, the album went on to be their most successful to that point, being certified platinum in 1992.<ref name="GetoBio">Bush, John. "Geto Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2011</ref>

Bushwick Bill can be heard on the album The Chronic by Dr. Dre; he appears in the video of "Dre Day" as one of Eazy-E's fellow rappers. His 1998 album No Surrender...No Retreat was dedicated to his friend Gil Epstein, a Fort Bend County prosecutor who was shot dead in Houston in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 been suggested that part of the motivation was an attempt to score life insurance money for his mother.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He had been under the influence of Everclear grain alcohol and PCP.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 claims that he "died and came back to life" during the incident, and he made reference to it in his music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006, he became a born-again Christian.<ref name="clatl1">Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2010, Shaw was arrested in Atlanta for possession of marijuana and cocaine. Based on his prior arrest record and not being an American citizen, he faced deportation.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="clatl1" />

Illness and death

On May 1, 2019, Shaw revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Barely a month later, on June 9, reports emerged that he had died, but news of his death was later refuted by his son.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, it was reported and confirmed that Shaw died later that day at a hospital in Denver.<ref name="NYTobit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Discography

Album information
Little Big Man<ref name="complex">Template:Cite web</ref> Released: September 8, 1992 Billboard 200 chart position: No. 15<ref name="billboard">Template:Cite magazine</ref> R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 32 Singles: "Ever So Clear"/"Call Me Crazy" (No. 49 R&B)
Phantom of the Rapra<ref name="Adelson">Template:Cite book</ref> Released: July 11, 1995 Billboard 200 chart position: No. 43<ref name="billboard" /> 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<ref name="Adelson" /> Released: October 27, 1998 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 43 Singles:
Universal Small Souljah<ref name="Adelson" /> Released: March 13, 2001 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - Singles: "Unforgiven"
Gutta Mixx<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Released: March 29, 2005 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - Singles: "20Minutesormore"
My Testimony of Redemption<ref name="complex" /> Released: November 17, 2009 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 66

Guest appearances

• Dr. Dre --- The Chronic: "Stranded on Death Row"
• Seagram --- The Dark Road: "Wages of Sin"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Mad Cobra --- Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry: "Dead End Street"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Kool G Rap & DJ Polo --- Live and Let Die: "Two to the Head"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• DFC --- Thangs in the Hood: "A Piece of My Mind Intro"
• Menace Clan --- Da Hood: "Da Hood"; "Have You Ever Heard"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Do or Die --- Headz or Tailz: "Tailz"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Scarface --- My Homies: "Do What You Do"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

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• Bushwick Bill on Myspace