LOS ANGELES (Def Press) - On the eve of the release of his solo album, 'Gutta Mixx,' on Dollars-N-Cents/Adex/Lightyear/WEA, Bushwick Bill of The
Geto Boys is pleased to announce that he will be going on a major concert tour with the Grammy-winning Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony.
The first three confirmed dates and venues on the tour will be as follows: On May 5, Robert Stadium in Evansville, IN, on May 6, the Delta Plex in Grand Rapids, MI, and on May 7, the U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, WI. At press time, more dates are being added, which will be announced at a later date.
Bushwick Bill states that he wanted to announce the tour at a time that would coincide with of ten-year anniversary of the death of Eric 'Eazy-E' Wright, so that he could kick off the tour by dedicating it in the late rapper's memory. Bill observes, 'The passing of Eazy-E reminds me of a time, back years ago, when controversy was what ruled hiphop, because people were daring to push the envelope, and that is what made 'gangsta rap' prominent.
Since Eazy has been gone, very few artists or record companies have had the nerve or the courage to push the envelope, to make statements against the brutality of the police, or to express how they see the government treating people who live in the ghetto. The time was so important, because people like Eazy'E and James Prince threw down, and these are two people that dared to push the envelope.
That is part of why the Geto Boys came back with an album called 'The Foundation.' Eazy put out groups that struck intrigue in you, where you didn't just want to hear the music; you wanted to know what was behind it.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony approached rap with hardcore lyrics and melodic speech in how they brought their messages across, using the harmony of R&B to make it a crossroads of hiphop, R&B and jazz. For Eazy to bring someone into the game that could sing and rap at the same time, that was controversial back then.'
Bushwick notes, 'I look forward to the next ten years in hiphop, and to see what Eric's sons are going to do, and who is going to be the next person to come out and push the envelope. Eazy-E was special, not just because he was a great entrepreneur, a solo artist, and because of what he did with NWA, but also because he was a pioneer who spoke his mind. He let everyone on his label express himself freely, because he held up the Constitution. Unlike many today still, he believed that we have the right to free speech, and he carried that torch all the way to the grave, and it's still burning now, like an ever-burning light. That's what I learned from Eazy-E. I miss him, and I am still curious about what he would have to say about the world as it is today.'
Bill concludes, 'As far as a lot of the music from some of these so-called 'gangsta' rappers, who are coming today with this bubble gum rap that is taking over the airwaves, I think a few of the rappers like Eazy-E and some of our other musical forefathers who came before him, are wondering why are we not using our opportunities to speak about the problems that are going on, instead of just talking about having a good time.'
