On this day in Hip-Hop History, Texas OGs The Geto Boys released their debut LP Making Trouble 31 years ago. Although this project started the career of one of the most prolific southern rap groups to grace the mic, it may have been their least heard and most unknown album.
Coming at a time in the group’s history when they were referred to as the more conventionally spelled “Ghetto Boys,” this album showcased the lyrical ability of a then four-member underground group. The group comprised DJ Reddy Red of Trenton, NJ(RIP), Prince Johnny C, and the Slim Jukebox, with Bushwick Bill on the roster as a hypeman and a dancer. It wasn’t until after the release of this project that Rap-A-Lot Records dropped Reddy Red, Johnny C, and Slim Jukebox to add Scarface and Willie D.
On this project, the group used a rap style and aesthetics that resembled the legends Run-DMC. The mimicry of the New York rap trio was deep. The group wore all black with top hats and thick gold chains. Their music featured a heavy rock influence with guitar riffs and high-energy drum patterns, and their group dynamic of two emcees and a DJ was exactly what Run-DMC sported.
This album was not the most popular from the Geto Boys camp, but it is an exciting piece of the group’s history. This project shows the growth and development it took for the group to become the legends they are respected today.