Bushwick Bill
A visually distinctive and provocative force in the Geto Boys, whose confrontational style helped define the gritty reality of Southern hip-hop.
1966–2019 (age 53)·Jamaican-American rapper·Birthday: December 8·Generation X
Biography
Richard Shaw, born in Jamaica and raised in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, found his way to Houston's rap scene as a dancer. His small stature and energetic presence caught the eye of the Geto Boys, who initially brought him in as Little Billy, a hype man and breakdancer. He soon proved his mettle on the mic, adopting the name Bushwick Bill and forming, with Scarface and Willie D, the group's most potent lineup. His high-pitched, frantic delivery and unflinching lyrics about violence, mental anguish, and street life became a signature element of their groundbreaking albums like 'We Can't Be Stopped'—its cover famously featuring Bill in a hospital gown after a shocking, self-inflicted gunshot wound. His solo work further explored dark, personal themes, cementing his status as a complex and unforgettable character in hip-hop history, whose art was inextricably linked to his tumultuous life.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Bushwick was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bushwick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Bushwick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2019Died at 53
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
Key Achievements
- Was a core member of the Geto Boys on their seminal albums 'Grip It! On That Other Level' and 'We Can't Be Stopped,' which achieved platinum status.
- His solo album 'Little Big Man' featured the hit 'Ever So Clear,' which graphically detailed the 1991 incident where he lost an eye.
- The Geto Boys' work is widely credited with putting Southern hip-hop on the national map and influencing the horrorcore subgenre.
Did You Know?
He was only 3'8" tall due to a form of dwarfism.
The famous cover of 'We Can't Be Stopped' was taken in a hospital emergency room after he was shot in the eye during an altercation with his girlfriend.
Before his music career, he was a member of a breakdancing crew called the Tiny Tots.
He converted to Christianity later in his life.
“I'm not a rapper, I'm a demon disguised as a midget.”
