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We Can't Be Stopped

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For the No Limit Records compilation album, see We Can't Be Stopped (No Limit Records album).

We Can't Be Stopped is the third studio album by Geto Boys, released on July 9, 1991. It was among their most successful records in terms of units sold. The album is analysed track-by-track by Geto Boys in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique.[1] We Can't Be Stopped was certified Platinum in early 1992.[2]

We Can't Be Stopped
the Geto Boys wheeling Bushwick Bill, with a severely wounded eye, through the hospital on a hospital bed
Studio album by
Geto Boys
ReleasedJuly 9, 1991 (1991-07-09)
Recorded1990–1991
Genre
Length51:45
Label
Producer
  • Bushwick Bill
  • James Smith
  • John Bido
  • Johnny C
  • Roland
  • Scarface
  • Simon
  • Willie D
Geto Boys chronology
The Geto Boys
(1990) 		We Can't Be Stopped
(1991) 		Uncut Dope
(1992)
Singles from We Can't Be Stopped
  1. "Mind Playing Tricks on Me"
    Released: July 1, 1991

Recording

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We Can't Be Stopped took only a few weeks to record. During the recording of the album, DJ Ready Red, one of the original Geto Boys members, left the group for personal reasons.[1]

In We Can't Be Stopped, each member of the group has three solo tracks. Three tracks have all three members on the rapping roster, including a short verse from DJ Ready Red on the title track.

Album cover

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The album cover is a graphic picture of member Bushwick Bill in the hospital. Bill was shot in the eye as he and his girlfriend tussled over a gun. Bushwick Bill wanted her to kill him and during the altercation he was shot as both hands were on the gun.[3] The other two Geto Boys members and the group's management team took Bill out of the hospital room in order to take the picture, removing his eyepatch and intravenous drip in the process. Bill later expressed regret over the album cover, saying, "It still hurts me to look at that cover because that was a personal thing I went through... I still feel the pain from the fact I've got a bullet in my brain... I think it was pretty wrong to do it, even though I went along with the program at first."[1]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
Robert Christgau [7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [8]
Entertainment WeeklyB[5]
RapReviews9/10[6]
Rolling Stone     [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [10]

Fred Thomas from AllMusic called the album "[the group's] most visceral work, rising to platinum success against the odds and inspiring innovation in the genre with its powerful and distinctively Southern perspective on what rap could be."[4] James Bernard of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a "B," saying that much of the “album stings, and their raw honesty has driven it onto the Billboard pop Top 40..."[5]

The track "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" has been singled out for praise. Pitchfork Media ranked the song #45 on its Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s list, with reviewer Tom Breihan writing "This track established the South as a serious force in the music, proving that these Texans could do dark better than anyone on either coast."[11] XXL ranked the song #14 on its list of the 250 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs from 1990 to 1999.[12] The Source gave the track its "Best Song" award in 1991.[1] Robert Christgau gave the album a choice cut rating, only liking "Mind Playing Tricks on Me."

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Rebel Rap Family"1:22
2."We Can't Be Stopped"3:34
3."Homie Don't Play That"3:48
4."Another Nigger in the Morgue"3:14
5."Chuckie"3:48
6."Mind Playing Tricks on Me"5:11
7."I'm Not a Gentleman"4:01
8."Gota Let Your Nuts Hang"4:11
9."Fuck a War"4:16
10."Ain't with Being Broke"3:47
11."Quickie"3:08
12."Punk-Bitch Game"2:16
13."The Other Level"6:01
14."Trophy"3:08

Sample credits

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The following samples were used on We Can't Be Stopped:

"Rebel Rap Family"
"Homie Don't Play That"
"Mind Playing Tricks on Me"
"I'm Not a Gentleman"
"Gota Let Your Nuts Hang"
"Fuck a War"
"Ain't With Being Broke"
"Quickie"
"Punk-Bitch Game"
"The Other Level"
"Trophy"

Charts

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Singles

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Year Song Chart positions
Hot 100
[18] 		Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
[18] 		Hot Rap
[18] 		Rhythmic Top 40
[18]
1991 "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" 23 10 1 32

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Coleman, Brian. Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies. New York: Villard/Random House, 2007. pp. 225-231.
  2. ^ Bush, John. "Geto Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2011
  3. ^ Full Clip: Scarface Breaks Down Geto Boys & Solo Catalogue. Vibe. August 6, 2010
  4. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Geto Boys - We Can't Be Stopped". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Bernard, James (August 16, 1991). "We Can't Be Stopped Review". Entertainment Weekly Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  6. ^ "Geto Boys :: We Can't Be Stopped :: Rap-A-Lot Records". www.rapreviews.com.
  7. ^ "Robert Christgau: Album: The Geto Boys: We Can't Be Stopped". www.robertchristgau.com.
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 731.
  9. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (September 5, 1991). "Geto Boys: We Can't Be Stopped : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  10. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 279.
  11. ^ The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 14 June 2011
  12. ^ "250 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs Songs 1990-1999". XXL (Special Issue). Harris Publications. May 24, 2011.
  13. ^ "Geto Boys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  14. ^ "Geto Boys Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  15. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  17. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d We Can't Be Stopped - Charts - Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  19. ^ "American album certifications – Geto Boys – We Can't Be Stopped". Recording Industry Association of America.
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