*A decade after releasing their last LP, veteran Houston hip-hop group Geto Boys are crowd-funding their new album, “Habeas Corpus,” and offering a coffin as a Kickstarter reward.
“I’d like to take credit, but the fans really made it happen,” rapper Willie D tells Rolling Stone. “It’s hard to get all of us on the same page, ’cause everybody’s always doing their own thing. We are three totally different people. We didn’t grow up together. We’re not blood-related. We didn’t go to the same schools, didn’t grow up in the same neighborhood. The one commonality that we do share is being in the group.”
Willie D says the group has been in “virtual rehearsals,” in which the trio spit rhymes to one another over the phone, but notes that tensions between Scarface, Bushwick Bill and himself are still “volatile.”
“We fuckin’ hate each other, man,” he says. “It’s like, ‘Motherfucker, I don’t even wanna be onstage with you. Can we put up three stages, man? I’ll sing my verse, you sing your verse.'” He laughs. “The Geto Boys, man, we’re that family that can’t stand each other but love each other. That’s us. Family’s family, man: ‘I can’t stand that motherfucker, I wanna kill him.’ Yeah man, but you can’t do that do your family.”
Despite the tension, the group is currently on the Office Space Tour – named in honor of the Mike Judge movie that included their hit “Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta” on the soundtrack.
The Geto Boys’ Kickstarter is attempting to raise $100,000 through July 15th to fund the making of “Habeas Corpus.” Willie D says the group decided to go the crowd-funding route so they wouldn’t have to deal with label execs. The album will feature tracks produced by longtime collaborators Mike Dean, Tone Capone and N.O. Joe. Scarface and Willie D will also produce some tracks and Ice Cube is slated to make a guest appearance.
“We’ve done some shows in the last year or so, so we know what we’re doing,” Willie D says of the album. “We know what the fans wanna hear. We got it pretty tight.”
In addition to the album, the group is producing a making-the-album DVD for donors and a 100-page art book authored by Willie D, titled “Pieces of Insanity.” The book will contain pieces by more than 40 artists, who drew inspiration from Geto Boys songs.
Donors are offered a variety of rewards, including a digital download of the album with an exclusive bonus track, a T-shirt, an autographed copy of the CD and a meet and greet. Fans willing to splurge can go bar-hopping with Bushwick Bill, play golf with Scarface, (and receive autographed golf balls), get their product endorsed by Willie D and go backstage at one of the group’s concerts.
The $10,000 donor will receive a custom-designed casket, complete with an embroidered pillow autographed and designed by the trio.
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