Bushwick Bill

Bushwick Bill
Background information
Birth name	Richard Stephen Shaw
Born	December 8, 1966 Jamaica
Genres	Hip hop, Southern hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1988-present
Labels	Rap-a-Lot
Residence	Houston, Texas
Height	3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
Children	4
Parents	Rollin Shaw (father) Deloris Shaw (d. 2015) (mother)

Richard Stephen Shaw (born December 8, 1966),^[1] better known by the stage name Bushwick Bill,^[2] is a Jamaican-born American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop group Geto Boys.

Career

Bushwick Bill can be heard on the album The Chronic by Dr. Dre; he appears in the video of "Dre Day" as one of Eazy-E's fellow rappers. His 1998 album No Surrender…No Retreat was dedicated to his friend Gil Epstein, a Fort Bend County prosecutor who was shot dead in Houston, Texas, in 1996.^[3]

In June 2013, Bushwick toured with the Geto Boys and was finishing an album, which was projected to be released later that year.^[4]

Personal life

In the summer of 1991, Bushwick Bill was shot by his girlfriend during an argument, losing an eye; he refers to this incident and his intoxication on Everclear grain alcohol in his rap Ever So Clear. He was also high on PCP. He was pronounced dead but due to the phencyclidine he was able to be revived and lived. ^[5] The aftermath of this incident is depicted on the album cover of We Can't Be Stopped, which shows Bill being pushed through the hospital on a gurney the night he was shot. He pulls down the medical patch from his eye to show the wound.^[6]

In 2006, Bushwick Bill became a born-again Christian.^[7]

In May 2010, Bushwick Bill was arrested in Georgia for possession of marijuana and cocaine. Based on his prior arrest record, he was facing deportation.^[7] His mother Deloris Shaw died April 16, 2015. His father Rollin Shaw is still alive living in Houston. He has four children (one adopted son), two daughters and two sons.

Bushwick Bill has dwarfism; he is listed as only 3 feet 8 inches tall.^[8]

Discography

Album information
Little Big Man Released: September 8, 1992 Billboard 200 chart position: No. 15 R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 32 Singles: "Ever So Clear"/"Call Me Crazy" (No. 49 R&B)
Phantom of the Rapra Released: July 11, 1995 Billboard 200 chart position: No. 43 R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 3 Singles: "Who's the Biggest"/"Only God Knows" (No. 113 Pop, No. 88 R&B)
No Surrender…No Retreat Released: October 27, 1998 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: No. 43 Singles:
Universal Small Souljah Released: March 13, 2001 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - Singles: "Unforgiven"
Gutta Mixx Released: March 29, 2005 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - Singles: "20Minutesormore"
My Testimony of Redemption Released: March 25, 2010 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #66

References

1. Strong, Martin Charles (2002). "Geto Boys". The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate. p. 599. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.
2. Hip Online (January 6, 2008). "Bushwick Bill". Hip Online. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
3. "Bushwick Bill Dedicates Album To Slain Prosecutor—Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. November 19, 1998. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
4. "Chaos in Tejas Live (Finale): Bushwick Bill". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
5. http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/an-eye-for-a-truth-bushwick-bill-in-extremisturn-down-that-damn-music/Content?oid=880510
6. http://www.complex.com/music/2013/01/a-history-of-rappers-getting-shot-and-surviving/
7. Radford, Chad (August 30, 2010). "Bushwick Bill teeters on the brink of deportation | Music Feature | Creative Loafing Atlanta". Clatl.com. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
8. "Bill Bushwick Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 1 June 2016.

External links

• Bushwick Bill at the Internet Movie Database
• Bushwick Bill on Myspace