June 9 In Hip-Hop History: Bushwick Bill Of Geto Boys Passes Away

Bushwick Bill made an impact on Hip-Hop throughout his tenure as one of the founding members of the Geto Boys. The Jamaican-born rapper and dancer's legacy continues to live on through the group's groundbreaking music even after he passed away.

On June 9, 2019, Bushwick Bill lost his battle to cancer at age 52 while at a hospital in Colorado. Prior to his passing, the veteran rapper, who was born Richard William Stephen Shaw had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and suffered from other health problems including pneumonia, which he said he got from his chemotherapy sessions, and an infection in his lungs and blood.

The late rapper provided updates on his health in several Instagram posts in the days leading up to his death. Before he passed away, Bushwick Bill was expected to participate in a farewell tour for the Geto Boys. However, Bill pulled out of the tour last-minute after he decided that he wasn't feeling the title of the tour, The Beginning of a Long Goodbye: The Final Farewell. He addressed his thoughts about the tour in a lengthy social post.

"I didn't like the title," Bill wrote at the time. "Simple. It didn't speak life into my situation, but instead promoted the idea of impending death. I believe in the power of the tongue and speaking things into existence (whether you intend to or not.) If the tour was speaking life and good health, cool. But if I got on stage and performed, then I’m basically agreeing that I’m starting a journey on a 'long goodbye.' That’s not the energy I want to put out there. I refuse to even entertain that thought. And anyone who genuinely cares about me wouldn’t support nothing of that nature either."

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, the rapper moved to Bushwick in Brooklyn, N.Y. while he was a child, which is what inspired his stage name "Bushwick Bill." He joined the Houston-based Geto Boys as a dancer in 1986 and later appeared on the group's debut album Making Trouble in 1988. Since the LP didn't do well, Rap-A-Lot Records' J Prince got rid of all the members except Bill and DJ Ready Red and recruited Willie D and Scarface, who made the group what it is today.

Bushwick Bill appeared on all of Geto Boys' albums and even dropped six solo albums of his own. The group stirred up controversy in 1991 when Bill appeared on the cover of their third album We Can't Be Stopped on a hospital gurney with Scarface and Willie D. The photo stemmed from his trip to the hospital after Bill accidently shot himself in the eye during an argument with his ex-girlfriend. Bill addressed the incident in his 1992 song "Ever So Clear" and later claimed that he lost his fear of death because he "died and came back to life" that day. Prior to his passing, Bill had discussed plans to make a new music to help support his family.

“I notice when most celebrities pass, they really don’t have nothing set up for their children and everything’s in disarray," Bill told TMZ. "So I figure, old music will sell but if I have new music for them … at least they will have residual income from those things.”

Rest in peace, Bushwick Bill. Watch his final interview below.