Foundation

2005's THE FOUNDATION marks the return of Houston, TX kings of controversy the Geto Boys, and reunites all three longstanding members--Scarface, Willie D., and Bushwick Bill--after nearly a decade. The record stays true to the complex, conflicted, horror-drenched world the trio conjured up in its early days, with the music recalling the group's heyday of stark albums such as WE CAN'T BE STOPPED. There's a wisdom in the Geto Boys sticking to beats virtually unaltered since the late1980s; considering that their style informed most of the sounds coming out of the South in the early 2000s, it comes across as more princely than dated.
Part of the threesome's genius lies in the ability to shift from the darkest scenes of graphic violence to moments of absolute silliness, exemplified by the first two tunes of THE FOUNDATION, the uncompromising "Declaration of War" and playful single "Yes, Yes, Y'All." For all of their schizophrenic fire, the Geto Boys are also good at exploring the flawed features of their own minds with a disarming tenderness, and both "I Tried" and "Leanin On You" echo with a surprising sincerity.