Written By: Julian Enghauser
Mind Playing Tricks on Me
Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” is not just the anthem to the hops of a candy-colored lowrider as it sparks down the streets of a neon-lit avenue, but also a fascinating tale of three men’s mental health spiraling down a chasm of darkness. Juxtaposing its rhythmic story of aggressively funky beats that feel like the musical equivalent of a beachside sunset, the worldly story of Mind Playing Tricks on Me is a mind-bending tale of grim uncertainty in one’s self. Despite the unraveling between three men, the story is united as one, as these separate gentlemen similarly envision danger not just behind each of their shoulders, but right in their swiveling eyeline.
Of the rap trio, the first member, Scarface, swears that there is someone out to kill him – someone clad in an all-black suit, with the same black hat and cane he owns. This paranoia gets to a point where he believes his phone is tapped and even fires random shots at what turns out to be mere wind blowing. The second member, Willie D, is nothing short of a success story, with everyone knowing him as the local celebrity he is. However, akin to the movie star-like persona that he dons, there seems to be a figure out to cut his fame short. With questionings flooding his mind, Willie D panickingly drives off to a safe spot and makes sure his trigger finger is ready – only for it to, of course, be a fantasy perpetuated as “three, blind, crippled and crazy senior citizens.” The final member, Bushwick Bill’s paranoia leads him down Halloween night on a weekend with Scarface and Willie D, as they look for kids to rob them of their candy bags. Soon enough, a towering lawman catches up with the boys. No matter where they go, this law-enforcing figurehead is right behind them, prompting Bushwick Bill to eventually throw down his cards and fistfight. It wasn’t until he looked at bloodied hands that there was no police officer he had gotten the jump on – just blood-spattered concrete with no one else standing by him, not even his boys… and it “wasn’t even close to Halloween!”
“Mind Playing Tricks on Me” is a cautionary tale about not always trusting what our heads can show and tell us, as well as that one’s mental health is a necessary tool for surviving in a mysterious world where there are not just faces of beauty to experience, but uncertain darkness lurking as well. Being with one’s mind takes up a majority of how we live our lives. Perception of what we see and how we feel can lead some into the gates of Earthly paradise, or an amalgamation of what is Hell on Earth. As mentioned by Scarface at one point, it wasn’t until he lost his woman that he realized he had loved her. Despite her helping him through his paranoia, Scarface believed that she was only out to get him. When the truth revealed itself, it was already gone and too late to salvage. Despite losing one loved one, Scarface makes it a point to not lose himself to his suicidal thoughts, as his little boy needs his guidance to avoid becoming a menace to society.
Mental awareness of what is in front of one’s face is critical for survival and for happiness, not just for a singular person, but for those wrapped around the arms of said person. This song remains not just an in-depth narrative with its cautionary warning toward an ill-managed mindset, but a simply addictive rhythmic piece of Southern hip-hop said to have pioneered the genre’s sub-genre of Horror-core. Evident of its inspiration for this very song is the Horror-core hip-hop group, ‘Clipping.’, with an album title of theirs, “Visions of Bodies Being Burned”, pulling straight from one of Scarface’s lines. I want to give credit to knowing the existence of this song, through the musical prowess of those at Rockstar Games, with Grand Theft Auto V. Whether you focus on the beat, lyrics, or all three, any listener can’t resist the mental transportation of musical addictiveness from this important hip-hop song.
Author Media Links:
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