A Heartfelt Documentary Film On Geto Boys’ Bushwick Bill Is Fundraising. See The Trailer (Video)

Although he was never a front man in his own group, Bushwick Bill may one of Hip-Hop’s most interesting stories. Bushwick Bill (born Richard Shaw), the dancer-turned-MC from platinum Gangsta Rap pioneers the Geto Boys, has been a music mainstay for nearly 30 years. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, raised in Brooklyn, New York, and an integral part of Houston, Texas’ breakthrough group, Bill’s life is as colorful as his travels.

That life is the subject of a documentary that’s been filming for more than three years. Currently seeking $50,000 in production costs (the crew asserts that the film has cost much more to make), Bushwick Bill: A Geto Boy is a Greg Roman-directed film aiming to release. Funding via IndieGogo, the film features a trailer exemplifying some of Bill’s agitation, his wisdom (as heard on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic), and his real-life pains of being ostracized due to his small stature. In the preview, Bill addresses his dwarfism much differently than on “Size Ain’t Shit,” and hints that his story deserves to be told. The longest tenured Geto Boy participated in all seven group albums, a claim that even Scarface and Willie D cannot make. As a soloist, Bill released six albums, including 1992’s Little Big Man, a Top 15 debut.

In Bill’s career, the dancer/MC has been shot (causing the 1991 loss of one of his eyes)—during an alleged suicide attempt. The onetime affiliate of Dre and Ganksta Nip was also arrested on drug and alcohol charges. In the last five years, the MC with the Child’s Play “Chuckie” alter-ego faced deportation—a charge he narrowly avoided.

This crowd-source fundraising comes months after the Geto Boys (as Bill, Scarface, and Willie D) attempted to raise $100,000 for an eighth LP. After that goal was not met by its deadline, Scarface publicly stated that he would not participate in a recording reunion, despite touring. As with the group effort, Bushwick Bill offers funders an array of fan experiences, ranging from stickers, merchandise and film credits, to a trick-or-treating experience with the former Rap-A-Lot Records artist on Halloween.

Support Bushwick Bill: A Geto Boy by Greg Roman.

Spotted at ego trip!. Pitchfork conducted an interview with Bill, about his opinion regarding the future of the Geto Boys, group and label misconceptions, and accounts of him regularly performing group hits in Texas dive bar karaoke.

Is this a film you would want to see?

Related: Did You Know Bushwick Bill Was Declared Dead for Nearly 3 Hours When He Shot Himself? (Video)