Search - Willie D :: Play Witcha Mama

A Masterpiece from one of the most under-rated rappers

Benny Goodman | 08/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A true gem of an album from Willie D, often respected but not widely celebrated. A true pioneer and rap heavy weight. If you enjoy Eightball and MJG, Geto Boys, Ice cube, Ice T and E-40, then this is one for you, a slice of oldish-school gangsta rap with some social commentary provided.

This album includes the classic "Play witcha mama" with Ice cube.

Also check out, his other albums."

Nice Slick 1994 Banger by Willie Dennis! 4.5 Stars

G-Funk 4ever | Listenin' to the Delfonics | 03/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Geto Boys alum Willie D came out with an interesting album in 1994: Play Witcha Mama. Produced by Derek "Grizz" Edwards, Crazy C, and many co prod. by D himself, the beats are sick. They range from hard mobbin, to southern fried funk, to smooth G-Funk. If you dig the political and social commentary of Ice Cube and the rawness and violent and sexual explicitness of Eazy-E, this album is for you. In fact, Ice Cube guest stars on the title track and the 2 have hella tight chemistry. I am not crazy about raunchy sex rap, but the beats of "Throat" and "Something Good" are sick, so even though the raps are explicity nasty, the beats slap with that laid back G-Funk heads from the south and west will roll to. I love the sophisticated G-Funk beats of "Creepin,'" "Whatcha Know About That," "Smoke 'M" and "Is It Real (My Mind Still Playin' Tricks On Me)." As for the lyrics, D does a hella good job touching on social and political issues like welfare, gang violence, and social problems in "N----s Are Dyin'" problems with the church "Guess My Religion." He gets gangsta on bangers like "Recipe 4 A Murder," "Smoke 'M," among others. He gets your tears goin on "Is It Real" beccause he brings up him imagining himself being with his beloved grandmother and family; then, he realizes he's at the cemetery looking at their tombstones, another installment in the Mind Playin Tricks epic (1) Geto Boys original, (2) Scarface's version, (3) Willie's. All in all, this album is a nice underappreciated gem from H-Town."

Simple and satisfying...standard 94 southern rap (3.5/5)

ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 01/26/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I've always been a little mystified that Geto Boys' solo albums are so unheard. Even though they're so often revered as one of the, if not the greatest southern rap group ever, outside of a handful of Scarface's albums their extensive solo catalogs remain heavily slept-on, to the point that ones like this are out of print. Willie D's third solo, 1994's "Play Witcha Mama," is one of numerous examples of good Geto Boys material that has largely been forgotten. While he actually wasn't a member of the group at the time of this release, the album as a whole isn't a far cry from a lot of the earlier Geto Boys work. Anyone who's ever heard him knows that Willie D is the king of controversy, sometimes to the point of being controversial simply for the sake of being controversial. Willie is, however, one of the most entertaining and wild characters ever to hit the microphone, and he executes his wildness to a crazed and paranoid perfection. I think I like him best when he shows another side, a side that digs a little deeper and searches for social relevance and consciousness. This has always been a trait of the Houston collective and Willie does it extremely well. The production on this album is the same simple bare-bones production found on albums like "We Can't Be Stopped," without much variety. The slow, woozy beats with whiny synths and heavy hooks is the Geto Boys trademark. This often appeals to me, and I think Willie sounds best over these type of beats, but I'm sure many listeners would find it monotonous at times as a lot of the beats sound very similar. A handful of the songs on the tracklist are a little redundant, and the skits are completely unnecessary, and even though Willie always sounds solid, there's nothing revolutionary lyrically on this album. Willie seems to be a follower of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy, so he doesn't do anything too out of the ordinary here. It's not a perfect album by far, but it's a showcase of a great MC and an exceptional character in his prime. There really is a number of great tracks on "Play Witcha Mama" though, and I recommend it to the big Geto Boys fans and those who enjoy the mid-90s gangsta rap sound.



The album's opener is "Recipe 4 a Murder," a hard, threatening song with nice, slow production from a piano-laced beat. The chorus is great and it starts the album on a great note. The next song is "Is It Real (My Mind Still Playin' Tricks on Me)" which attempts to recapture the magic of the Geto Boys 1991 classic "Mind Playin' Tricks on Me" from the "We Can't Be Stopped" album. He tells more stories of urban paranoia over some southern-fried funk with a soulful chorus. While it's not a bad song, Scarface's "Mind Playin' Tricks `94" was released the same year and is a very similar song that was executed much better than this. An appearance from the legendary Ice Cube improves the otherwise average title track, which is followed by the very good "Creepin'." This song has a woozy g-funk beat and lyrics that show the best of Willie and his protégé Sho. "They Laphin' Atcha" is good but not particularly memorable, and the catchy "Throat" is a song of the standard Geto Boys sex rap that they made famous. "Somethin' Good" is another dirty song for the ladies like the last one, this one much funnier. On "Guess My Religion," Willie tackles the corruption in churches, it's a very interesting take. "Whatcha Know About That" is a well-produced, typically funky '94 deeper gangsta rap song with good storytelling and philosophizing from the rapper. "I Wanna F... Your Mama" is Willie at his nastiest, entertaining as ever. "Smoke'm" has the best beat on the album, a bass heavy g-funk banger. Lyrically, the highlight is "N... Is Dyin'," a deep song talking about the high death toll in the black community with a great beat. "U Got Homeboys, We Got Homeboys" is a strong track, and the album ends with "I Ain't Changin' S...," which shows Willie being his usual, non-conforming self.



"Play Witcha Mama" isn't essential material, but it's an enjoyable piece of 1994 Geto Boys material that's been lost through the cracks over the years. Casual fans might find this album unnecessary because it is fairly similar to a lot of the other music Willie has done over the years, and it's not even his best solo albums. But for those who have already enjoyed "We Can't Be Stopped," "The Diary," or "The Resurrection," I recommend that you pick this up if you come across it."