Mind Playing Tricks on Me


"Mind Playing Tricks on Me" is a song by Geto Boys, featured on their 1991 album We Can't Be Stopped. The lyrics describe the mental anguish and exhaustion of life as a gangster, including dealing with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoia, suicidal ideation, and loneliness. It also samples "Hung Up on My Baby" by Isaac Hayes, from his 1974 film Tough Guys. At the song's peak, it reached 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the highest-charting single by the Geto Boys.

Background

The song was originally intended for a Scarface solo album as he penned three of the song's four verses. However, the Geto Boys' label, Rap-A-Lot Records, decided that the record would be more valuable as a breakout single for the group.
On an episode of Yo! MTV Raps: Classic Cuts, Scarface and his grandmother spoke about how she inspired the track "Mind Playing Tricks on Me". Scarface's grandmother was reportedly mumbling to herself, and when asked, "'Mama, what you talkin' about?'" replied, "'Oh, nothing, my mind's just playing tricks on me'".
In 1994, Scarface recorded a new solo version of the song titled "Mind Playin' Tricks '94", for his album The Diary.

Reception and legacy

"Mind Playing Tricks on Me" has received critical praise since it was first released. In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the fifth greatest hip-hop song of all time and at number 192 on their "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time". The song was ranked number 18 out of 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time by LiveAbout. VH1 ranked the song 82 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's, and 45 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop. Pitchfork ranked the song 45 on its Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s list, with reviewer Tom Breihan writing, "this track established the South as a serious force in the music, proving that these Texans could do dark better than anyone on either coast". The song was also included in Pitchfork 500">Pitchfork (website)">Pitchfork 500, a compilation book of the greatest 500 songs from 1976 to 2006.
On a 2019 episode of NPR's Morning Edition, described the song as unique because at the time of its release it emphasized the trauma and vulnerability of life in the streets.

Track listing

  1. "Mind Playing Tricks on Me"
  2. "Mind Playing Tricks on Me"
  3. "Mind Playing Tricks on Me"
  4. "Mind Playing Tricks on Me"

    Charts

Certifications