"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 A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

, including dealing with symptoms of

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of co ...

suicidal ideation Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas or ruminations about the possibility of dying by suicide.World Health Organization, ''ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics'', ver. 09/2020MB26.A Suicidal i ...

, and

loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived or actual isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism that motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perc ...

. It also samples "Hung Up on My Baby" by

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

, 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 ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' 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 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

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 A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' 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 ''

The Pitchfork 500 ''The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present'' is a book compiling the greatest songs from 1977 to 2006, published in 2008 by Pitchfork Media. The book focuses on specific genres including indie rock, hip-hop, ele ...

'', a compilation book of the greatest 500 songs from 1976 to 2006. On a 2019 episode of NPR's ''

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 a ...

''
Rodney Carmichael
described the song as unique because at the time of its release it emphasized the trauma and vulnerability of life in the streets.

References and sampling

"Mind Playing Tricks on Me" has been referenced and sampled by numerous artists. The

Kottonmouth Kings The Kottonmouth Kings is an American hip hop group formed in Placentia, California in 1996 by D-Loc and Saint Dog. The group advocates for legalizing cannabis, and their lyrics contain frequent references to marijuana consumption. The grou ...

made a cover of the song for their 2001 album, '' Hidden Stash II: The Kream of the Krop''. The

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler). Insan ...

also covered the song with Anybody Killa (also known as ABK) and Lil Wyte on their 2012 album, '' Smothered, Covered & Chunked''. Rapper Kodak Black sampled the song in his song, " Transportin'". In a 2012 ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' magazine interview, rapper

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

cited "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" as his "favorite song in the world". Kid Cudi further revealed that the song was the inspiration for his hit single, "

Day 'n' Nite "Day 'n' Nite" is the debut single by American rapper Kid Cudi. The song was written and produced by Cudi alongside his longtime collaborator and friend, Brooklyn-based producer Dot da Genius. It was issued as Cudi's commercial debut single on Fe ...

", saying, "I love it so much I wanted to make my own version of it. And then "Day 'n' Nite" came out of it". It was also featured on ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

''s fictional radio station West Coast Classics. Hip-hop group Clipping's 2020 album '' Visions of Bodies Being Burned'' is titled after a lyric in the song.

Track listing

#"Mind Playing Tricks on Me" (radio version) #"Mind Playing Tricks on Me" (dirty version) #"Mind Playing Tricks on Me" (club version) #"Mind Playing Tricks on Me" (instrumental)

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1991 singles Geto Boys songs Gangsta rap songs Horrorcore songs 1991 songs Songs about suicide Songs about diseases and disorders Songs about loneliness Priority Records singles