ARTSETC.
Rapper Scarface’s message lost with age
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by Steve Lampiris
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
For a guy who is 37 years old and claims to have been in the
game for some 20 years in Made's
"Intro," Scarface's level of maturity is that of a 19-year-old on his latest
disc. As a member of the seminal '90s rap group Geto Boys, Scarface cut his
teeth on hardcore rap anthems such as "Still" and "Damn it Feels Good to be a
Gangsta," both of which are likely most widely recognized from 1999's workplace
comedy "Office Space."
Geto Boys were low-brow humor at its finest during the
heyday of gangsta rap — on the surface, that is. What most people did not get
was the fact that the Geto Boys were a joke, a sort of commentary on the
then-current scene in hip-hop. Sadly, their satire flew over the collective
populace's head, and they were lumped into the "what is wrong with America
today" niche.
What does that little bit of history have to do with this
album, you ask? Well, it seems Scarface has not been able to shake the punk-kid
mentality from his Geto Boy years. A line like "And real gangsta-ass niggas
don't run for shit/ 'Cause real gangsta-ass niggas can't run fast" from "Damn It
Feels" is great when delivered by a 20-something, but when Scarface drops a
line like "Money, power and respect was the life I chose/ Being famous wasn't
nothin'/ I just liked my dough" from "Big Dog Status," at his age, just seems
like he is holding onto the past like that middle-aged guy at a Slayer show
sporting a skullet because cutting his hair would not be "metal."
"Git Out My Face" might be the most juvenile song on the
album. It sports three minutes of the very misogyny that the Geto Boys only
joked about 15 year ago. For a guy pushing 40, stereotyping women as nothing
more than a place to house one's dick is just pathetic.
However, "Dollar" could have been just another song where a
rapper brags about his bank account, but instead is an honest discussion
plainly stating that the world revolves around the title's ideal. The song,
along with "Who Do You Believe In" and "Boy Meets Girl," shows some level of
maturity in an album full of missed opportunities. "Boy" might be the best song
lyrically; it tells the story of a boy who meets a girl and the subsequent Shakespearean
tragic end. The man can still tell one hell of a story.
The album's production is impressive considering the names
are not household to any extent. N.O. Joe produces or co-produces half the cuts
and does a fantastic job of keeping the hook catchy yet complex and just below
the foreground so as to not drown out the vocal track. The best example of this
is "Burn," where the sparse hook, well, burns in the background, only to be
found and appreciated through multiple plays.
At a mere 43 minutes, the album is devoid of any real filler
— if you can get past the ridiculous lyrics, that is. The production is some of
the best this year, and Scarface, despite being trapped in a mindset half of
his age, still commands the mic like he always did. It is simply a damn shame
he has so little to say.
3 out of 5 stars
Anonymous (December 4, 2007 @ 4:27pm):
Running the risk of sounding patronizing, I feel you've both misrepresented and misinterpreted one of 2007's strongest releases. First, the matter of Scarface's legacy. While I do appreciate the idea behind your punk rock characterization of the Geto Boys, let's not pervert the comparison: they were more Public Enemy than Black Flag. Grip It! On That Other Level alone places them in the elite handful of pissed off, passionate, truly political rap groups ever. Yes, the cartoon violence that marked their late career was unfortunate, but to ignore Grip It! reeks of only being familiar with their catalog through the comedic lens of Office Space. That said, few would point to the Geto Boys as the pinnacle of Facemob's career. 1994's The Diary was one of the premier hip-hop albums of the decade, an illustrative panorama of criminal life with an emphasis on the fragility of mortality. 2002's The Fix was a definitively "grown-man" record, an aged Face intricately reminiscing on a survivor's life, over some of the finest production in recent memory. Even 1991's Mr. Scarface Is Back was formidable for what it was: the low-brow humor you allude to, only with superior emceeing and storytelling. These records indisputably tower over the whole of his work with the Geto Boys. As for Made, it is the next logical step from The Fix. It may be the darkest work of Face's career, while also one of his most varied in tone. The charges of being "juvenile" and having "little to say" are simply inaccurate. "Never" is a commentary on street ethics and young black males' willingness to die for potentially foundation-less principles. "Big Dogg Status" is not the assertion of wealth and power you've pegged it as; it is a celebration of Houston hip-hop, thus the excusable shallow-subject matter and references to inumerous Lonestar MC's. The first single, "Girl You Know," is an intriguing, tasteful look at anxieties linked with the commitment of marriage. The follow-up track, "Go," sees a now-married Face wondering if a passion-less marriage can have legs to stand on. "Who Do You Believe In" is one of the year's most powerful, thought-provoking tracks... the lyrics really speak for themselves (http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=16864). "Git Out of My Face" is clearly there for comedic relief, and considering you claim to "get" the Geto Boys' brand of humor, I'm surprised you took issue with such an obviously satirical song (come on... those violins and that choir?). And "The Suicide Note," not mentioned in this review, is yet another careful, sensitive study of mortality as Face looks within for an answer to a close friend's suicide. The cover of Made captures its essence impeccably. Scarface is willing to look at himself more than most rappers, conscious that he must be part of the solution instead of the problem you think he's perpetuating with "ridiculous lyrics." He's slouching because the weight of a genre whose artists often don't want to be redeemed or resurrected is crushing him. The inside jacket shows a shadowy Face surveying torrential downpour upon his empire; no matter how much wealth he's accumulated, how many "juvenile" records he makes, darkness will always mark the circumstance of his accomplishments. His acknowledgment of his faults, as well as those of his surroundings, is a maturity few artists possess. His message has by no means been "lost with age"; it's become more sophisticated, more skillful, and more successful in execution. I urge all lovers of sullen, heady hip-hop to check this out.
Anonymous (December 4, 2007 @ 6:10pm):
thank you December 4 @ 4:27 for breaking it down for this clown. Face was making records when you were suckin' your mama's tit...aparently, that's why you don't feel his latest release.....hip-hop has no age steve. And before you start tossing out that "best of the year production" BS, listen to more than 3 hip hop albums.
Anonymous (December 24, 2007 @ 11:39am):
Man I don't know what to say about the review I just read... wow. I am a little late on this because I am not a blogger or whatever it's called but Face, I have been listening to his albums since the seventh grade when I first was turned on to the Geto Boys. Quite simply dark humor and comedy aside if there is a truth in hiphop amongst all the negative gang images and mafioso references Face is it. I don't agree with every single word he says but if I am going to listen to someone "talk that talk" it's going to be Face. All the quips and slick educated talk that you use to make his music seem stupid or absurd means nothing because if I knew what kind of music you listened to I could pick it apart piece by piece so be easy open your mind and know that this particular response is from a college educated male that was raised first hand in an environment that I guarantee you want no part of and in that place they all listen to Face. Sincerely,Q Lucas.
dmface dmface (December 24, 2007 @ 1:35pm):
Wow, i really don't know where to start, kinda like the guy who reviewd Scarface's latest album "Made". Here is my take on it. I was eagerly anticipating this album because Scarface is, in my opinion, the best rapper to grace the mic. I was very disappointed at the length, there were only 13 complete songs. But after listening, that was just an after-thought. First off, Steve, you see you did not really give a thourough review of the album. You said, "but when Scarface drops a line like "Money, power and respect was the life I chose/ Being famous wasn't nothin'/ I just liked my dough" from "Big Dog Status," at his age, just seems like he is holding onto the past like that middle-aged guy..." Well that verse is actually, clearly, talking about how was in the past. The lyric goes as such: "I was focusing to be like James (J-Prince) back then, money, power, and respect,...". As you can see he was reflecting on how he was in the past. With that aside, this was a very good album that again showcases Scarfaces artistic and story writing ability. It should also be mentioned that scarface co-produced many of the songs and played instruments on a few of his songs. But I really don't need to say anymore because Dec4 @6;10pm broke it down in the most correct way. Peace out
Anonymous (December 29, 2007 @ 3:26am):
Steve, you are a clown. Anyone who knows anything about Hip-Hop knows Face is probably the best artist out, but he never gets the props he rightly deserves becomes he refuses to sell out or go commercial. You can always count on Face to give you a CD you can listen to without having to skip over songs.
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