I was introduced to Scarface when my cousin had the tape of
. I was impressed with how Scarface, Bushwick Bill & Willie D created a soundtrack of how things were going down in their part of town. My favorte tracks were "Gangster Of Love", "Mind Of A Lunatic" and "Scarface". The next CD that I would hear Scarface on was
. The CD got mainstream attention with their classic hit "Mind Playing Tricks On Me". Bushwick went wild on "Chuckie" and Scarface had 2 solo tracks that got my attention with "Gotta Let Your ____ Hang" and "Another N_____ In The Morgue". The title track was nice as well. When I learned that Scarface had a solo project out, I was eager to go to Sam Goody's to purchase the cassette.
was released in 1991 and was in heavy rotation for a long time. "Mr. Scarface" was the sequel to the classic "Scarface" and I also enjoyed "Money And The Power", "Body Snatchers", "Good Girl Gone Bad" and "A Minute To Pray & A Second To Die".
was released in 1993 and the 1st single "Let Me Roll" was a favorite of mine for a long time. I also liked "Lettin' Em Know", "The Wall", DMG's "You Don't Hear Me Doe" and the 2nd single from this CD, "Now I Feel Ya".
was released a year later in 1994 and the 1st single was "I Seen A Man Die", which is clearly my all time favorite Scarface song of all time. My other favorites included "The White Sheet", "Jesse James", "No Tears" and "Hand Of The Dead Body" which featured Ice Cube and Devin The Dude.
was released in 1997 and is my all time favorite Scarface CD. "Smile" w/2 Pac, "Mary Jane", "Ya Money Or Ya Life", the title track with Roger Troutman and "Smartz" were my favorite tracks but I also enjoyed the 1st single "Game Over", which featured Dr. Dre, Ice Cube & Too Short.
1998's "My Homies" was a double CD that featured various songs that featured Scarface with other Rap-A-Lot artists and rappers that he considered to be his homies in the rap game. My favorite tracks were the 2 singles "Homies & Thuggs" w/2 Pac and Master P and "F____ Faces" which featured Scarface with Too Short, Devin The Dude & Tela. Devin The Dude also had a nice solo track in "Do What You Want" that was on Disc 2.
was released in 2000. The 1st single was "It Ain't Part 2" and I also enjoyed "They Down With Us" w/UGK, the title track, "Look Me In My Eyes", "Conspiracy Theory" and "And Yo" w/Redman.
was released in 2002 and is my 2nd favorite CD from Scarface. This CD wasn't as dark as the majority of his releases and it contained more of a soulful and mature sound to it. My favorites included "In Cold Blood", "My Block", "What Can I Do?", "Heaven" and "Guess Who's Back" w/Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel. A year later Scarface released "Balls & My Word" which was technically his last solo CD to date. My favorites included the single, "Recognize", "On My Grind", "B_____ ______" w/Bun B, Z-Ro & Dirtbomb and the hilarious "Only A Mother" w/Devin The Dude and Tela. Last year, Scarface released
which was a compilation CD with Willie Hen & Young Malice and he also released
which did contain the banger "Never Snitch" w/Beanie Sigel & The Game, but there were alot of hit and miss tracks on the CD. The Product's CD ended up being alot better and you even got a Scarface solo track in "G Type".
Now Scarface is back in the year 2007 with his 1st real solo CD since 2003's "Balls & My Word". Things get off to a nice start with "Never". Face cleverly dances his lyrics around a sample of the word never. This reminds me of the Scarface that we have all come to know and love in his 20 years in the rap game. N.O. Joe shows up to produce "Big Dog Status" which features Wacko of Juvenile's crew UTP on the hook. There's nothing groundbreaking to be heard on this track as Scarface does his best to remind you why he is considered to be a "G" in the rap game. Nottz brings back the same Lenny Williams "Cause I Love You" sample that was used for Twista & Kanye's "Overnight Celebrity" track. However, you will forgive Scarface for his use of the played out sample as he rips the track to shreds as he has alot to get off his chest about a woman that did him wrong in his life. One of my favorite tracks is "Burn" as Scarface deals with what he knows best which are scenarios that happen during the life and times of the street life. NO Joe slows things down time around and Z-Ro shows up for the hook. Core Scarface fans will consider "Burn" one of their favorite tracks on "Made". "Go" has Scarface on his playful side as he talks about how he doesn't want to be tied to a particular woman at any particular time and she is having a difficult time dealing with that. He wants to be able to come and go as he pleases without getting the evil eye or the rolling of the eyes of the women that he is dealing with. Most men will be able to relate to this track. "Dollar" would be alot better if it weren't for the hook. Scarface's lyrics are on point as usual and Tone Capone, who produced 5 tracks on The Product CD, does a nice job on the beat. Scarface does a nice job of storytelling on "Boy Meets Girl". Tanya Herron shows up on the hook as Scarface talks about the downfall of a particular couple because of her man's work in the streets and their addictions to what he was selling. "Who Do You Believe In" ends up being one of the dark Scarface tracks that we are accustomed to as he does a good job of letting us know what the current state of the world is around him. You won't be able to take "Get Out My Face" seriously once you hear the terrible hook. The track would be alot better if it wasn't for the folks screaming "Get Out My Face" all over the hook. You won't be mad at Face's lyrics though. "The Suicide Note" ends on an eerie note but if you have heard the majority of Face's CDs what more would you expect. He tells a story about one of his boys that had warned him that he was going to commit suicide but Face didn't take him seriously. Once he finds out what his friend talked about turned out to actually be true, the story takes place from there.
If you were blessed with the 3 bonus track CD from Best Buy then you also get "The B Word", "Crack" and the remix to "Big Dog Status" with TI & Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne sounds terrible on this track and this is one of the reasons why I feel he is overrrated because he has too many hit and miss tracks. TI holds his own and so does Face but Lil Wayne brings the quality of the song down. "The B Word" was Scarface ventin' about the scandalous ladies once again. Somebody really did Face wrong. "Crack" is the best of the bonus tracks and should have been with the original 10 tracks, intro and outro since "Made" is short in length.
In conclusion, this may not be Scarface's best CD but if you are a fan of the majority of his solo CDs then you can't afford to pass up on some new material from the Real King of the South. If you enjoyed CDs such as "Mr. Scarface Is Back", "The Diary", "The Untouchable", and "The Fix", then "Made" will fit in nicely with your Scarface collection.
James' Top 5
1) Never
2) Burn
3) Who Do You Believe In
4) Crack
5) Girl You Know
Honorable Mention:
The Suicide Note
Boy Meets Girl
Big Dog Status (Both versions minus the Lil Wayne verse on the remix)
"B" Word
Go
R.I.P. Pimp C
First of all let me say that this review is comin from a real hip-hop head. Anyone who is real about music knows that Scarface is one of the greatest MC's ever to grace the mic. Although he may not be what some see as a great rapper because he is from the south he has done it bigger than almost any other southern rapper outside of Outkast and a few others of course. His lyrics are always real and relevant. If I can say anything about him he has been nothing but consistent for years.
His last two albums (My balls and my word, My homies 2) although decent didnt really seem to be inspired. On this new album its back to the old Mr. Scarfcan that any respected hip-hop head can appreciate. The lyrics on the album are on point and the production value is also good. I personally feel that this is his best album since the fix. i think that anybody who really appreciates deep stories in music will love this cd. FACE MOB
Scarface is the KING of RAP - also check out Smoke Sessions, Vol. 1- from his homie Devin the Dude another 5 Stars.
When people talk about true veterans of the rap game, most people acknowledge Scarface as one who has stood the test of time. With a career dating back to his shirtless days on the cover of the 1990 Geto Boys album Grip It! On That Other Level, Scarface has since gained the respect of music lovers worldwide and became a Hip-Hop luminary to many in the rap industry. So for someone who has little to prove, you can only discern that Scarface is releasing his latest album M.A.D.E. for the love of the game or to fatten his wallets. Unfortunately for fans (and for Scarface), half of the material is good, while the other half is suspect. Standout songs are the slammin' Lenny Williams-sampled track "Girl You Know," the straight-no-chaser feel of "Never," and the masterful storytelling of "Go" featuring Nina. Other decent tracks include "The Suicide Note" for its raw depiction of turmoil in the hood and the smoothed out ghetto tale "Boy Meets Girl" featuring Tanya Herron. The album slides with songs that either don't really gel well with Scarface's signature delivery or sound like they're straight out of left field and nobody (not even Scarface) should have even wasted time recording it. "Who Do You Believe In" is a decent cut, but the chorus is stripped bare and leaves the listener fairly distracted for stretches of time that could have been filled with more than just a instrumental. "Git Out My Face" is arguably the worst song ever recorded by Scarface, but "Bigg Dogg Status" featuring Wacko is a contender for second place. "Burn" featuring Z-Ro is okay at best, while the shameful chorus and juvenile production on "Dollar" should've been scrapped before they even finished the track in the studio. Had this album been released in his prime, Scarface may not have become the respected rapper that he is today. He still has the expertise to pull off decent joints with the right direction and the right producers. But he failed to pull off an entire album with that same formula. Luckily for Scarface, M.A.D.E. is being released at a time when he doesn't have anything to prove to anyone.
Scarface is a legend. He's one of the best rappers of all-time, will be in the hall of fame.
At first I didn't like it "Made" maybe because of it's predecessor "The Fix" which is an amazing album. But I gave a few spins and this cd really grew on me. Every track is dope, his rhymes are amazing, the only problem are some chorus...Anyway it's another great album made by Scarface.
