Scarface - Made
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Artist:
Rating: *7 out of 10 Stars*
*The Good:* "Never", "Who Do You Believe In" and "Boy Meets Girl" are must downloads. The album as a whole is a throwback to the 90s. Maturity and growth in the rhymes are also a big plus.*The Bad:* The production on this album is pretty lame. After hearing Scarface paired with top notch production in the past its hard to go back lackluster beats like this.*The Ugly:* The album is incredibly short, only 12 tracks and 2 of them are Intro/Outro. We're left with a short album that doesn't stand up to his past work.
Authenticity.
That's the one word that immediately comes to mind when you hear the name "Scarface". He's your favorite rapper's favorite rapper, and the reigning godfather of southern hip hop music. Brad Jordan a.k.a. Scarface has the credibility and prowess every label-created cookie cutter emcee would kill for. He may not get the national exposure and video plays on MTV's TRL, but if you know Scarface, you'd realize he could care less. He's regarded as one of the best storytellers in hip hop history, and when you listen to his rhymes you can rest assured you're getting the real deal. Is Scarface the only person telling the truth in his music? Of course not. But what separates him from most of the pack is he doesn't glorify nonsense. Scarface will give you the very same blood, guts, drugs, and guns you hear from many other artists, but it's done in a manner that resembles a documentary, rather than a summer blockbuster action movie.
!
Scarface's last album The Fix was released just about five years ago, and while it didn't set the world on fire commercially it was critical success within the hip hop world (notice a developing theme here?). Since 2002 a crop of unauthorized albums and spot verses have popped up, but he's been largely inactive. That raises the immediate question of "does he still have it?", which is fair to ask because the public's taste and the state of the industry are drastically different than they were earlier this decade. Will he conform his style to fit in today's norm, or will Made take us back to a time where hip hop was happier?
The album starts off on a high note with "Never", which acts as a resume of sorts for Scarface. If you want to put it nicely, the song runs down his ideals, achievements, and code of ethics. If you want to explain it in a more hip hop way, this is a song that makes you say "that's that real shit right there". The production is excellent, the delivery is vintage Scarface and the song leaves you wanting more. My number one fear with having an album start off this good is fearing the rest of the tracks won't be as good. Sadly, in this instance that seems to be the case. "Never" is followed up with weak tracks such as "Bigg Dogg Status" and "Burn". The first single "Girl You Know" was an interesting choice, tackling the topic of relationship troubles.
"Go" is a track similar to "Girl You Know" in nature, but features better vocals and production than the lead single. Two songs in a row about fighting with women? Even rappers aren't exempt from the "Al Bundy" trap of their mid to late thirties. Even the most hardened individual eventually grows old, and has to sleep next to a woman who gets on his damned nerves. It's a fact of life that crosses cultural lines, and is funny considering Scarface's early material in the late 80s/early 90s. "Dollar" most resembles something you'd hear on today's radio than any other song on the album. It's the money/cash/hoes formula with a Scarface spin, the end result is good, but it's nothing we haven't heard before. "Boy Meets Girl" is the classic Scarface storytelling track that people love, a bread and butter track that anchors the second half of the album. Unlike the previous two songs, this one showcases his narrative skills and paints a gripping visual picture with his words. "Who Do You Believe In" is an introspective cut, his deep raspy preacher-like delivery dominate the experience in this one.
The themes of relationships and religion are prevalent on the album and weave their way through the entire disc. While Scarface has never come off as a reckless or wild person, the maturity on "Made" just about slaps you in the face. While artists like Jay-Z matured in their rhymes and spoke about giving away millions of dollars and working with charities in Africa, Scarface has done the same but in a way thats easier for the average Joe to relate to. While the album is better than most hip hop albums you'll hear this year, it's definitely a little different than Scarface's old work. Hip hop has always been a young man's game, but as the artform grows older, so will some of it's best artists. Recent albums from KRS-1, Jay-Z, and Scarface are breaking into new territory and showing us all what happens when rap music grows up. The outlook is promising.
*The Good:* "Never", "Who Do You Believe In" and "Boy Meets Girl" are must downloads. The album as a whole is a throwback to the 90s. Maturity and growth in the rhymes are also a big plus.*The Bad:* The production on this album is pretty lame. After hearing Scarface paired with top notch production in the past its hard to go back lackluster beats like this.*The Ugly:* The album is incredibly short, only 12 tracks and 2 of them are Intro/Outro. We're left with a short album that doesn't stand up to his past work.
Authenticity.
That's the one word that immediately comes to mind when you hear the name "Scarface". He's your favorite rapper's favorite rapper, and the reigning godfather of southern hip hop music. Brad Jordan a.k.a. Scarface has the credibility and prowess every label-created cookie cutter emcee would kill for. He may not get the national exposure and video plays on MTV's TRL, but if you know Scarface, you'd realize he could care less. He's regarded as one of the best storytellers in hip hop history, and when you listen to his rhymes you can rest assured you're getting the real deal. Is Scarface the only person telling the truth in his music? Of course not. But what separates him from most of the pack is he doesn't glorify nonsense. Scarface will give you the very same blood, guts, drugs, and guns you hear from many other artists, but it's done in a manner that resembles a documentary, rather than a summer blockbuster action movie.
!
Scarface's last album The Fix was released just about five years ago, and while it didn't set the world on fire commercially it was critical success within the hip hop world (notice a developing theme here?). Since 2002 a crop of unauthorized albums and spot verses have popped up, but he's been largely inactive. That raises the immediate question of "does he still have it?", which is fair to ask because the public's taste and the state of the industry are drastically different than they were earlier this decade. Will he conform his style to fit in today's norm, or will Made take us back to a time where hip hop was happier?
The album starts off on a high note with "Never", which acts as a resume of sorts for Scarface. If you want to put it nicely, the song runs down his ideals, achievements, and code of ethics. If you want to explain it in a more hip hop way, this is a song that makes you say "that's that real shit right there". The production is excellent, the delivery is vintage Scarface and the song leaves you wanting more. My number one fear with having an album start off this good is fearing the rest of the tracks won't be as good. Sadly, in this instance that seems to be the case. "Never" is followed up with weak tracks such as "Bigg Dogg Status" and "Burn". The first single "Girl You Know" was an interesting choice, tackling the topic of relationship troubles.
"Go" is a track similar to "Girl You Know" in nature, but features better vocals and production than the lead single. Two songs in a row about fighting with women? Even rappers aren't exempt from the "Al Bundy" trap of their mid to late thirties. Even the most hardened individual eventually grows old, and has to sleep next to a woman who gets on his damned nerves. It's a fact of life that crosses cultural lines, and is funny considering Scarface's early material in the late 80s/early 90s. "Dollar" most resembles something you'd hear on today's radio than any other song on the album. It's the money/cash/hoes formula with a Scarface spin, the end result is good, but it's nothing we haven't heard before. "Boy Meets Girl" is the classic Scarface storytelling track that people love, a bread and butter track that anchors the second half of the album. Unlike the previous two songs, this one showcases his narrative skills and paints a gripping visual picture with his words. "Who Do You Believe In" is an introspective cut, his deep raspy preacher-like delivery dominate the experience in this one.
The themes of relationships and religion are prevalent on the album and weave their way through the entire disc. While Scarface has never come off as a reckless or wild person, the maturity on "Made" just about slaps you in the face. While artists like Jay-Z matured in their rhymes and spoke about giving away millions of dollars and working with charities in Africa, Scarface has done the same but in a way thats easier for the average Joe to relate to. While the album is better than most hip hop albums you'll hear this year, it's definitely a little different than Scarface's old work. Hip hop has always been a young man's game, but as the artform grows older, so will some of it's best artists. Recent albums from KRS-1, Jay-Z, and Scarface are breaking into new territory and showing us all what happens when rap music grows up. The outlook is promising.
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