Scarface: Guess Who's Back? (interview about new album,geto boys and future)

[Elano]

Hip Hoppers are notorious for prematurely crowning their favorite artists “legends.” If you’re fortunate enough to survive a few years in the fickle rap game chances are you’ll be anointed a crown of some sort – “Best in the West,” “King of the South,” etc – by your adoring fans. But in the history of Hip Hop truly few are actually deserved the title legend.
Brad Jordan p.k.a. Scarface has earned his legendary status. After 18 years, four platinum and three gold albums, the south’s first solo superstar has influenced the microphone stylings of everyone from Tupac to Beanie Sigel. Alongside Slick Rick, ‘Face is one of the culture’s greatest narrative poets.
Unfortunately, being a living legend does have its drawbacks. Following the five-mic classic coronation his last release, The Fix, received from The Source magazine expectations are high for his first solo album in over five years, Made. Adding to the heightened spectacle surrounding his latest offering is a non-stop barrage of stones being thrown at the throne by everyone from his first label boss Lil Troy (courtesy of a defamation lawsuit) to rumormongers incessantly chatting about an alleged rift between ‘Face and his longtime employer, Rap-A-Lot Records founder J. Prince.

HipHopDX recently caught up with the original King of the South to discuss these developments in his legendary career over the past few years, his forthcoming eighth studio album [18th overall albums, as one-third of H-Town’s seminal rap group, the Geto Boys], and why his new status as a free agent means Jigga needs to holla at him, which may mean Made will be his final release via the label he helped build.

The album cover photo for Made shows you staring into a mirror with a weary look on your face like you don’t even wanna do this stuff anymore. Is that what the cover represents or am I reading too much into it?

Scarface: Nah, I don’t think you see that [in the] cover. That cover [shot] is me taking a long look at myself saying, “God damn, finally!” That’s more of a finally look.

So you been waiting to get back in the game?

S: I been waiting to do what I wanna do [and] say what I wanna say.

Last year in an interview, you were quoted as saying, “The Fix was my last album. I’ll never record again. I’ll fuck with my group. Another solo album? No.” So what made you change your mind?

S: Uh…business. The business side will make a muthafucka quit, and the business side will make a muthafucka do it again.

So you’re saying they backed the Brinks truck up?

S: Well, almost.

In that same piece you suggested you wanted to retire because of bad business on the part of Rap-A-Lot. Has that business been addressed?

S: I mean, it’s to be addressed. Everything’s to be worked out, but at the same time you don’t stop [recording]. You have a lot of artists that stopped because they were having disputes with the record labels, and that’s what I don’t wanna do.

But there’s still issues that you and J. Prince gotta sit down and iron out?

S: Yeah, exactly.

In the August 2002 issue of XXL J. Prince was quoted as saying with regards to you and him, “We’re gonna be tied to one another for life.” Do you agree?

S: Yeah, it’s forever.

You’re essentially to Rap-A-Lot what L.L. Cool J is to Def Jam. So why then did J. Prince put together three albums [My Balls And My Word, My Homies 2 and 2 Face] over the past few years without the apparent consent and participation of his flagship artist?

S: Legally right, morally wrong. That’s a question that I can’t answer.

That’s an issue that still needs to be addressed?

S: That’s an issue that’s being addressed, yeah.

Let’s turn the conversation to the new album, Made. On the first street single, “Never,” a line you said caught my ear: “I’ll never turn my back on Jesus.” But I read that you had converted to Islam?

S: Right, and that’s the first thing people would expect for me to do [to speak about Islam]. The most immaculate human being known to man, I never could turn my back on him. What I don’t believe [about Christianity] is…you know what I don’t believe. But I still believe that he is the most immaculate human being known to man.

Something else you spit on another song from Made also caught my attention. On “Big Dogg Status” you said, “A C.I., puttin’ out these DVD’s/Now my shit done hit the streets, he gots to squash the beef/Got the Feds on his team, so they watchin’ me/A mouse trap for a rat, pussy, watch and see.” You might wanna be careful, [Lil Troy] might sue you again.

S: Yeah, well…you know what, I’m not gonna even address none of that shit. That’s a girl, and girls do what girls do. I don’t even play into that hoe shit.

While we’re speaking on Made, I was just curious to know why you didn’t produce any of the album’s tracks?

S: I wanted to focus more on being a writer this time around. I wanted to focus on my writing skills.

A lot of folks don’t know that you been producing for years. You just produced three joints on UGK’s latest album. You've been quoted as saying that you produced your whole first solo album, “I Seen A Man Die” and “Mind Playing Tricks On Me.” Why didn’t you get the production credit for those classic creations?

S: Ain’t nobody denying it right?

Not that I’m aware of, no.

S: Yeah, ‘cause it’s the muthafuckin’ truth. Ain’t nobody denying the shit. Now let me say I did [Kanye West’s] “Good Life,” and there’s gonna be some questions about that. And how long ago was this? And then for me to say this 10-15 years later and nobody come and claim it, that’s because it’s true. Like, yeah I produced that shit. [Longtime Rap-A-Lot mixer and engineer] Mike Dean mighta ran the mixing board. He mighta played what I told him to play, but that’s all my shit.

That reminds me, who was Crazy C?

S: That’s Clay Evens. That’s my boy. He did a lot of [onetime Rap-A-Lot artist] Big Mello’s stuff in the early days.

But he wasn’t the actual producer on your first solo album, Mr. Scarface Is Back?

S: No. He did “Born Killer” and “I’m Dead,” everything else, I did.

And besides producing I know you play guitar. I think “Boy Meets Girl” was the only song on Made you played on?

S: Nah, I played on a couple more. The “Never” song, that’s replayed. I played the bassline and the guitar piece to that shit.

I never knew, did you like take lessons or did you just pick up all this shit on your own?

S: It was just family. My family played, so I picked it up.

Is the overall sound of the album more soulful like the first official single from Made, “Girl You Know”?

S: Oh yeah. That’s soul, that [song’s] not electronic at all.

Conceptually is the album a mixed bag of different themes, or is it mostly the darker songs that deal with inner turmoil that you’re known for?

S: Man, this album is gonna blow you away dude. It blows me away listening to it. There’s only one song on there that I think they should’ve let me do what I wanted to do on…fucked me up…but it’s all good.

Made is your current Rap-A-Lot release, but I know the people wanna know if there’s gonna be another Geto Boys album forthcoming? I know Bushwick Bill is releasing a Christian rap album, so is a re-reunion for GB even possible?

S: I’m gonna be hung-up. I’m done. There might be some new Geto Boys though.

But you don’t plan on being a part of any more Geto Boys projects?

S: Nah.

While we’re on the topic of reunions, I gotta ask if you and Ludacris will ever work together again?

S: Shit, we ain’t never stopped. That’s my dog. He grown now. He a bull now. He got his own fuckin herd now.

The last time you spoke with HipHopDX you were quoted as saying, “I’ve been in the studio twice with Luda.” Was his self-sufficiency as an artist the reason why you guys didn’t work together much?

S: Yeah, I didn’t even need to. He was already done. He already knew who he was. He already knew what he wanted to be.

In that same interview you were also quoted as saying, “With the Def Jam situation, I make money with them, but they’re some slave masters too! Kevin Liles is a bitch! He’s a big fat pussy!” So I’m gonna go ahead and assume Kevin is the reason you left your position as President of Def Jam South?

S: Nah, and I don’t want it misunderstood, what I got against him is something very personal. It ain’t got nothing to do with that shit. It’s just like… When I got ready to leave Def Jam, I made sure Haystak was free didn’t I? I made sure that every artist that I brought over there got free from their contract before I left. I made sure that everybody that I was involved with was straight and out of they shit. Well, that’s the only problem I got with Kevin, other than that… I addressed it. I addressed him personally on that issue like the man that I am. I told him how I felt about it. This ain’t no Internet war shit, whatever I gotta say to a muthafucka I can say it to his face.

But that wasn’t the reason you bounced, it wasn’t ‘cause of him?

S: Nah, that was the reason why I was stuck there. Shit, he left me holding the baggie. But L.A. Reid a real dude, man. I told L.A. Reid I wasn’t planning to be there and he said, “Shit, you don’t have to.” And I respect him for that. But when I told Kevin like, “Yo man, everybody else gone; I need to get loose. Man, I need to be free,” he was like, nah man, fuck you. You gotta stay here. At least that’s what it seemed like [he was saying] to me

Was he the one that was keeping you from bringing artists to the label? I know the Lil’ Flip deal fell through, and it just seemed like everything you was bringing to them after Ludacris was going nowhere.

S: They didn’t want Flip. They didn’t want Slim Thug. They didn’t want Paul Wall and Chamillionaire. They didn’t want T.I., David Banner, Stat Quo, and the list goes on. But I ain’t mad at nobody.

So these reports that surfaced over the summer that you were going back to Def Jam to release another solo album entitled Undisputed, those were just fiction?

S: Damn, where you hear that from?

Yeah, it was all over a bunch of Internet sites.

S: I don’t know man… Shit, I’m exercising my free agency, so maybe Jigga got a plan, who knows?

So is Made gonna be your last release on Rap-A-Lot?

S: I don’t know man, we’ll see. I ain’t in no big rush to do nothing. We’re just getting started.

I understand you are gonna be appearing on a couple forthcoming Def Jam releases, Freeway and Beanie Sigel’s new albums, and I also understand that you and Beans might be going out on a tour with The Roots as a backing band?

S: Are we really? Shit, I would. I’d love to. Beans is my dog, and I love The Roots.

And I guess my final question is just what else you got on deck for ’08 besides Made?

You guys are coming back out?

S: We doing our own thang, baby.

[Lunatic]

Made is your current Rap-A-Lot release, but I know the people wanna know if there’s gonna be another Geto Boys album forthcoming? I know Bushwick Bill is releasing a Christian rap album, so is a re-reunion for GB even possible?

S: I’m gonna be hung-up. I’m done. There might be some new Geto Boys though.

But you don’t plan on being a part of any more Geto Boys projects?

S: Nah.

So is Made gonna be your last release on Rap-A-Lot?

S: I don’t know man, we’ll see. I ain’t in no big rush to do nothing. We’re just getting started.

so is he done or not?? lol

[Mygla]

Seems like he wanted do be anywhere else when he answered the questions 

[d-nice]

Nice interview. Album is a personal classic for me.