Houston-born rapper Scarface gained notoriety early in his career as a member of the Geto Boys, along with artists Willie D and Bushwick Bill. The group was known for their explicit lyrics, many of which included misogyny, gore, psychotic experiences, and necrophilia among other controversial topics.
The group was fairly successful, even with the fact that several American politicians were attacking gangsta rap at the time, along with artists like Ice-T and the N.W.A. Through the controversy, the group continued to put out music, and even broke some new ground with their soulful southern sound.
As time went on all the members of the group started working on solo careers. While the group didn't break-up exactly, once Scarface started working on his solo material, it was clear he was meant for some bigger things than just the Geto Boys.
Scarface released two albums, "Mr. Scarface is Back" and "The World Is Yours," to strong sales, but his sophomore album didn't gain as much recognition with critics. This set the stage for his third album, and arguably his best, titled "The Diary."
Released in October of 1994, Scarface sheds away the excess of his previous album by keeping "The Diary" much shorter than the 70-minute long "The World Is Yours," which had some solid tracks (like "Now I Feel Ya") but was cluttered with mediocre work. Clocking in at a succinct 43-minutes, the album has no filler and is filled with strong tracks, especially "I Seen a Man Die," "Hand of the Dead Body," "Jesse James," "Mind Playin' Tricks '94" and "No Tears."
"Hand of the Dead Body" was the first track released from the album and features a verse from gangsta rap veteran Ice Cube as well as Devin the Dude. Scarface outshines both artists by spitting some of his best lines on this track, which centers on the government and media critics who attacked gangsta rap for its violent imagery.
Scarface brings it hard on this track as he raps: "Shot in the face by a cop, close casket / An open and shut situation/Cop gets got, the wanna blame it on my occupation/If you don't dig me, than nigga you can sue me/Because the shit that I be sayin ain't worse than no western money/Don't blame me blame your man Gotti/So you can feel the hand of the dead body."
"I Seen a Man Die" is one of the more thoughtful tracks on the album, but it's also one of the best. Scarface shows off his versatile skills as an artist by switching things up here, using a more existential and somber tone. The song is a tale of a young kid released from prison after numerous years looking for a better life only to get caught up on the crime side once again. The track goes over how he's robbed by his enemies only to die in the hospital while feeling regrets.
The track is one of the deepest on the album and you can hear how close the subject matter is to Scarface as he spits: "Imagine life at it's full peak/Then imagine lying dead in the arms of your enemy/Imagine peace on this earth when there's no grief/Imagine grief on this earth when there's no peace/Cuz everybody's got a different way of endin' it/And when your number comes for service then they send it in/Now your time has arrived for the final touch/I see the fear in your eyes and hear your final breath/How much longer will it be til it's all done?/Total darkness and ease be in all one."
Minus the interludes, there are only ten songs on this album (which is a good thing) and the understated production is fantastic with most of the production coming from N.O. Joe and Mike Dean and some from Scarface as well. "Jesse James" is one of my favorite tracks on the album, with Scarface making some connections himself to one of history's most notorious criminals. The slow beat is also intoxicating and just oozes the aura of street living.
"The Diary" is some of Scarface's best work and the album is one of the few to receive a perfect rating from both The Source Magazine and XXL, which is a pretty impressive feat in itself.
The album may be short, but what it lacks in quantity it surely makes up for in quality. It's hard to find one that's worth skipping while listening to it straight through, and that's something that is usually the exception not that standard for most rappers.
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