The moment the vibraphone and bassline drop simultaneously, you hear it: timelessness. It’s clear even through to the breakdown, as one of “them old heads” whistles away.
Six years later, “Guess Who’s Back” has lost none of its luster. It was and still is the Everest-like zenith of a truly classic album. Everyone involved donned the Teflon to assume a form that none of them may be able to touch again.
Kanye flipping the sample by The Originals rather simply but freaking it nonetheless. Jay being Jay — the superstar rapper always willing and able to take it back to the dopeboy days. Scarface still in the midst of the trap. He could fall back with it, but knew staying in was the only way out. And Beans, back on the block to help the youngins smarten up.
We just sat back and fell in love with Hip-Hop again.
A recent run-in with Brad Jordan meant I had to ask him about my favorite song.
TSS: What was it like making the record?
Scarface: (*Plays a soulful guitar chord*) Like that.
My man, fucking Jay-Z, had the record already done. I had the beat, but Jigga heard the beat and started going like “Ooooooooooo… oooooooooooooo.” And he went and took that shit. The muthafucker will leave you standing at the altar, buddy. You’ll be sitting at the bullshit, writing on the boards, and Jay-Z’ll go in there and freestyle that shit. One fucking take (*Raises right hand*) on everything I love. And I just turned up my headphones—that’s some real shit. One fucking take. That’s why that shit starts with [Jay] breathing over the track. That’s an element—I left that shit in there.
TSS: What did you think of the beat at first?
Scarface: Kanye West had it on a beat tape, man. It was Kanye West—you feel me? And everything about that shit was special. This was before Kanye West was fucking Kanye, but everything about Kanye was special. Everything about that kid is fucking special, man. I’m talking about his vibe, his ability to fucking flip samples. That “This Can’t Be Life” record—I had that record probably 2 or 3 years before Jigga had it. I had it, but I didn’t know what to do with it. He’s that far ahead of his time.
Fuck The Blueprint 3. Fuck 808s and Heartbreak. Fuck The Alternative (I’m guessing ahead of Beans on this one). Emeritus is Face’s last go so cop that!
Fuck all that shit. Somebody lock them niggas in a studio for a day. The results would be timeless.
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Great post! Amazing wording for a truly classic artist and a dope dope track! I’ll post on OGhiphop.com and link back for sure!
*Digs in crates*
Ah Ha! I found it!
I couldn’t remember what album I was supposed to look for this past weekend. I thought about The Fix early last week while I was on my way to work, but forgot to pull it out when I got home later that evening. Thanks for the reminder.
Great piece.
Classic song from a classic album. As much love as ‘Face gets, I still feel like he’s an uncrowned king. Or better yet, a king who declines the throne. How can an artist who recieves so much love from the industry be consistently overlooked by the masses? My first instinct is to blame J. Prince & Rap-A-Lot, but a part of me has to think that this is exactly the way ‘Face likes it.
Nevermind the fact that “Guess Who’s Back” been a staple of my iPod and MP3 CDs for the whip since it came out, the instrumental to this is my soundcheck track. Chalk it up to Mr. West and Guru’s sonic and technical genius, but the levels hit on all cylinders, and when my equipment is set up, it’s the first song I cue up.
i do so enjoy that damn song. i zone out every time it comes on and just to the meanest old man two step while raising my beer in the air. shit is magical.
5 Cig song off a 5 Cig album.
there are no vibraphones in that track.
Face always had that weary, old man’s flow about him. Seems like he might smack a kid for not recognizin’. Plus was country when country wasn’t cool, blacker than black, kinda fat… other than that Wallace boy, big black loud lyrical cats don’t get marketed like that.
I have a hard time picturing Face on MTV or BET… not that he’s so perfect or so much “realer” but, it just seems like dude has always been not quite ready for prime-time in terms of appearance.
Plus when you listen to Brad, he’s not a happy cat. He don’t make “happy” music. I have never danced to Scarface. You just find yourself staring at the speakers going, “that’s that Facemob, b!”
face just ain’t meant to be big like that… Like Talib and Common and similar cats, Face will have his audience and his respect in certain sections, but that’ll be it. Hope brother’s on his ghostwriting grind.
Classic song from a classic album by one of the greatest to ever do it. Great write up as well.
This is off subject but to the TSS fam: I’m going through a madlib phase and can’t seem to get my hands on “blunted in the bomb shelter” or “beat Konducta vol 1-2″. Does anyone have either one of these albums and care to help the big homie out?
Beanie is my dude, always on that football shit:
“Play them corners like a safety, watch the traffic switch
Young’n never pump fake, and you’ll get past the blitz”
Plus when you listen to Brad, he’s not a happy cat. He don’t make “happy” music.
===================================
Nah, you’re selling Brad short. Yeah, he excels with darker material but Scarface is more than “The Diary”. “Guess Who’s Back” proves that. “The Fix” is such a masterwork because it’s prolly his most balanced effort. An album that’s grounded in the “gangster rap” formula but trancends the genre by being uplifting & inspirational at the same time.
Scarface, the best south’s newest rapper ever !
Emeritus,
Emperor of the south!
Peace.
2009 bun b/face album “frank and jesse story”
…
hope that nas/face/cube
and more : that jigga/face/beans, albums
ONE DAY!!!
Sometimes,
best Happy Songs are dat Melancholic ones !
face is da old n rugged jigga !
if killer mike is da south ressurection of cube
…
Love this song & a dope piece.
I always said Face shoulda had a Roc piece hanging from his neck. It woulda been a step down from Def Jam South @ the time but the music he woulda been incredible.
the crazy part is that shit is still crazy even though the mix is all fucked up
bun b, scarface, chamillionaire and killer mike
- “swagger like us” part.3
anybody got a link for My Turn to Eat?
…
His Turn To Diet !
i’m out here in grind mode, wrapped up in the paper chase
i wanna fuck fine ho and candy paint the eighty-eight
Classic!!!
@ Milwaukee
All TWO CIGS of it
http://lix.in/-342dfe
1 T.I. Paper Trail 176,714 746,075
8 Ne-Yo Year of the Gentleman 46,904 450,356
13 Lil Wayne Tha Carter III 27,229 2,550,507
15 Young Jeezy Recession 26,801 516,476
21 The Game LAX 20,809 496,829
47 Devin The Dude Landing Gear 10,835 10,856
136 Murs Murs For President 4,300 16,890
157 LL Cool J Exit 13 3,726 76,838
159 Nas Untitled 3,649 400,972
163 Z-Ro Crack 3,606 19,916
after “808 & Heartbreak” listennnnnnnnnnning session ! “A Good Ass Job”, would be da sequel of his three first solo discs, for June 2009 ! But here a possible tracklist of his new project, da autotuned ish yeah
1. “Welcome to Heartbreak”
2. “Heartless”
3. “Love Lockdown”
4. “Robocop”
5. “The Wrong Thing”
6. “In the Streets”
7. Title unknown
• Alternating heavy drum and beeping sounds
• More singing, loud wailing noises
• Long extended instrumental ending with “ahhs” whispering over it
8. “Real Bad News”
9. “So Amazing” featuring Young Jeezy
• Uptempo
• “I’m a monster, I’m a killer.”
• Loud animal screams and howls like “Love Lockdown”
10. “That You Know” or “Tell Everybody” featuring Lil Wayne
• Harder rock vibe
• “Tell everybody that you know, that I don’t love you no mo’”
• “I’m back up on my grind.”
• Wayne’s verse: “Shit stink ’cause it’s pee-eww”
11. “Coldest Winter”
• “Goodbye my friends, will I ever love again?”
• “It’s pouring…it’s pouring.”Winter”
Remember when I first heard this song, being about 15 years old, and like you said, it just made me fall in love with hip-hop all over again. Remember reading the XXL feature they had on up and coming producers that featured Kanye around the same kind of time. As much as I enjoy ye’s recent work, it will never compare to the enjoyment found upon first hearing songs like this and beanie sigel’s the truth.
Great, great post, and I don’t really have much to add to this discussion. This song is classic, classic, classic, classic.
just to add–i took a couple cats’ advice and downloaded that Obama tape.
It’s fiya. I mean Charles Hamilton actually came off–i mean he picked on topic and stuck with it for a few bars…
Royce is a monster wit it.
Over all, it’s only got 5 posts.
Proton got twice as many posts. Nas album’ got more posts. like it’s not getting enough posts…
i fucking love this song. and those are vibraphones, chris.
no they arent, retard
The Fix is my favorite CD of all time. While “Guess Who’s Back” is great, it’s no “In Between Us”… that’s a fact.
“I know ya hate me, don’t ya?…”