TSS: How do you feel about The Fix being the most critically acclaimed album? I mean, I think MADE was just as dope as that one.

Scarface: Well I appreciate that, bruh.

TSS: But how do you feel about that album in your overall collection?

Scarface: The Fix is my favorite album. I like all my attempts, but The Fix is just really personal. I don’t know if people focus too much on The Fix or whatever the case may be. I’m just making music regardless. When I go to put an album together, I don’t have any of my other albums in mind. I try to surpass them. I try to do one better. First it was The Diary that was the best album, then it was The Untouchable that was the best album then it was The Fix that was the best album. It’s all in the listener’s opinion.

TSS: Yea, you say The Fix is your most personal, but you’ve always been real personal on your albums. What’s the song on this album that people are going to say “man I can’t believe he said that” or they can really relate to.

Scarface: That song, “Can’t Get Right” that Bilal sung the hook on. It’s one of those songs like “God damn.” Y’know cuz I gotta listen to it over and over. Like “where was I?” Where was I when I rapped this? Where was I when I wrote this? I gotta think about the exact spot I was when I wrote this, like damn that’s some heavy shit.

TSS: Where were you when you wrote that? What was going on?

Scarface: We were at war. Gas prices were peaking. Prescription medication was at an all time high. We were fighting and we didn’t know why. The fucking destruction in the neighborhoods. These kids ain’t got figures in their house to teach them right from wrong. It was a song that was written like “I can’t believe this nigga is that sharp.” I think I was watching the presidential campaign. The debates and shit. I came to the conclusion that John McCain hated niggas. I also came to the conclusion that the reason I didn’t wanna vote for Barack was because I loved him. And I didn’t wanna see him hung.

TSS: So you didn’t wanna vote for Barack?

Scarface: I mean, I did Barack my vote. But judging from the way it came out, I love Barack so much until I just don’t want to see him fucked with. Y’know I spoke about that man and the presidency, dude, in a lot of songs that I didn’t even release. If you listen back to Ice Cube’s “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It” with me and Nas: “I hope that Barack can get the troops out Iraq/ Cuz the truth is Iran got them Nuclear plants.” You ever heard that? Listen to that again.

TSS: I gotcha!

Scarface: “They got me running like a slave/Cuz I told them if they touch Obama they gotta pay” I said some other shit. I didn’t release it, though. “When the Freedom’s got a guage/ with an itchy finger the trigger these niggas full of rage.” I had some shit that was so anti-semitic. It was so racially motivated until I never released it.

TSS: You thought it would be too much for people?

Scarface: It would be too much during his campaign. Like if niggas just came way out and said “yea nigga, fuck you white boy! I’m voting for the Black guy!” They’d be like “he got too many ties with niggas. We can’t just vote for him.” That’s why really everybody stayed silent. If you notice except for like-

TSS: The Ludacris track…

Scarface: Yea, Ludacris and Jeremiah Wright. And when Luda did that shit, I was like “man, Luda, you gonna fuck us up!” (Laughs) You know it was a bunch of big shit behind that shit, right?

TSS: Yeah, everyone was like “we gotta chill out until November.”

Scarface: Exactly. But shit man, my president is Black. But y’know man, let me say this just for the record. It wasn’t a Black or White thing. Because Jesse Jackson ran. Al Sharpton ran. But in all honestly were those the Black people you wanted to represent you as a whole? Not discrediting Jackson or Sharpton. And Barack at the beginning, we didn’t think there was a possible way. My Grandmother is 80 years old and she couldn’t imagine this shit. Not in her momma’s, momma’s, momma’s years think that we’d be inaugurating a Black president. But like I say, it’s not a Black or White thing. It was who was most qualified to do the job. In my opinion he may be overqualified to do this job. If you look at the past presidents, he has the highest schooling. The Harvard Law Review, the head of that shit. That’s a sharp brother, man. His wife ain’t no scrub neither.

TSS: Hell yeah!

Scarface: So looking at that from the outside. That’s some inspirational shit, man. Now you got kids like “I wanna be President of the United States.” The little White kids can think it’s a possibility but the little Black kids said that shit? We was like “nigga, you crazy?” But I’m gonna go dig up some documents because I think there were some Black presidents voted in that never said they was Black.

TSS: Yea, I think they may have had a trace or something. So now, that he’s in, you gonna release that song?

Scarface: That’s not necessary man. The crimes against humanity that America has done to Black people. I think that America has shown a different face by voting for this Black guy. I’m grateful and I’m humble at the same time that America made this choice. And look at it on the other side, this guy fucked it up so bad they were like “fuck it, we might as well get us some niggas.”

TSS: Yeah, you fucked up when you they’d rather have a Black man in the office.

Scarface: But don’t think that man stupid. Everyone’s business has suffered except for the businesses he’s in. Fucking gas was ten dollars a gallon.

TSS: Shoot, I filled up my tank for 20 dollars and I was about to cry

Scarface: Yea I filled up mine for 45 here with this big ass truck (Laughs).

TSS: So you got this vivid track, “A Soldier’s Story” with Z-Ro. What can you tell me about that?

Scarface: It’s me, The Product and Z-Ro. I thought it was a great idea to put these guys on a song together. I know I play guitar at the end.

TSS: Yeah, you had that other vivid song on MADE with Z-Ro on it too.

Scarface: Z-Ro one of the best rappers in the city. Z-Ro’s a great fucking artist. You know who else is a great artist? This kid named K-Rino. He’s the best rapper in this city.

TSS: Really? K-Rino?

Scarface: Yea, I’ve known him for like 20 years. We started at about the same time.

TSS: I haven’t heard too much of him.

Scarface: Muhfuckas scared to fuck with him because he’s so talented. He’s on one of my tracks, “Who Are They?”

TSS: You gonna work with him on his album to help him out?

Scarface: I don’t think he wants that shit.

TSS: I was actually going to ask you, since Emeritus is like a retiring professor- who would you say is your prized student in Hip-Hop?

Scarface: I think my DJ is probably my prized student. DJ Domination. Domo.

TSS: Why do you say that?

Scarface: I mean, his pockets. His beats. His ideas. His knowledge of music makes him my best student. My prize. He’s that good.

TSS: Speaking of your protégés, what ever happened to 2 Lo?

Scarface: I don’t know. That muthfucka in the jailhouse.

TSS: Really? How old was he when he made that track?

Scarface: Probably about 14.

TSS: So you haven’t been keeping in touch?

Scarface: Not since he went off on the deep end. Last I heard the Lil’ homie was in jail.

TSS: Damn, so what is the last album you’ve listened to?

Scarface: I just went and saw Coldplay. I saw Roger Waters. I think that was the best show I’ve ever seen in my life. I never knew how much of an impact he has on me until I got a chance to hear it again for the first time in 10, 15, 20 years. Yea, like 20 years is the last time I heard his shit like that.

TSS: You said Roger Waters?

Scarface: Yea, Roger Waters- Pink Floyd.

TSS: Yea, I know you’re on Pink Floyd like that. How have they affected your career?

Scarface: That’s probably my biggest influence in my whole career. In every way, writing shit that makes sense.

TSS: So besides the music, what’s next? What are you going to do now?

Scarface: I don’t know. Tour Europe.

TSS: What’s the destination, exactly?

Scarface: I don’t know, I just know I want to go over there. (Laughs). I’ve never been.

TSS: You’ve also been playing baseball, right?

Scarface: Naw, I coach Little League football.

TSS: How’s that going?

Scarface: We going to the Super Bowl. It’s our first Super Bowl.

TSS: What kind of coach is Scarface?

Scarface: I’m an offensive coordinator. I got a head coach that played at Oklahoma University. I also played when I was at school. Our defensive coordinator was an All-American, so I’m surrounded by good people. I’m like Barack: I surround myself with good people.

TSS: How do the kids react with Scarface on the coaching staff?

Scarface: Like three years ago, it wasn’t a big deal until they started finding out who I was as they got older. But if they call me Coach Face, the gotta run two laps around the football field. So everybody call me Coach Brad.

TSS: What’s the final score prediction for the Super Bowl?

Scarface: I don’t know. It’s gonna be a tough motherfucker because we beat them in the early part of the season but as you know it’s hard as fuck to beat the same team twice. So we coming into the Super Bowl 10-0. Undefeated. I don’t know if anyone’s gone all the way, but it’ll be like the Miami Dolphins if we go all the way. 72’ Dolphins. I think they went 14-0 right? And won the Super Bowl. 11-0? We 10-0 now, but then to win the Super Bowl, holy cow! You’ll get the reputation as the coach that took the kids to the Super Bowl. That’ll get you a Head Coach position. Not that I’m looking for one, but- next year I’m gonna coach Junior High School I think. Somewhere in Houston, maybe next year or two years after. That’ll be something to think about and look forward to.

TSS: Before I let you go, I wanna know- 2009 Hip Hop Honors we gonna see Scarface get honored? You showed up on the 2008!

Scarface: (Laughs)

TSS: You gonna be in the top section with the rest of the honorees?

Scarface: (Laughs) Shit, I doubt it. You know how people are when it come to me. I’d be honored to be on there, though. But I don’t see nothing I did that was so fucking spectacular that I deserve a Hip-Hop honor.

TSS: Man, you being humble on me.

Scarface: Naw, I’m being real real with you, homie. I’ve written some bad ass songs in my time. But I am no KRS-One. I am no Rakim. I am no Chuck D. I’ve written a lot of great fucking songs. I’ve produced a lot of great fucking tracks but I am no Dr. Dre. I am no Big Daddy Kane. Ya know, I am no Marly Marl. But if they see fit in their hearts to put a little kid outta the southside of Houston, Texas- there was no rap market when I started out here. If they see fit to put me in that shit, I’m gonna be honored. Even if they consider me to be on that shit, I’m honored. Where I come from…man, I’m from Houston. From the southside out of a little neighborhood called South Acres. I used to live in my Grandmother’s house. And to leave that muthafucka and to be put in the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame? I’m fucking humbled man. Just the thought of it is like “Damn. Me?”

TSS: Well I imagine we gonna see you up in there, and if we do, you gotta come back and talk to us about it.

Scarface: Man, it’d be my pleasure.

TSS: Alright, man.

Scarface: I appreciate your time.

TSS: Thanks a lot, man. It was great talking to you.

Scarface: Thank you, man. 100.

Scarface’s Emeritus is in stores now. You can preview the album at the official WMG site or via the audio player below. For more info, visit www.myspace.com/scarfacemusic.

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Previously Posted — Scarface – Emeritus Album Sampler | Scarface Feat. Lil Wayne & Bun B – Forgot About Me | “Straight From The Oven Wit It…”