Scarface
By Matt Sonzala
Should people be surprised that there’s a new Geto Boys album?
I’m surprised. I’m surprised like a motherfucker. Really it was a quick process too. Shit it didn’t take no time. Yeah we all got together and said “Yo you wanna do it again?” And we all were like “Fuck it, let’s do it again.”
When Rap A Lot was talking about forming a new Geto Boys, did you have any feelings about that?
Yeah, I wasn’t gonna be in that shit though. Naw, and I love all them niggas. From Bun to Z-Ro to Pimp to whoever, I love all them niggas. To me the Geto Boys is the foundation and I would love to see Bill and Will and me together back in the studio doing an album. It’s surprising that the shit just got done. Everybody’s got their own shit that they doing. Will’s doing real estate in Azerbijan, Bill is doing radio and I ain’t doing shit.
I heard that you’re a free agent right now, is that true?
Yeah I’m a free agent.
Scarface is not signed to a label?
No.
What’s the next move? Are you going to take what you learned at Def Jam South and do something for yourself?
No, I’m tired of this shit man. I’m finna pull over. After this I’ma do one more album with somebody and I don’t know who the lucky candidates are but I’m strongly leaning toward making this my last solo album.
You’ve always seemed like music was a sort of release for you, but it also seemed sort of like a stress for you too.
Well you know if God kicked Satan out of Heaven, which was like the Angel of Music from the way I got it when I was growing up. And that wasn’t neither one worse than the other besides suicide, what in the fuck did Satan do to make God kick him out of Heaven? You know in my eyes, music has consumed my life. It has taken up all of my time. I wake up in the morning with music, I go to bed at night with music, I ride in my car with music. For once in my life I just want to… I mean, I been in music forever. I been playing music shit from when I was a baby. My family had bands, my mom was a singer, my grandmother was a singer, so the music was all I ever knew in my life. I finally got a chance to get my feet wet fucking with her and she, if I put that much time in something else I decided to do, I’d probably be better off. This shit got me tired. I’m just tired of this shit.
How could somebody who’s looked at as one of the greatest in the game gonna be better off doing something else?
I don’t know, we’ll see. We’ll see. I had an unbelievable amount of fun in my lifetime doing this shit, but I think that I’m gonna release another solo album on somebody’s label and I’ll be done.
You have a real broad taste when it comes to music, and I have heard you speak often about starting a band. Is that still a possibility?
Yeah I love music man. I mean it’s a strong possibility that I’ll fuck with somebody that’s trying to do a band or whatever but you know as for me man, I’m tired B. I’m tired than a motherfucker. I just want to get me some rest.
What’s the worst part?
The business part is exhausting man. You gotta look at the whole game like it’s just full of fuckin’ snakes, which it is.
Has that always been something that’s been kind of hard to accept?
Yeah I mean, the business end man. If you’re love for the game turns into a business man, if it’s business over the way that you love what you do, it’s time for you to find something else to do. Because as much as I love music man, I would much rather be the one getting the check. Rather than somebody else getting the fuckin’ check for what I’ve created. My music is super heartfelt, I love what I do, I just love music man. I play all the instruments. I’m just a musically inclined motherfucker.
How often do you just sit around and jam?
Everyday, all night long.
What instrument do you pick up first?
I got a guitar, I got like a hundred fuckin’ guitars. I have an extensive guitar collection. From the late 1950’s to now I got like a hundred fuckin’ guitars. A hundred fuckin’ basses.
What’s your favorite one to play?
I got a 1964 Fender Stratocaster, Sunburst, all original, left handed guitar. Then I got a 1957 Fender Stratocaster right handed strung upside down. I could play upside down too. That’s how I learned how to play. I learned how to hit chords going this way.
So was Jimi Hendrix a big influence?
Yeah, the biggest influence on me in my opinion.
Now what you just said a minute ago about money, do you feel as though you never got your just due in this game? Do you feel like you’ve been slighted for money over the course of your career? A lot of people complain about this stuff, but you’ve been around forever. You signed your first contract before many of these cats.
Yeah I signed my contract when niggas was just happy to get a record deal, so whatever was in the contract, who gave a fuck? I had a record coming out. That’s how I felt about it. But now it’s so much of a fuckin’ business now till it ain’t friendly. It’s such a battle of the wits, it’s like a chess game when you fuckin’ with this music right now. Don’t nobody play fair. You get all these monster fucking companies to merge together and they push the little guy out. Nobodies playing fair. You got the Federal Government the conspiracy against rap music, pushing that shit out. We ain’t never had no piracy problem until now it’s like real big. It’s like a waste of time to even do albums and shit.
Well regarding the money, you’ve never really been the one to tour extensively. Isn’t there money to be made there?
I’m for one feel like that’s just prostitution man.
Performing on stage in front of your fans is prostitution?
Man you just going up there prostituting yourself.
Isn’t that where your money is supposed to come in from though man?
Man my money needs to just come in period. You know, but it ain’t about me, it’s bigger than me. You got a whole generation and generations behind us that’s got in this music game. Some people were smart, some people were stupid. Some people left with nothing, some people left with it all. My main thing right now, what I’m mainly focused on is getting away. You know, I’m gonna leave like Mike. But I ain’t never coming back though. I’m not ever ever coming back. After this last album, I’m finished.
Then where do you see yourself in ten years?
On a farm resting. Fuck this shit man. I’m much more satisfied being away from everything than I am being in the midst of everything going on.
Do you have friends?
Friends? My music is my friend.
You would walk away from that friend?
Yeah I’d walk away from her. She’s had that much of an impact on my life. She’s that devastating now that I look back at this bitch. She’s fucking brutal. I mean people spend their whole fucking life chasing music. I spent my whole life chasing music, trying to find music. If my days weren’t filled with music, real and true enough, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in, but I also wouldn’t be dealing with being so motherfuckin’ tired. It’s not that I’m just sleepy tired, I’m fucking TIRED man. I’m looking forward to a change. And right now unfortunately music does not offer, you know what? I saw the best concert I ever seen in my life here just recently. Man Phil Collins had the best fucking concert I have seen in my life and I have been to all of them. I think that Dre and Eminem has the best rap show.
Shit, back in the day though, Scarface and the Geto Boys had the best rap show. You guys set the trend of actually having a production. Even if it was low budget you always had something that was entertaining. I think that’s something that’s killing rap. It’s such a live art form, but hardly anybody can pull it off live. You talk about these bands who can make such great shows, but then you got a dude with a CD and a microphone and he can’t make it sound good and can’t make it entertaining.
I seen the MTV Music Awards and hip hop looked awful. I mean, you look at the bands, them bands came out with their fuckin’ gear. They came out with their fuckin’ weapons. The had guitars, amps, drum sets, horns and singers and shit and then we come out grabbing our dicks with 500,000 people on stage.
Well a lot of times rappers think it’s too much for them to even bring turntables or even have a DJ or anything. They don’t make the effort.
Yeah well I disagree. It doesn’t compare. I think Dre and Dre’s influence, he has the best stage show. He knows the importance of putting on a great stage show. It makes people buy records. There’s not an album that Dre, Dre could fart on a record and I’ll go buy it. That’s because I know that this dude is really serious about his craft and there’s not many people I can say that about. If Pink Floyd made another album I’d go buy it. And of course you got Nas and Jay Z, Eminem, they take they shit serious. This is not a game man. To some people it’s a game and to some people it’s a payday but to me man it’s my life. Maybe it something in my life that ain’t right, but I feel music. But I’m also strong enough to know when it’s time to leave this bitch alone. This shit like an addiction. It’s the worst hit of heroin I ever had. This bitch is worse than nicotine. This bitch is worse than alcohol. Music is a bad motherfucker man, it’s an addiction. And you start pimping this bitch and she start bringing you money, you’ll never be able to cut this hoe loose. So to back up and let this shit down easy I’m gonna leave this alone. I’m fuckin’ addicted.
By Matt Sonzala
Should people be surprised that there’s a new Geto Boys album?
I’m surprised. I’m surprised like a motherfucker. Really it was a quick process too. Shit it didn’t take no time. Yeah we all got together and said “Yo you wanna do it again?” And we all were like “Fuck it, let’s do it again.”
When Rap A Lot was talking about forming a new Geto Boys, did you have any feelings about that?
Yeah, I wasn’t gonna be in that shit though. Naw, and I love all them niggas. From Bun to Z-Ro to Pimp to whoever, I love all them niggas. To me the Geto Boys is the foundation and I would love to see Bill and Will and me together back in the studio doing an album. It’s surprising that the shit just got done. Everybody’s got their own shit that they doing. Will’s doing real estate in Azerbijan, Bill is doing radio and I ain’t doing shit.
I heard that you’re a free agent right now, is that true?
Yeah I’m a free agent.
Scarface is not signed to a label?
No.
What’s the next move? Are you going to take what you learned at Def Jam South and do something for yourself?
No, I’m tired of this shit man. I’m finna pull over. After this I’ma do one more album with somebody and I don’t know who the lucky candidates are but I’m strongly leaning toward making this my last solo album.
You’ve always seemed like music was a sort of release for you, but it also seemed sort of like a stress for you too.
Well you know if God kicked Satan out of Heaven, which was like the Angel of Music from the way I got it when I was growing up. And that wasn’t neither one worse than the other besides suicide, what in the fuck did Satan do to make God kick him out of Heaven? You know in my eyes, music has consumed my life. It has taken up all of my time. I wake up in the morning with music, I go to bed at night with music, I ride in my car with music. For once in my life I just want to… I mean, I been in music forever. I been playing music shit from when I was a baby. My family had bands, my mom was a singer, my grandmother was a singer, so the music was all I ever knew in my life. I finally got a chance to get my feet wet fucking with her and she, if I put that much time in something else I decided to do, I’d probably be better off. This shit got me tired. I’m just tired of this shit.
How could somebody who’s looked at as one of the greatest in the game gonna be better off doing something else?
I don’t know, we’ll see. We’ll see. I had an unbelievable amount of fun in my lifetime doing this shit, but I think that I’m gonna release another solo album on somebody’s label and I’ll be done.
You have a real broad taste when it comes to music, and I have heard you speak often about starting a band. Is that still a possibility?
Yeah I love music man. I mean it’s a strong possibility that I’ll fuck with somebody that’s trying to do a band or whatever but you know as for me man, I’m tired B. I’m tired than a motherfucker. I just want to get me some rest.
What’s the worst part?
The business part is exhausting man. You gotta look at the whole game like it’s just full of fuckin’ snakes, which it is.
Has that always been something that’s been kind of hard to accept?
Yeah I mean, the business end man. If you’re love for the game turns into a business man, if it’s business over the way that you love what you do, it’s time for you to find something else to do. Because as much as I love music man, I would much rather be the one getting the check. Rather than somebody else getting the fuckin’ check for what I’ve created. My music is super heartfelt, I love what I do, I just love music man. I play all the instruments. I’m just a musically inclined motherfucker.
How often do you just sit around and jam?
Everyday, all night long.
What instrument do you pick up first?
I got a guitar, I got like a hundred fuckin’ guitars. I have an extensive guitar collection. From the late 1950’s to now I got like a hundred fuckin’ guitars. A hundred fuckin’ basses.
What’s your favorite one to play?
I got a 1964 Fender Stratocaster, Sunburst, all original, left handed guitar. Then I got a 1957 Fender Stratocaster right handed strung upside down. I could play upside down too. That’s how I learned how to play. I learned how to hit chords going this way.
So was Jimi Hendrix a big influence?
Yeah, the biggest influence on me in my opinion.
Now what you just said a minute ago about money, do you feel as though you never got your just due in this game? Do you feel like you’ve been slighted for money over the course of your career? A lot of people complain about this stuff, but you’ve been around forever. You signed your first contract before many of these cats.
Yeah I signed my contract when niggas was just happy to get a record deal, so whatever was in the contract, who gave a fuck? I had a record coming out. That’s how I felt about it. But now it’s so much of a fuckin’ business now till it ain’t friendly. It’s such a battle of the wits, it’s like a chess game when you fuckin’ with this music right now. Don’t nobody play fair. You get all these monster fucking companies to merge together and they push the little guy out. Nobodies playing fair. You got the Federal Government the conspiracy against rap music, pushing that shit out. We ain’t never had no piracy problem until now it’s like real big. It’s like a waste of time to even do albums and shit.
Well regarding the money, you’ve never really been the one to tour extensively. Isn’t there money to be made there?
I’m for one feel like that’s just prostitution man.
Performing on stage in front of your fans is prostitution?
Man you just going up there prostituting yourself.
Isn’t that where your money is supposed to come in from though man?
Man my money needs to just come in period. You know, but it ain’t about me, it’s bigger than me. You got a whole generation and generations behind us that’s got in this music game. Some people were smart, some people were stupid. Some people left with nothing, some people left with it all. My main thing right now, what I’m mainly focused on is getting away. You know, I’m gonna leave like Mike. But I ain’t never coming back though. I’m not ever ever coming back. After this last album, I’m finished.
Then where do you see yourself in ten years?
On a farm resting. Fuck this shit man. I’m much more satisfied being away from everything than I am being in the midst of everything going on.
Do you have friends?
Friends? My music is my friend.
You would walk away from that friend?
Yeah I’d walk away from her. She’s had that much of an impact on my life. She’s that devastating now that I look back at this bitch. She’s fucking brutal. I mean people spend their whole fucking life chasing music. I spent my whole life chasing music, trying to find music. If my days weren’t filled with music, real and true enough, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in, but I also wouldn’t be dealing with being so motherfuckin’ tired. It’s not that I’m just sleepy tired, I’m fucking TIRED man. I’m looking forward to a change. And right now unfortunately music does not offer, you know what? I saw the best concert I ever seen in my life here just recently. Man Phil Collins had the best fucking concert I have seen in my life and I have been to all of them. I think that Dre and Eminem has the best rap show.
Shit, back in the day though, Scarface and the Geto Boys had the best rap show. You guys set the trend of actually having a production. Even if it was low budget you always had something that was entertaining. I think that’s something that’s killing rap. It’s such a live art form, but hardly anybody can pull it off live. You talk about these bands who can make such great shows, but then you got a dude with a CD and a microphone and he can’t make it sound good and can’t make it entertaining.
I seen the MTV Music Awards and hip hop looked awful. I mean, you look at the bands, them bands came out with their fuckin’ gear. They came out with their fuckin’ weapons. The had guitars, amps, drum sets, horns and singers and shit and then we come out grabbing our dicks with 500,000 people on stage.
Well a lot of times rappers think it’s too much for them to even bring turntables or even have a DJ or anything. They don’t make the effort.
Yeah well I disagree. It doesn’t compare. I think Dre and Dre’s influence, he has the best stage show. He knows the importance of putting on a great stage show. It makes people buy records. There’s not an album that Dre, Dre could fart on a record and I’ll go buy it. That’s because I know that this dude is really serious about his craft and there’s not many people I can say that about. If Pink Floyd made another album I’d go buy it. And of course you got Nas and Jay Z, Eminem, they take they shit serious. This is not a game man. To some people it’s a game and to some people it’s a payday but to me man it’s my life. Maybe it something in my life that ain’t right, but I feel music. But I’m also strong enough to know when it’s time to leave this bitch alone. This shit like an addiction. It’s the worst hit of heroin I ever had. This bitch is worse than nicotine. This bitch is worse than alcohol. Music is a bad motherfucker man, it’s an addiction. And you start pimping this bitch and she start bringing you money, you’ll never be able to cut this hoe loose. So to back up and let this shit down easy I’m gonna leave this alone. I’m fuckin’ addicted.