This is an Enhanced CD which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
When Brian De Palma's ultra-violent gangster film, SCARFACE, came out in 1983, it would be impossible to predict the imprint the movie would leave on the then-nascent world of hip-hop. At the time, the rap landscape was much more lighthearted, focusing on battling with rhymes instead of guns; it was before BDP's 9mm went bang, N.W.A. came STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, and the Geto Boys related their grotesque stories from the street. Al Pacino's darkly potent performance as uncompromisingly ruthless drug-boss Tony Montana resonated in the world of gangsta rap--lines from SCARFACE were sampled in dozens of songs, the lifestyle was emulated, and Akshen of the Geto Boys even rechristened himself Scarface.
To celebrate the movie's 20th Anniversary, Def Jam has released MUSIC INSPIRED BY SCARFACE, a killer compilation collecting tracks that feature some connection to the seminal picture, from 1983's classic anti-drug anthem "White Lines (Don't Do It)" by Grandmaster Flash to Joe Budden's 2003 track "Pusha Man." The album also features songs by practically every vital hardcore rapper who came in between, including the aforementioned N.W.A. and Scarface, along with Jay-Z, DMX, Nas, Lil' Kim, Mobb Deep, Notorious B.I.G., and many others. Given the wealth of SCARFACE-related material out there, MUSIC INSPIRED BY SCARFACE was an inevitable project, and stands as a valid chronicle of the evolution of gangsta rap.