loosie: words: Album Review: The Fix

Album Review: The Fix

Scarface shows the youngsters how it should be done.

by Douglas Passion | 2002.10.19

Every hiphop legend falls. Once an old-timer loses a step, it's simply a matter of time before he's devoured by a younger, meaner, hungrier version of himself. The triumph of youth over age is not only natural; it is inevitable. Call it hiphop's version of Darwinism - survival of the illest.

Any young bucks hoping to separate Scarface from his throne will be in for quite a nasty surprise. Though long in the tooth, this guy is still meaner and hungrier than just about anyone. On The Fix, Face's seventh solo release, the longtime Geto Boy sounds downright rejuvenated.

In an era where jumbled seventy-minute opuses have become more the standard than the exception, The Fix refreshingly clocks in at a tidy eleven tracks (excluding the intro and outtro). Combining strong lyricism, consistent production and a few stellar cameo appearances, The Fix is Scarface's best album since The Diary.

When Scarface won "Lyricist of the Year" at the 2001 Source Awards against the likes of Eminem, Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, some skeptics viewed the distinction as something of a lifetime achievement award. Scarface has obviously taken the honor seriously. On The Fix , Face spits as if duty-bound to justify his recent accolades. His wordplay, his flow and his ability to convey emotion are just as sharp as they've ever been.

Even early in his career, Scarface spoke with the wisdom and authority of the proverbial original gangster. As a veteran, his words hold even more weight. Scarface's maturity is particularly striking when juxtaposed against hiphop's current crop of thuggish newjacks who unconvincingly spout tales of street life. It takes but one cut from The Fix to notice the difference between Face and the pretenders. On the album's opening cut, "Safe", Face dispenses four minutes of sage advice for the aspiring corner hustler. "So listen up, my niggas," he raps, "and I ain't trying to preach/ I'm just telling it from my side, 'cause I'm in the streets/ I've been there, done that/ seen a whole neighborhood destroyed by the government being tipped off my one rat."

On "My Block", Scarface paints a portrait of the rugged 5th Ward neighborhood from which he emerged. The same melodic piano riff used on M.O.P's "World Famous" works as the perfect backdrop to Face's earnest reminiscing. "On my block, everybody's business ain't your business," he recalls, "What's going on this house stay in here, comprende?/ On my block, you had to have that understanding/ 'cause if you told Miss Patty she went and told Gladys/ And when Country Mama got it, it was all on the wire/ and when word got back, they set your ass on fire."

True to the album's title, The Fix has no shortage of drug-related content. On one of the album's strongest cuts, "Guess Who's Back?", Roc-a-Fella cohorts Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel join up with Face to ruminate on their shared history of hustling. Over the soulful Kanye West creation, Scarface describes the grinder's mentality. "Started with an 8-ball," he raps, "gotta get this cake, dog/ give niggas a break? Nah/ you know how the game go/ Fuck you think I slang fo'?"

Ironically, Roc-a-Fella arch-nemesis Nas also makes an appearance on The Fix. Musically soothing but rich in lyrical paranoia, "In Between Us", features Nas dropping a nice little verse that discusses the subject of loyalty. "Keep your enemies close," he warns, "where they can see you/ it's not your enemy who gets you, it's always your own people".

For those looking for the traditional Scarface sound, "What Can I Do?", is a return to the conversational delivery Face utilized on 1994's "I Never Seen A Man Cry". Featuring a well-sung R&B hook, he provides longtime listeners with the type of emotion-drenched content they have become accustomed to. Lest you think this song is strictly a throwback, the multi-syllable wordplay illustrates Scarface's continued development as an emcee. "Live and I learn," he ponders, "I sit, watch my cigarette burn/ down to the ash, it reminds me of the now and the past."

Despite the plethora of different knob-twisters who supply The Fix musical backbone, the strength of the album's production lies in its consistency. Unlike many paint-by-numbers albums, the tracks made by the Neptunes, Kanye West and even Scarface himself merge together to create a unified vibe. Even the 'Tunes, who have built a career off a signature drum kit, scale back their sound to a less club-happy feel. From front to back, the album is as soulful as a smoky Southern blues club.

In time, youth will be served. A veteran like Scarface will eventually be replaced by one of the doorag-clad youngsters who impetuously grabs for the microphone without truly knowing what to do with it. For the sake of thoughtful street-oriented hiphop, we can only hope that guys like Face can keep the wolves at bay for another few years. For the time being, be thankful that albums like The Fix still exist.