Episode 104: Scarface

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Brad “Scarface” Jordan first came to the public’s attention as a member of Houston’s controversial group The Geto Boys. The trio - Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill - made dark, edgy, and often disturbing music. Their songs like “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” and “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta” gained them legions of both fans and critics.

Scarface released his first solo album in 1991, and has since put out classics like Mr Scarface Is Back, The Diary, and The Fix, that continue his career-long streak of well-crafted storytelling and unflinching honesty and self-examination. Now he has a new project - a memoir written with Benjamin Meadows-Ingram called Diary of a Madman: The Geto Boys, Life, Death, and the Roots of Southern Rap, published by Harper Collins. The book covers his life with the same directness and power we’ve seen in his raps.

Our talk with Face covers his musical influences in great detail, and also finds time to cover his own career, the book, how he felt trapped by his own name, and lots more.

Tracks featured in this episode:

1. Led Zeppelin, “Black Dog”
2. Wayne’s World clip
3. Led Zeppelin, “D’yer Mak’er”
4. Boston, “More Than A Feeling”
5. Nirvana, “Come As You Are”
6. The Eagles, “Hotel California”
7. KISS, “Love Gun”
8. KISS, “Detroit Rock City”
9. Sammy Hagar, “I Can’t Drive 55”
10. Kool Moe Dee, “Go See the Doctor”
11. LL Cool J, “Jack the Ripper”
12. Ghetto Boys, “Making Trouble”
13. Spice 1, “East Bay Gangsta (Reggae)”
14. Geto Boys, “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”
15. Scarface, “The Diary”
16. Pink Floyd, “The Great Gig In The Sky”
17. Pink Floyd, “Brain Damage”
18. Pink Floyd, “Mother”
19. Marvin Gaye, “Anger”
20. Van Halen, “Panama”
21. Scarface, “I Seen A Man Die”
22. Scarface, “In My Time”
23. Ice Cube, “Dead Homiez”
24. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise - No Noise A Cappella”
25. Scarface f/Nas, “In Between Us”
26. Jay Z f/Beanie Sigel & Scarface, “This Can’t Be Life”
27. Scarface f/Jay Z & Beanie Sigel, “Guess Who’s Back”
28. Beanie Sigel f/Scarface, “Mom Praying”
29. Jay Z f/Beanie Sigel & Scarface, “Some How Some Way”
30. Jay Z f/Scarface & Beanie Sigel, “This Can’t Be Life”
31. N.W.A, “Fuck Tha Police”
32. Edwin Starr, “War”
33. Alice Cooper, “I’m Eighteen”
34. The Velvet Underground, “I’m Waiting for the Man”
35. David Gilmour, “There’s No Way Out Of Here”
36. Elton John, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
37. Geto Boys, “Scarface”
38. Scarface - Memorable Quotes
39. Geto Boys, “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta”
40. “Beavis & Butthead laugh for 10 Minutes”
41. Ren and Stimpy, “I’m so angry”
42. Convicts f/Geto Boys & Lil’ J, “1-900-Dial-A-Crook”
43. Convicts f/Geto Boys & Lil’ J, “1-900-Dial-A-Crook”
44. Geto Boys, “Fuck A War”
45. Jay Z f/Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek & Freeway, “1-900-Hustler”
46. Facemob, “The Other Side of the Law”
47. Devin the Dude, “The Dude”
48. Scarface, “A Minute To Pray And A Second To Die”
49. Geto Boys, “Mind Playin Tricks On Me (instrumental)”
50. Scarface, “Diary of a Madman”
51. Ozzy Osbourne, “Diary of a Madman”
52. Isaac Hayes, “Hung Up On My Baby”
53. 2Pac, “Lord Knows”
54. Scarface covers Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”