The Untouchable (Rap-A-Lot, 1997) by Scarface

"Our lifestyles be close captioned, addicted to fatal attractions/Pictures of actions be played back in the midst of mashin/No fairy tales for this young black male/Some see me stranded in this land of hell, jail, and crack sales/Hustle too hard to think of culture/Or the repercussions while bustin on backstabbin vultures/Sellin my soul for material wishes, fast cars and bitches/Wishin I lived my life a legend, immortalized in pictures/Why shed tears, save your sympathy/My childhood years were spent buryin my peers in the cemetary/Here's a message to the newborns, waitin to breathe/

If you believe, then you can achieve, just look at me/Against all odds, though life is hard we carry on/ Livin in the projects, broke with no lights on/So all the seeds that follow me, protect yo essence/Born with less, but you're still precious/Just smile for me now"

2Pac, "Smile"

Emeritus (Rap-A-Lot, 2008) by Scarface

"I lay in bed lookin up at the ceiling/as the fan turns in a circle, thinkin 'bout my evil/Seein end on my TV, bombs in the skies/over Baghdad they fight but they don't know why/What they said about Hussein, was a God damn lie/Raised a war against a religion for oil, don't lie/I seen, kids from the hood livin like they gon' die/with the mindset of be broke or let's go get high/With the people livin so crazy how we gon' get by/Gasoline five dollars, how the fuck we gon' drive?/Can't afford to fill our prescriptions so we all gon' die/CVS is slangin dope on every block worldwide/Since, spies up and had the dope game on fine/Then it's only right for one nigga to go get mine huh/If they injured how they gon' survive?/If they stuck at the bottom how the fuck they gon' ride?"

-Scarface, "Can't Get Right"

The World is Yours (Rap-A-Lot, 1993) by Scarface

Mr. Scarface is Back is a fantastic album, and this album lives up to its predecessor.  In some respects, it even demonstrates growth.  From a production standpoint, it definitely has more of a West Coast/G-funk feel.  And lyrically, it's still dark-but at least, in this case, there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The album's best song, a 7-minute plus record called "Now I Feel Ya", has Face discussing the birth of his son and how he's had to change in order to be a father to him. 

One Hunid (Underground Railroad, 2006) by The Product

One Hunid is proof that Hip-Hop isn't dead.  Willie Hen and Young Malice can both really rap and they hold their own alongside the southern Hip-Hop legend.  Although this album isn't quite as powerful as Geto Boys' Resurrection; it does come close.  Alchemist provides outstanding production and lyrically these guys are great.  Scarface is obviously a talented A&R, in addition to an amazing rapper.  Keep in mind that Ludacris was the first act that he signed to the Def Jam South imprint years earlier.

Mr. Scarface is Back (Rap-A-Lot, 1991) by Scarface

This album is another one that has tremendous sentimental value to me.  When I was learning to rap; I couldn't.  However, I could, kinda, sort of write.  I was also really inspired by hardcore Hip-Hop at the time.  To demonstrate free expression and concepts, the producer I was working with played me Scarface's debut.  He really emphasized the last track, "I'm Dead."  I was really moved by it and later realized the influence that he perhaps had on rappers that came along later in the 90s such as Biggie and Jay-Z.

Made (Rap-A-Lot, 2007) by Scarface

In my opinion, this is Scarface's best solo album since The Fix.  "Never" is a great record and "Boy Meets Girl" is an intense metaphor wherein a drug addiction is compared to a romance.  The other standout track here is the single, "Girl You Know."  Nottz's use of the Lenny Williams' sample was phenomenal.  Lyrically, Scarface has always been one of my favorites and this album is another reason why.

I Am... (Columbia, 1999) by Nas

I Am… definitely has its ups and downs, but I think it's a pretty solid album overall.  "N.Y. State of Mind" is a certified classic, and so coming back to the song was a risk, but Premier and Nas crafted a worthy sequel.  And "Nas is Like," is one of the best songs that Mr. Jones and Mr. Martin have ever done together.  "Favor for a "Favor", the record with Scarface, is excellent and "We Will Survive" pays homage to Tupac and Biggie.  The faults of this project are that it's inconsistent and the album is a few songs too long.  And "Hate Me Now" with Puffy was a great commercial single, but I think "You Won't See Me Tonight" with Aaliyah would have been a better choice.

The Diary (Rap-A-Lot, 1994) by Scarface

"Imagine life at it's full peak/Then imagine lying dead in the arms of your enemy/Imagine peace on this earth when there's no grief/Imagine grief on this earth when there's no peace/Everybody's got a different way of endin' it/And when your number comes for service then they send it in/Now your time has arrived for the final test/I see the fear in your eyes and hear your final breath/How much longer will it be til it's all done?/Total darkness and ease be at all one/I watch him die and when he dies let us celebrate/You took his life, but his memory you'll never take/You'll be headed to another place/And the life you used to live will reflect in your mother's face"

-Scarface, "I Seen A Man Die"

The Truth (Roc-A-Fella, 2000) by Beanie Sigel

Beanie Sigel is an underrated rapper.  He is a very gifted lyricist with a commanding flow.  And his debut album, The Truth, is an impressive piece of work that got lost in the shuffle of Jay-Z's meteoric rise to superstardom.  The title track is the first time I ever heard a Kanye West beat.  And "Mac and Brad", where Beanie shares the mic with Scarface, is a flawless example of two emcees going back-and-forth on a record.  Other highlights include "Remember Them Days" with Eve, "Everybody Wanna Be a Star", "What Ya Life Like", and "Die."  In a nutshell: if you do not own this album, go buy it now.

Ready to Die (Bad Boy, 1994) by The Notorious B.I.G.

Biggie Smalls is still the illest.  The introduction on this album is the best intro ever, and the first time I listened to "Gimme the Loot" I thought it was two different emcees.  His flow on Ready to Die is absolutely ridiculous and the beats perfectly accentuate his grim lyrics.  Culturally, this album, along with Illmatic and Enter the Wu-Tang, helps shift attention back to New York hip-hop after years of West Coast dominance.  And even though Biggie is not the first emcee to die at the end of their album (see Scarface's debut), "Suicidal Thoughts" is the first time that I hear someone take his or her own life.