Scarface - Untouchable

Save your time - buy the Smile single

I'm a pretty big Scarface fan. However, this album was weak. Aside from the CD cover, and the collaboration with 2Pac, it was the same garbage over and over.

The only other song that had any depth to it was Mary Jane; otherwise, it's the exact same song on each track. He could easily have switched the titles for several of the tracks and nobody would have noticed. Take out the hooks and the titles and it could be a three track album: "Smile", "Mary Jane", and the combo track which could have been titled "Again and Again".

Honestly listen to it. It's the same message, the same monotone delivery, and the same content in every single song. Even the addition of Too Short, one of the best, didn't save this repetitious album. Scarface mailed this junk in for the check.

Save your time and money. IF you really want the "Smile" single, buy it by itself. April 21, 2008

Scarface da Don of Rap

Scarface is the KING of RAP - also check out Smoke Sessions, Vol. 1- from his homie Devin the Dude another 5 Stars. April 16, 2008

Good album, but not quite on the level of his best work (3.5/5)

Scarface's fourth solo effort, 1997's "The Untouchable," is definitely a solid album, but parts of it can be frustrating. Coming off the brilliance of 1994's The Diary which in my opinion is the best single project of his entire career, he found high expectations and high budget. In sharp contrast to The Diary, which despite its popularity had a pretty raw and underground feel, "The Untouchable" feels like more of a high profile album, with Daz Dillinger, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Too Short, Johnny P, and the late 2Pac making appearances. As the guest list might suggest, there's a pretty heavy west coast influence on the album, with more slowed-down, bass and synth heavy g-funk type of beats rather than the rough southern-fried funk of his earlier solo work. N.O. Joe and Mike Dean, the producing geniuses behind most of the Rap-A-Lot masterpieces, remain behind the boards, but the sound has advanced. The overall feel of the album is much darker than his previous, there are no tracks about women and none dealing with social relevance either. He uses an angrier sounding delivery than before. The album has some really great songs on it, which as single songs stand among the best work of 'Face's career. Tracks like "Smile," "Mary Jane," "Smarts," and a few others stand with the best songs he's done. These are incredible songs which show the passion, lyricism, and talent that Scarface pours into his music. A few tracks bring the album down, with monotonous and redundant beats, boring cliched subject matter, and bloated running length, but the majority of the songs here are good efforts. It's certainly not his best album, but 'Face is one of the best rappers of all time and I certainly recommend this album to hip hop fans.

After the intro (unnecessary if you ask me because the vast majority of it's silent), the album starts with the title track, a pretty good funky track where the MC lets loose. "No Warning" is a hardcore, threatening track with a nice hook ("but ninety-nine point nine of the time, you go'n die..."). "Southside" has a decent beat and lyrics painting a picture of his hood, it's a pretty average cut for the album. "Sunshine" is not a track I really like on this disc, it's okay lyrically but the beat and weak hook don't appeal to me. "Money Makes the World Go Round" has a slow, basic beat from Daz Dillinger, but it is the weakest track on the album. It's unsettling to hear Scarface rap in such a cliched manner with such average subject material. At this point, the album definitely picks up and finishes much stronger than it starts. "For Real" is a better song, with some rough production. "Ya Money or Ya Life" is decent but too long. The best four songs come consecutively. "Mary Jane" is an excellently produced song that many may recognize as Ashanti's "Baby," because she (sleazily) took the delivery and music from this song. Musically and lyrically this song is great, Scarface speaks of weed's medicinal powers during times of struggle. "Smile" is probably the most well-known song of his career, featuring one of 2Pac's last guest appearances for a classic collaboration. The beat again is phenomenal as is each verse and the chorus from Johnny P. "Smartz" is excellent, some top-notch Scarface material, and the chilling "Faith" is as well. "Game Over" is a nice posse cut featuring the previously mentioned west coast heavyweights. After the outro is a very good and well-produced bonus track featuring his proteges from the group Facemob.

Anyone who's ever heard 'Face knows that listening to his albums is an often incredible experience, and for the most part "The Untouchable" is no exception. That said, it's far from his best work, and listeners who have yet to hear The Diary, Mr. Scarface Is Back, or his albums with Geto Boys like We Can't Be Stopped should certainly buy those before "The Untouchable." "The Untouchable" is a hard album showing Scarface at the height of his popularity, and it's one I recommend to fans of his other music. March 14, 2007

Southside is the illest!!!

If for some reason you've never checked him out this is the best place to start (solo-wise). While everything that the Geto Boys did was amazing this was when I realized how impressive his music was and still is. All the guest artists held it down and didn't get outshined by Scarface yet instead only added to the extremely dope effort of the music. All in All, go cop this and enjoy some of the best, that rap music has to offer. October 9, 2006

BETTER THAN ANY ALBUM THAT YEAR!!!

I HAVE SERIOUSLY COMTEMPLATED HOW GOOD THIS ALBUM IS, BASED ON THE FACT, THAT I CAN'T, AFTER ALMOST 10 YEARS, THINK OF WHAT COMES CLOSE TO THE CALIBER OF THIS GETO BOY DYNAMIC C.D. "UNTOUCHABLE"! I HAVE HEARD ALBUM AFTER ALBUM, AND THERE ARE SOME AMAZING ALBUMS FROM THAT YEAR, BUT NONE ARE AS HARD, THOUGHT OUT, OR MORE PAINFULLY DEVIOUS, AS THIS ALBUM.

GRANTED THIS ALBUM HAS 12 TRACKS, AND IS RELATIVELY SHORT IN COMPARISON TO OTHERS THAT YEAR(ANYTHING MASTER P, LASTS 3 DAYS AN ALBUM, YET SUCK.)! UNTOUCHABLE DOESN'T LACK IN INTENSITY, HUMOR, HUMILITY, AND HONOR, AS SCARFACE (BRADLEY JORDAN b.1970), SHOWS WHAT THE STREETS HAVE NOT ONLY BROUGHT HIMSELF, BUT MANY OF HIS FELLOW TEXANS IN THEIR CITY'S DIRTY STREETS.

HIS HARD EDGED, DEEP, AND RASPY VOICE, PENETRATES THE BRAIN INTO THINKING ABOUT WHAT HE IS TRULY SAYING, AND MAKING SURE YOU REMEMBER.
HIS SIDE VOCALISTS MAKE THIS AN EASY CANDIDATE OF THE BEST ALBUM THAT YEAR AND JUSTIFIBLY SO.

WITH ARTISTS LIKE, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Too Short, Daz, Devin The Dude, 2Pac, Johnny P. AND K.B., AND PRODUCTION OF Tone Capone, N.O. Joe, Mike Dean AND OF COURSE Dr. Dre, MAKE THIS ALBUM AN UNTOUCHABLE ONE.

1. Intro
2. Untouchable
3. No Warning
4. Southside
5. Sunshine
6. Money Makes The World Go Round
7. For Real
8. Ya Money Or Ya Life
9. Mary Jane
10. Smile
11. Smartz
12. Faith
13. Game Over
14. Outro

THESE ARE THE TRACKS, AND MY STANDOUTS WERE 2,3,4,8,9,10.

PEACE October 8, 2006

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