10 Most Underrated Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time
4. Scarface - The Fix
Formerly of Geto Boys, Texan rapper Scarface has never seemed to be granted the mainstream success he deserves, with a career of consistently impressive records that turn heads in the hip-hop community but rarely shift units in huge numbers. It’s difficult to see why - he keeps it simple, delivering excellent tracks on the usual rap topics, which sounds like faint praise but isn’t intended as such. All the same, Scarface’s position as a cult favourite only increases his appeal for those in the know.
Probably his finest record is 2002’s The Fix, a tightly put together journey through the streets, encapsulating the good and bad, delivered in Scarface’s old school, booming style. “In Cold Blood” recounts his journey from small time corner boy to dead eyed kingpin; it’s boosted by an ice cold soul beat that would become the trademark of producer Kanye West.
On “In Between Us” he trades bars with Nas, the New York emcee’s verbosity complimenting Scarface’s more laid back southern flow. He even pays charming tribute to his old neighbourhood in “On My Block”, a nostalgic but unflinching look at the good and bad of his old ends in Houston.