Scarface’s Tiny Desk concert radiates with his decades’ long passion as an emcee and producer. There’s calculated intent behind every word and note of this 30-minute set.

Three days before the show, amid rehearsals, I got a call from Facemob asking, “What if I brought Mike Dean?”
Expectations were already high, but that final addition set the stage for something special.

Mike Dean provided unmatched authenticity, and their shared stories added sentimental value to this performance. After all, his signature keys and synths can be heard on most of Scarface’s classics and countless Rap-A-Lot records.

Here, we get a rare glimpse of Scarface the conductor, bouncing through multiple eras of his catalog including “On My Block,” “Mary Jane” and the bone-chilling “I Seen a Man Die.”

Scarface, along with Rakim, was recently awarded the inaugural Hip-Hop Grandmaster Award from the newly launched Paid in Full Foundation, which includes a sizable financial prize and healthcare. No matter how the never-ending hip-hop greats debate is sliced, the rapper’s place is cemented as one of the most influential storytellers in the culture and his Tiny Desk is proof.

SET LIST
“On My Block”
“Mary Jane”
“Smile”
“I Seen a Man Die”
“F**k Faces”
“Mind Playing Tricks on Me”

MUSICIANS
Scarface: lead vocals, guitar
Mike Dean: keys
Steven “Spud” Howard: vocals
Takai “Cookie” Hicks: vocals
Peigh Jones: vocals, guitar
Corey “FunkaFingers” Stoot: guitar
Josh Henderson: keys
Jason “The Bishop” Allen: keys
Savar Martin: drums
Anthony “Antboogie” Nicholson: bass, musical direction

Produced by Bobby Carter