The introductory release from
Scarface's new Underground Railroad Movement imprint opens a brand new chapter in the Southern godfather's career. The Product, a collaboration between
Scarface and talented newcomers Willie Hen and
Young Malice, does what so many other
Scarface releases couldn't: live up to the man's legend.
One Hunid is dirty, grimy, street-level, and doesn't give a damn about what radio is doing, but more than anything, it's a lyric-lover's dream and often delivers its urban survival stories with poignant regret. Bleak and mature are two other adjectives you can throw at the album, but
One Hunid is not without its reckless hunger and hedonism. Kick-off single "I'm A" breaks down the door like a dirty
Westside Connection club track while
the Alchemist's loopy backing track makes "G Type" a head-bobber of the highest order. Weekends were made for tracks like these, but what gives the album legs are the numerous soul-searching numbers that contrast fatherhood and family with gangsta lifestyle and how crime has consequences but it's the only way to get the family clan on top in less than five generations. The well-respected
Scarface could have spun his Rolodex and had any number of Southern superstars in the studio, so it's fascinating how
One Hunid relies on
Scarface's new inner circle with no guest shots and production mostly from
Tone Capone, J. Bido, and
Scarface himself.
Capone delivers dramatic grooves that could live in the house of
G-Unit while J. Bido and
Scarface cut hypnotic loops with the more alternative than underground "Don't Matter" being their masterpiece. Hen and Malice made some local noise -- in the Bay Area and Mississippi, respectively -- and they already sound like cynical victims of the game, ready to throw their hands in the air if the radio keeps ignoring the hardcore while also acknowledging the muse inside just won't let them give in. The background vocals of the sultry Tekia Hicks and the always
Isley-sounding
Tony Mac complete this closely knit crew, which in the end seems a conscious decision by
Scarface. A
Mariah,
T.I., or even a
Ludacris appearance would have taken the album in a totally different direction, stripping the intimacy and blunting the purpose. Not for nuthin', but
Scarface's legend and his discography don't match up and some of the time he seemed better in theory than in practice. There's not even a whiff of that on
One Hunid, an album the game really has been missing. [
One Hunid was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries