On a recent episode of Club Shay Shay, Hip-Hop legend Scarface told Shannon Sharpe that he doesn’t care about the music industry anymore.
Known for being part of the Houston group Geto Boys and his hit song “Smile” with Tupac, Scarface said he’s become “very bitter” about the music game and has lost all interest in it. Sharpe asked if Scarface needs to hear songs that sample his music before approving them. Scarface quickly shut it down: “I don’t care about nothing that gots anything to do with the music game anymore.
Very bitter about it.” His response caught Sharpe off guard, and he asked why Scarface feels that way.
Scarface explained that it mostly comes down to the contracts. He believes the music industry is unfair and has been for a long time. “The music industry within itself is wrong,” he said. He went on to say he’d like to compare the contracts of groups like the Beastie Boys to those of the Geto Boys, or Maze’s contract to Van Halen’s. “I know it’s a big, big difference between the pay scales in those contracts. So I don’t care what they do with it,” he said.
What Scarface is pointing out is something that’s been talked about for years, how Black artists often get worse deals than white artists in the same industry. His frustration shows how deeply that unfair treatment has affected him, even after all his success. His comments come at a time when other artists are also fighting with labels. For example, Drake is currently in a legal battle with Universal Music Group over a contract dispute tied to Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.”
Even though Scarface’s music still gets respect and love from fans, he’s made it clear he wants nothing to do with the business side of Hip-Hop anymore. For him, the joy of making music has been taken away by years of being treated unfairly.
