Ice-T’s the godfather of gangsta rap, and his 1987 album Rhyme Pays is a specimen of high-quality early West Coast hip-hop. His track ‘6 N The Mornin’ is considered one of the first of its kind, and even Dr Dre has thanked him for creating a lane for Californians in rap.
However, although the emcee has transitioned into acting with his role on NBC’s Law & Order, that doesn’t mean the lyricist isn’t making music. In fact, he has been very prolific and even released an album in 2020 as part of the heavy metal band Body Count, which he formed in the early-1990s.
However, although he hasn’t released a solo rap album since his 2006 project, Gangsta Rap, in an interview with the online magazine HipHopDX, the emcee admitted that he is considering getting back into the game again, and there is one artist in particular that has inspired him to rap again.
Speaking about his potential return to the game, the artist (real name Tracy Marrow) unveiled, “You never say never. It’s just a matter of the right things happening because I want to do one with Scarface. Scarface did Deeply Rooted, and I love Deeply Rooted. I said, ‘Scarface, I need you to produce me an album.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, I’ll make the whole album.’ So that’s the kind of situation that needs to happen, and the timing needs to be right.”
He continued, “And I’ll go in-studio with somebody I respect and knock out an album. But like I was saying with Body Count, the shit is all vibes and timing. And it’s like I’ll hear somebody else’s record and be like, I’m ready to fucking rap.”
Explaining why the Texas rapper is inspiring, Marrow detailed, “Scarface’s last album got me motivated because we’re from the same era. We got a similar style, and he’s a G. And he’s showing me what mature rap sounds like — grown man rap. And then also working with Chuck D on the last thing. When they dropped the new album and we did ‘Smash The Crowd,’ and the next thing you know, it’s in a movie with Eddie Murphy. And I’m like, ‘Yo, this shit is dope.'”
Deeply Rooted was Scarface’s eleventh studio album, which debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200. It boasted features from Akon, Nas, Rick Ross, John Legend and CeeLo Green, among others. You can listen to the album below.