The Fix

iTunes Review

In the same way that The Blueprint reaffirmed Jay-Z’s talent for a new decade, The Fix is a coronation for Scarface’s career. He appears at once reinvigorated and deeply aged on this album. His dubious, world-weary persona has never been better defined than on the opening song, “Safe." Scarface addresses the rap community as an elder statesman, and rather than be crotchety and condescending — as aging rappers often tend to be — he speaks to the younger generation with poise and purpose, determined to impart knowledge without moral judgment. Clearly inspired by the example of his younger collaborators Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, Face has sharpened his eye for detail, and every verse on The Fix portrays the hustler’s life with stinging detail. “On My Block” is the plainest, most affable song Face has ever recorded, but the crown jewel is the Kanye West-produced “Guess Who’s Back.” Scarface is beautifully gruff and the track glistens like a new cut diamond. At once The Fix taps into Face’s innate feeling for ancient blues, while also giving the world his catchiest, most accessible album to date.