Oscar winner Al Pacino’s portrayal of Tony Montana in “Scarface” has left an indelible mark on the movie industry, but the 1983 film’s journey from critical skepticism to cult classic is largely thanks to an unexpected audience: the hip-hop community.
While promoting his new book, “Sonny Boy,” the Manhattan native appeared on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast and shared how that one movie is uniquely threaded in rap culture.
Whether it is from basic mentions to some of his own dialogue from the film being sampled, “Scarface” is heavily mentioned and referred to in rap and hip-hop lyrics.
At the time of its release, “Scarface” was not widely embraced by critics or Hollywood insiders.
During the interview, he shared, “At the premiere Martin Scorsese turned around in the middle of the film, and he said, ‘You guys are great — but be prepared, because they’re going to hate it in Hollywood.’”
“He said that to me and he didn’t know me from Adam,” Pacino continued. “And I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because it’s about them.’”
He even recalled losing interest in acting before the “Scarface” release. But the fan reaction told a different story.
“The audiences liked it. Took a while,” Pacino admitted.
It was in the streets, not the studios, where the film’s influence began to take hold. As hip-hop emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, artists and fans found a profound connection to the rags-to-riches story of Pacino’s character Tony Montana. It also showed the power of the drug dealer and kingpin, which at one point became a thumping theme in rap music.
“Hip-hop just got it. They understood it,” he noted to the host. “They embraced it, the rappers. And then the next thing you know, VHS is going out and more people are seeing it.”
Scarface (1983)
— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴☠️ (@BaronDestructo) October 19, 2024
Directed by Brian De Palma pic.twitter.com/qxfF86nCYv
Rappers like JAY-Z, Raekwon, Nas, The Lox, and The Notorious B.I.G. referenced the film, and groups like Mobb Deep sampled its music. In fact, in 2003, Def Jam released a compilation titled, “Music Inspired by Scarface” that featured other artists like Cam’ron, NWA, Joe Budden and even rap pioneer Melle Mel.
Pacino pointed out how difficult it is not to see the impact, saying, “We’re on the records, these rappers. And then it just carried and it kept going and going.”
The film’s gritty depiction of Cuban migrant Montana’s rise to power paralleled the experiences of many hip-hop artists who saw themselves in his hustle.
Brooklyn’s Jay-Z famously mic checked the movie’s influence in his track “Ignorant S—,” rapping, “Scarface the movie did more than Scarface the rapper to me,” a reference to the Texas emcee that snagged the name, though the content of his music largely does not reflect the nature of the film.
According to Vogue, Brad Jordan, the real name of the musical artist Hov cited, initially launched his rap career under the name DJ Akshen, but later changed it, feeling a strong connection to Tony Montana, who was the “Scarface” in the film.
The acting in Scarface is so good. It makes sense why this movie has been in my top 5 since I was a child.
— R. (@makeit_reyn) October 24, 2024
In 1989, Jordan would released the 12″ single “Scarface/Another Head Put to Rest,” which would be the first time he professionally used the name on wax. This paved the way for him to sign with Rap-A-Lot Records and join the iconic Geto Boys. Since then, no other emcee has come close to challenging his name.
“I took on the Scarface name because that was me,” he said in a Def Jam documentary to accompany the compilation.
Latino rapper Fat Joe called Tony Montana, “the ultimate ghetto superhero.”
“His attitude was basically from nothing to something,” Jermaine Dupri said. “Basically, before we started making records we weren’t sitting on Bentleys. We were sitting on the stoops.”
Snoop chimed in saying, “He came from nothing. We seen him come from nothing and have to struggle to just get his citizenship to where he had to hustle.”
On the same documentary, Sean “Diddy” Combs said at the time of his interview he had watched “63 times” the film that showed some of the same racketeering, drug trafficking, and other crimes that have Combs currently being held in jail as he awaits trial for allegedly committing.
“We were just happy to see another cat making it,” Diddy said. “No matter how he was getting it.”
For Pacino, seeing “Scarface” transcend its original reception and become a symbol of ambition and resilience has been deeply rewarding.
Forty years later, the movie is still a go-to for artist young and older.
Atlanta rapper Future has a song with Drake, from back when the two were friends, titled “Tony Montana” that introduced the movie to another generation of rap lovers. Future performed the same song at an NFL game in 2012.
When Future performed “Tony Montana” at the 49ers game 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/Iy1a5XoZVy
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) December 16, 2022
Younger artists such as Lil Baby and Da Baby used “Scarface” as storyboards for their music video “Baby” in 2019.
Thanks to its embrace by the hip-hop community, the film remains a particular cultural touchstone for generations to come to understand the ’80s drug scene and Latino immigrants’ story of mafia life.
