The people at Koch knew what they were doing when they made Scarface's name almost as big on the cover as the name of the group. Face himself is right there in front, staring down the camera in a white tee with a blinding glow, while the other group members flank him in matching black outfits with arms crossed, looking more like his entourage than his bandmates. People (including, if my memory serves, myself) who bought this thinking it was a new Scarface solo record weren't necessarily disappointed, though. Face appears on all but 3 songs, & produces several tracks, which is plenty for listeners accustomed to feature-packed "solo" albums like My Homies parts 1 & 2, the latter of which came out the same year as this. Face was trying to do his part as a steward of the culture and put on some underground emcees he saw potential in: Young Malice from Mississippi & Willie Hen from California. Deceptive marketing aside, Scarface knew how to work as part of a group thanks to his Geto Boys & Facemob experience, & this record is well-balanced & respectful of each emcee's strengths.
Face's administrative tenure at Def Jam South had already ended, so The Product debuted on the less impressive Koch label. There was plenty of money for strong production though: between the 2 of them, Face & Rap-A-Lot stalwart Tone Capone handle the bulk of the album, & the latter turns in the most commanding beats. My favorite Capone track is "Hustle," with a prominent clean-tone electric guitar echoing the dramatic MIDI orchestra figures. The soulful album closer "Life's Been Good" with its tinkling pianos & gentle sleigh bells offers a reprieve from the tough street sounds that dominate most of the album. There are a few other standouts production-wise: boom-baptist Alchemist's MPC work on "G Type" make it sound the most like a Face solo song (although he doesn't give himself one on this record), but P. King's pizzicato strings & orchestra stabs on the uptempo single "I'm A" sound a little too close to something the white-hot (at the time) G-Unit would have done.
Scarface is always compelling to listen to, in part because of his exquisite, booming mic presence. In comparison, the other 2 emcees sound sleepy, using a too-cool casual delivery that just comes off weak next to Face. It doesn't help that the vocals are turned down relative to the beats across the album, but that's not the source of the problem. Willie Hen especially sounds like he's trying not to wake the neighbors, which is a shame because his solo song, "In the Hood," sits on yet another stellar Tone Capone beat, driven by a hollow slap bass & what is probably the catchiest hook on the record.
On the whole, this is an album with modest aspirations that succeeds in fulfilling them. Scarface wanted to create an opportunity for some younger emcees to get some shine, & used his platform to do so. It's a satisfying listen, doesn't overstay its welcome, & on the whole it embodies something that everybody pays lip service to but I wish more veteran artists would take seriously: create space for the young'uns to carry this shit forward--& if you can, try not to let the marketing department center you too much.
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