Scarface: Origins of a Hip Hop Classic

Scarface, the 1983 film starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant that rises to the top of the Miami cocaine trade, isn’t the subtlest film, and was a critical flop on release. But for a generation of rappers, Tony remains a rags-to-riches icon, as this short documentary explains.

On Tuesday, Al Pacino explained the impact of the video at the release party for the Blu-Ray rerelease of Scarface: “The hip-hop people and the rappers got together and they made a video and they talked about the movie. I don’t think anybody’s ever talked about it as articulately and clearly. I understood it better having heard them talk about it. I mean, they really get it and they understand it, and that’s a great thing. They’ve been very supportive all these years. I think they’ve helped us tremendously.”