No. 36: Scarface

I'll be the first to admit that I have a bias against most southern rap — by and large, I don't feel it. That bias has been fueled by an abundance of incredibly shitty music over the years from the likes of Master P, Mystikal, Juvenile, Three Six Mafia, Paul Wall and Lil' Wayne.

(Yeah, I said it. Wayne's not good. He's not in the top 50 of all time. Not even close. Get over it, dullards.)

Not that n**** to be fucking with.

That said, I have a healthy respect for the few actual artists that have come from our nation's crappier half. (I don't love love love Outkast as much as some people, but I like some of their stuff and their talent is undeniable.) And as a product of The Golden Age, it was impossible not to have some sort of appreciation for the Geto Boys and their No. 1 starter, Brad "Scarface" Jordan.

Face is the godfather of hip-hop in Houston, and arguably of the entire southern United States. (I'm not sure if that's a compliment. Okay, it's not. But still.) His deep, intimidating delivery blessed countless Geto Boys tracks, including the timeless classic "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" from the group's third LP, We Can't Be Stopped.

Scarface has had an equally notable solo career, one that also helped to land him in his current role as the head of Def Jam South (where he signed such acts as Ludacris) — but his most lasting marks on hip-hop will be the ones he made with Willie D and Bushwick Bill. After some temporary splits and personnel shuffles, the Geto Boys enjoyed a resurgence in the late 1990s, with back-catalog songs like "Still" and "Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" being prominently featured in the film Office Space.

Back in 2005, Chris Rock said that he considered Scarface to be one of the top three rappers of all time. That's a bit of a reach...but top three dozen certainly isn't. The south has struggled to produce a better emcee since.