Scarface

South Acres beginnings

Brad Terrence Jordan was born in Houston on November 9, 1970, and grew up in the South Acres, or Crestmont Park, area of the city. He first performed as DJ Akshen before taking the name Scarface from the 1983 film. After issuing the 12-inch single “Scarface / Another Head Put to Rest,” he signed with Rap-A-Lot Records in 1989 and joined the Geto Boys, debuting with them on “Grip It! On That Other Level.”

Solo breakthrough

His solo debut “Mr. Scarface Is Back” (1991) reached No. 51 on the Billboard 200. “The World Is Yours” (1993) went to No. 7 and topped the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and “The Diary” (1994), featuring “I Seen a Man Die,” peaked at No. 2. “The Untouchable” (1997) became his first No. 1 album, helped by “Smile” with 2Pac and Johnny P, which reached No. 12 on the Hot 100. “My Homies” (1998) followed and reached No. 4.

Def Jam South era

From 2000 to 2005 Jordan served as president of Def Jam South, where he helped develop Ludacris. His own “The Last of a Dying Breed” (2000) earned him Lyricist of the Year at the 2001 Source Awards, and “The Fix” (2002), home to “My Block” and the Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel collaboration “Guess Who's Back,” reached No. 4. Later albums include “Made” (2007), “Emeritus” (2008) and “Deeply Rooted” (2015), which reached No. 11.

Author and civic work

In 2015 he published the memoir “Diary of a Madman: The Geto Boys, Life, Death, and the Roots of Southern Rap.” He ran for the District D seat on Houston City Council in 2019, losing a December runoff, and founded the Positive Purpose Movement to promote education in underrepresented communities. Over his career he has recorded for Rap-A-Lot, Asylum, Def Jam South and Def Jam.