by Sean Holohan
In the eyes of Lincoln-based rapper Scru Face Jean, the business side of the hip-hop industry needs a serious overhaul.
He sees too many undervalued artists working their fingers to the bone and not making any money in return. Like their contribution to society goes unnoticed. But he says this void in appreciation gives him the opportunity to try and incite a movement on the back of his new album and single, “Black Caesar.”
“The whole point of the ‘Black Caesar’ movement is to put money back into the artist's pocket,” he says. “A lot of artists try to put out good music and make no money. Hip-hop is still worth buying.”
Face says the single off his Doe Doe-produced album of the same name, released today, isn’t just a song. It’s a mission statement for who he is as a person and a musician.
“Whatever you’re doing, be the king of it,” he says. “Be a the Julius Caesar-type person in it. The song tells people, you can be and do anything you want.”
The song takes the listener through a four-minute journey of declaration and self-assurance. Over piano and drum loops, Face opens the song emphatically, stating his message, “Hold up, I ain’t taking that, no sir, ‘cuz you’re talking to the king.” The meaning behind the song, the rapper says, is to always believe in yourself. And whatever you do in your life, own it and be the absolute best at it.
Born in Nigeria, but having lived in Lincoln nearly his whole life, Face says he was always taught to value himself as a human being and to look further than just his standard education. He was encouraged by his parents and family members to look at every situation as an opportunity to gain knowledge and to look beyond textbooks and lectures.
It was this kind of outlook on life, he says, that found him interested in the work of Malcolm X. Face says a lot of the inspiration behind “Black Caesar” came from listening to the work of the famous public speaker and activist. In addition, he says he was inspired by listening to artists like Jay-Z and Kanye West, who are “larger than life.”
“I like their whole mindset of being a king and not just an average person,” he says. “They tell you to value yourself as something higher. I’m just influenced by powerful people.”
The term “Black Caesar” (no stated relation to the 1973 blaxploitation movie of the same name) is one that came to Face when he was recording his album. He says he sought an album title, but also a symbol for his career and hip-hop more generally.
“We were sitting there for a long time and I wanted something that had a powerful statement,” he says. “I want people to know that this is how I envisioned myself and this is how I want to be seen.”
With the release of “Black Caesar,” Scru hopes to ignite a new sense of self-purpose he says he thinks rap music desperately needs, thus inspiring other rappers to value themselves and prove hip-hop is still alive and well.
“We are no longer just rappers,” he says. “We are kings of what we do.”
Listen to the lead single off Black Caesar here:
Sean Holohan is Hear Nebraska’s editorial intern. Reach him at seanh@hearnebraska.org.