| Emeritus | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Scarface |
| Cover: | Scarface emeritus.jpg |
| Recorded: | 2008 |
| Genre: | Hip hop |
| Prev Title: | Made |
| Prev Year: | 2007 |
| Next Title: | Deeply Rooted |
| Next Year: | 2015 |
Emeritus is the tenth solo studio album by American rapper Scarface. Promoted as his final studio album,[1] it was released on December 2, 2008, through J. Prince Entertainment, Rap-A-Lot 4 Life and Asylum Records.
The recording sessions took place at M.A.D. Studios in Houston, Dean's List House of Hits in Cypress, The Record Room in North Miami, The Durt Factory Studio in Norfolk, and The Ranch Studio in New York. Production was handled by N.O. Joe, Illmind, Mike Dean, Nottz, Cool & Dre, Jake One, Scram Jones, Sha Money XL, Tone Capone, Young Cee, and Scarface himself. It features guest appearances from Wacko, Bilal, Bun B, J. Prince, K-Rino, Lil' Wayne, Papa Reu, Porsha, Slim Thug, Shateish, Takai "Cookie" Hicks and Z-Ro.
In the United States, the album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number-one on the Top Rap Albums charts, selling 42,000 copies in its first week.[2] According to Hits Daily Double, it has sold 167,000 copies in the US .[3]
Emeritus was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 85 based on seven reviews.
Conan Milne of Urb praised the album, saying it "concludes Scarface's tenure as one of the genre's favorite artists actively recording. It's a depressing thought, yet this is an album that stands proudly among an already hugely influential back catalogue". Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews stated: "no one will forget after Emeritus, an album that proves Scarface deserves accolades and titles just as much as we deserve for him not to retire". AllMusic's David Jeffries found "Emeritus is not the usual, very serious good-bye record, but in so many ways, it's a typical Scarface record. It's just better than usual with the rapper sounding liberated by his decision to move on". Ian Cohen of Pitchfork wrote: "and yet, that Emeritus often seems more righteous than cynical or hopeless (the latter two are a bit soft) is a testament to Scarface strengthening his flow in age".
Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote: "it is also among his breeziest, with just a touch of nimbleness animating his reliably sleepy growl over surprisingly exuberant production".[4] Jayson Greene of The Village Voice praised the album, saying "Scarface remains trapped in the four-cornered room of his mind, but he seems to have found a measure of peace in solitude, turning out quietly masterful albums like this one, and letting time turn him into a weathered monument".[5]
In his mixed review for Slant Magazine, Jesse Cataldo resumed: "if this is truly the end for Scarface then Emeritus is a backdoor exit, an unassuming, professional album that quietly gets the job done".