Sam Scarfo

Scarfo's solo debut, Renegade, seems to be a priority at his label. It has contributions coming from Midi Mafia, Fred Wreck and most impressively, Patti LaBelle. Concerning this legendary diva look, Scarfo explains, "That's just one of the tricks up my sleeve. My main focus with the album is to make classic music that reaches everybody, from little kids to 30 yeard olds." -Matt Barone - XXL Magazine; July 2005

Dancehall- Reggae superstar Buju Banton has teamed up with Def Jam Records’ number one draft pick, rapper Sam Scarfo, for the blazing new Hip-Hop/Ragga banger “Who Want It.”

Crafted by veteran producer Bink (Jay-Z, Lil Kim, Fat Joe), “Who Want It” is the first look single from Scarfo’s eagerly anticipated debut album Renegade. Signed by Jay-Z his first day on the job as Def Jam president, the Jersey-bred rap artist initially made noise after entering the stage at New York’s renowned Fight Klub and winning big money battles against some of the city’s finest. Yet, more than just a battle rapper, Scarfo recently told XXL magazine, “My main goal is to make classic music that reaches everybody, from little kids to 30- year olds.”

Packed with lyrical firepower and yardcore delivery from the legendary Banton, “Who Want It” is a definitive classic, easily taking its place at the top of the heap of true blue Hip-Hop meets Reggae collaborations.
- Def Jam.com; January 2006

For all intents and purposes, the long feud between Mobb Deep and Jay-Z is dead. Prodigy and Hov recently sat down to discuss doing business together.

"We got friends in common," P explained about how the meeting came about.

It looks like the Mobb are going to be executive producing the debut by Sam Scarfo, one of Jay's first signings upon becoming Def Jam prez.

"We're going to help him with a little bit as far as the beats and all
that," Prodigy said, clarifying his team's role in the project.

"Me and Jay-Z had a sit-down over it," he continued. "We ironed out our little differences. We reached out to each other like, 'Let's have a sit-down, have a meeting.' It's all business, it's all good. Basically [the meeting] was [put together] through our manager Storm. Storm also manages Scarfo."

Besides sharing the manager, P says he and Havoc were attracted to the Scarfo project because the Jersey MC has such a unique style and "brings something new to the table."

- MTV.com; May 2006

A plane carrying rappers Mobb Deep, 40 Glocc and Sam Scarfo was forced to make an emergency landing early Saturday morning (Oct. 21) after flames and smoke started to shoot out one of the transport's engines.

After missing a connecting flight to Chile, the group of rappers caught a Delta flight, which was to take them to Chile for a number of shows.

"Almost an hour into the flight, the plane began dropping and rising and dropping again, soon after which passengers noticed flames and smoke pouring out of one of the engines," a press statement read.

Afterward, a pilot revealed that one of the engines had ceased to function and that the flight would land into Tampa, Fla., amidst an emergency. According to the rappers, the pilot stressed that the occupants "buckle up and not panic."

Tampa Fire Rescue was dispatched to meet Delta Flight 147, after one of the engines exploded while the plane was mid-air, en route from Atlanta to Santiago, Chile.

The plane safely landed around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday (Oct. 21) on a Tampa airstrip with a number of fire trucks and ambulances present.
- Allhiphop.com; October 2006

Four years from start to sign is a relatively short time in any genre of music, but this is especially true of rap. Sam had no deep interest in pursuing a rap career, in fact it was at the constant encouragement of his peers that he began to entertain the idea. "It was from people pushing me and pushing me to do it. It wasn't me chasin' the dream, like I woke up and said, 'this hip hop thing is something I really want to do.'" In spite of that lack of intent and a late blossom Sam Scarfo is signed to Def Jam and is awaiting a release date. - Hip Hop Weekly; May 2007

Having been hailed ‘the next big thing’ by possibly the biggest name in Hip-Hop, Jay Z, Sam feels some of the pressure being El Presidente’s first singed artist in his role.

"He called me the next ‘big thing’ and those are big shoes to fill. To have him and have his team around me there is definitely a lot of pressure." But of course like any hungry MC it is a role he welcomes and there is no doubt in his mind, that he will be wearing those shoes.

-Melanie J Cornish
- Teen First (teenfi.com); April 2007