Jay-Z eyes Scarface video music gig

[DAILY NEWS EXCLUSIVE]

BY PHYLLIS FURMAN
DAILY NEWS BUSINESS WRITER

Jay-Z is in talks to create the music for Scarface, the much-anticipated video game, sources told the Daily News.

The rap superstar-turned-Def Jam president met earlier this week with execs from Vivendi Universal Games to hammer out a deal to produce the game's music, featuring Def Jam artists.

Also under consideration is a Scarface soundtrack album.

Based on the 1980s Brian DePalma movie starring Al Pacino, Scarface the game is scheduled to debut in the fall, just in time to shoot it out with rival title The Godfather from video game giant Electronic Arts.

The Scarface movie already is an icon in the hip hop world - posters from the flick hang on the walls of rap stars and moguls - and Def Jam is seen as a perfect fit.

The rap label has a long history of ties to video games. Def Jam Vendetta, a game featuring Def Jam artists as characters, proved to be a hit for Electronic Arts.

Both Def Jam and Vivendi Universal Games are units of Vivendi Universal.

The ties between music and video games have never been stronger. With kids playing more than ever, video games are now seen as a critical part of breaking new artists, in the same league as radio and MTV.

Scarface the game takes off where the movie left off, but with a twist. In the film, the main character, notorious drug king Tony Montana, played by Pacino, is blown away.

But in the game, he is alive, ruthless, and gunning to rebuild his drug empire. It is unclear yet whether Pacino will provide his voice and likeness to the project.

"This game will allow the player to be Tony Montana," a source said.

Originally published on March 10, 2005

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