“Chucked me a lifeline” - Scarface recalls how Jay-Z and DJ Khaled helped him during health crisis

Scarface recently opened up about the behind-the-scenes support he received from Jay-Z and DJ Khaled during some of the more difficult times in his life. In his appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, the Houston rapper recalled how the two hip-hop moguls stepped in when he was battling COVID-19 and kidney failure in 2020.

In a video posted on Club Shay Shay podcast's X account on August 14, 2025, Scarface told Sharpe:

“Jay-Z chucked me a lifeline … DJ Khaled chucked me a lifeline. So can’t nobody tell me shit about Jay-Z and DJ Khaled, because they chucked me a lifeline."

The rapper said that the support from Jay-Z and DJ Khaled came at a time when his health left him unable to make music or perform, as reported by Complex and HotNewHipHop on August 17, 2025.

Scarface on Jay-Z, Khaled, and the music industry

During the conversation on the show, Scarface called Jay-Z “the keeper of the culture” and praised him for consistently acting as a “big brother” in hip hop.

“I’m thankful, you know what I mean? ‘Cuz I wasn’t working. So shout out to Hov and DJ Khaled. When I talk to Jay-Z, I call him ‘the keeper of the culture,’ man, ‘cuz he do that big brother sh*t,” he said.

The rapper's health concerns reportedly began in March 2020 after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, which developed into pneumonia and kidney failure. By October 2020, he publicly sought a kidney donor, and in August 2021, his son Christopher Jordan successfully donated one, as reported by Complex on August 17, 2025.

Scarface opens up about bitterness toward the music industry

Scarface, a member of the iconic Houston group The Geto Boys, also spoke about his disillusionment with the music business on the Club Shay Shay podcast. Speaking to host Shannon Sharpe, the rapper admitted that he had grown “very bitter” toward the industry.

When asked about how he felt regarding artists sampling his music, the rapper responded bluntly:

"I don’t care about nothing that gots anything to do with the music game anymore. Very bitter about it."

Host Shannon Sharpe appeared to be surprised by the response and asked the rapper why he felt that way, and if the sentiment came from feeling wronged or taken advantage of during his career. Scarface explained that his disinterest largely came down to problems with contracts and the disparities he had seen within the industry, saying:

"The music industry within itself is wrong. I would like to compare contracts. I would like to compare a Beastie Boys contract to a Geto Boys contract. I’d like to see a Maze’s contract as opposed to a Van Halen contract. I know it’s a big, big difference between the pay scales in those contracts. So I don’t care what they do with it."

As per a report by HotNewHipHop dated August 18, 2025, the rapper's comments come at a time when the music industry is seeing a lot of controversy over contracts and payouts. Drake, for example, is currently suing Universal Music Group in federal court, alleging defamation tied to Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us.

Beyond his work with The Geto Boys, Scarface is remembered for collaborations with Tupac, Jay-Z, and Ice Cube, and he even signed Ludacris to his first record deal with Def Jam South in the early 2000s.

About the author

Devangee Halder is a Food and Pop culture writer at Sportskeeda. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in International Studies. A bibliophile and foodie, her academic background, with the intersection of history and cultural studies, has deepened her love for reading and writing.

With over a year of experience, including an internship at Indian Express, which she landed through correspondence with editor Raj Kumar Jha, she transitioned into her current role at this company. As a journalist covering gastronomic trends and other news from the F&B Industry, she veers away from prescriptivism, and instead prioritizes questioning of current narratives, and forwarding relevant news, ensuring they are devoid of sensationalism.

Devangee approaches food with an interdisciplinary lens, locating it vis-à-vis areas such as culture, history, memory, and economics, within which culinary traditions found fruition and subsequently flourished. When not working, she enjoys cooking and reading, alongside her newfound interest in weightlifting. Among her favorite personalities are Sarah Todd and Vikas Khanna, and she admires the late chef Jock Zonfrillo for his work on indigenous food habits and ingredients.

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Edited by Riya Peter