1. AZ - This Is What I Do 0:00
2. AZ - Royal Salute 3:14
3. AZ - Get High 5:32
4. AZ - Make Me (feat. Fresh) 8:34
5. AZ - Keep It Real 11:38
6. M.O.P., AZ & Buckwild - Set Em Back Slow 14:35
7. AZ - Uncut Raw 18:26
8. Ghostface Killah, AZ, Inspectah Deck - Harbor Masters 21:10
9. AZ - Rise And Fall (feat. Rapper Big Pooh & Phonte) 24:59
10. AZ - Good For Nothin 29:06
11. AZ - Sosa 32:36
12. AZ - The Format 34:40
13. AZ - Magic Hour (feat. CL Smooth) 37:42
14. AZ - Found My Niche 40:44
16. AZ - Motorola Era (feat. 2 Chainz) 42:46
17. AZ - This Is Mine 45:34
18. Cormega (feat. AZ, Redman & Styles P) - Mars (Prod. By Large Professor) 48:35
19. AZ - Doe or Die (Remix) (feat. Raekwon) 51:45
Anthony Cruz (born March 9, 1972), better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is known for being a longtime and frequent music partner of East Coast rapper Nas and also a member of hip hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature. Online magazine About.com listed AZ as the "Most Underrated [Rapper] of All Time".] AZ also made it onto the sites' "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", where he was reiterated as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever."
AZ first became known by appearing on Nas's landmark 1994 album Illmatic on the song "Life's a Bitch", as well as featuring vocals on the opening track "The Genesis". AZ signed with EMI, and soon released his debut album, Doe or Die, in 1995, to critical acclaim. The album's lead single, "Sugar Hill", became AZ's major commercial success as a solo artist, reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and achieving Gold status. AZ's EMI contract was transferred to sister label Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records when the EMI Label Group was shut down.
In 1997, AZ joined the group The Firm with Nas, Nature and Foxy Brown and released their only album as a group, The Album. In 1998, AZ released his second solo album, Pieces of a Man. The album fared well but did not chart quite as well as his debut and did not feature a crossover single like "Sugar Hill".
After this album's release, AZ signed with Motown and Universal Records and released 9 Lives. In 2002, he released Aziatic. A single from the album, "The Essence" (featuring Nas), was nominated at the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
AZ was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn[3] to an African-American mother and Dominican father. He grew up in East New York, Brooklyn, with his mother and sister.
AZ started writing rap lyrics when he was 12 years old. He attended Eli Whitney High School, with fellow Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z, until the vocational school closed down in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s, he became friends with Nas, a young rapper from Queens. Nas started working on his debut album Illmatic and invited AZ to work with him in the studio. AZ appeared on the album intro and had a verse on "Life's a Bitch". After Illmatic was released in 1994, EMI Records offered AZ a record deal.
AZ's debut album Doe or Die was released on October 10, 1995, by EMI Records. The album features guest appearances by Nas and production from N.O. Joe, Pete Rock, L.E.S., and Buckwild, among others. Upon its release, Doe or Die received notable commercial success. The album peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200, and #1 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. Doe or Die was known for popularizing the theme of mafioso rap, alongside several albums, namely Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt and Nas's It Was Written. Doe or Die produced several singles, including "Mo Money, Mo Murder, Mo Homicide", "Gimme Your's (remix)", "Doe or Die" and "Sugar Hill" – which was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1995.
In 1998, Pieces of a Man, AZ's second album, was released on EMI. 9 Lives, his third album, peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Top Hip Hop / R&B Albums. The leading single, "Problems", with its accompanying music video, reached #34 on the Hot Rap Singles. After the release of the album, AZ left the label.
AZ's fourth album Aziatic features a duet between AZ and long-time friend and collaborator, Nas, "The Essence", which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The album was mostly well received by critics, one such positive review from Brad Mills at Allmusic, states: "AZ has been looked upon to do amazing things with his music. Has he lived up to those high expectations on this album he has from start to finish. The beats on this album are complex, inventive, and almost perfectly suited for AZ's style of rhyming. He's carefully crafted this album rather than slapped it together overnight to meet his quota, and it shows. It helps immensely that he's brought along people like DR Period, Az Izz, Nas, and Buckwild, but they don't outshine the younger AZ as he holds his own well. AZ has come up with his best work in a long time on this album."
#az #nas #90shiphop
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