Rapper AZ On His Lyrically Gifted Legacy In Hip-Hop

Grammy-nominated rapper AZ burst onto the rap scene, delivering the opening verse to Nas’ 1994 classic “Life’s a Bitch.” Since then, the lyrically respected emcee has been navigating the hip-hop world full throttle as a legend and a force that remains fully relevant today. Since Black Music Month is a time to recognize Black artists’ contributions to music and pay homage to their works, Blavity sat down with AZ to discuss his career and industry legacy.

He entered the game with a legendary verse

“I came in the game with a classic verse,” the veteran emcee boasts on his social media platforms. 

In the 2014 documentary, Time Is Illmatic, music critics, label executives and hip-hop heads alike took to the screen to reminisce about how awestruck they were the first time they heard AZ. But, many didn’t immediately know who he was since the song didn’t list him as a featured artist; however, he was credited in the liner notes.

Even though it sparked an amazing ride for him, AZ ended up on the song by chance. 

“I befriended [Nas] at the time that he was doing the album. I was there being supportive and I heard the beat, and I was just in my own zone and he was like, ‘yo, do that!’ I hopped on it,” AZ told Blavity. 

While he and Nas might not be the best friends they are in music fans’ heads, the two still have a great relationship that spans several duo songs, a Sprite commercial and even a 2003 Grammy nod for their collab, “The Essence.”

“[Nas is] doing him right now. Of course, he’s a couple of levels higher, which he should be, and I’m still doing me, but we still converse periodically. It’s all love. It’s always going to be love in my square — that’s all I deal with,” AZ said. 

Back in 1997, AZ and Nas formed the collective, The Firm, which also featured Foxy Brown and Nature. The idea to form The Firm started back in 1995 when Nas joined AZ for his song, “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Murder (Homicide).” The unofficial group made major waves with hit singles and opened up for 1998’s hottest set of shows, Puff Daddy & The Family’s No Way Out tour. Then, they stopped making music together. 

“When we did it, it was great, but it was a lot of things going on. The East Coast/West Coast beef was poppin’ at that time. Everybody got managers and entourages. There were a lot of cooks in the kitchen. It was just so much that after we did it, we just went back to our own corners, but it was a great experience, though.”

As for a Firm reunion, AZ said his door is always open.

Navigating lyricism and the industry

AZ is a serious rhyme spitter who takes no days off when he’s in the booth. He’s hailed, among other rappers and true music fans, as one of the all-time greatest lyricists but industry woes didn’t always allow him to shine as he suffered the experience of music labels folding. While he was never dropped, his music was shifted around in the shuffle. 

“When I think about it, it’s like being an orphan and you bounce from home to home looking for love because your original parents aren’t there — that’s how I felt when I first got on the label I was on,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about labels folding and merging, but I learned fast. Me sustaining and maintaining was off of my talent because that’s what kept me above water was my talent. Did it impact [my career], of course, because without a foundation you can’t grow properly, but I’d do it all over again, honestly.”

In 2004, AZ began recording under his own imprint, Quiet Money Records. All of his projects since then have been independent releases. 

“To really just be in your lane and coast — that’s the key — I’m not chasing nothing. I’m just doing me and that’s the beauty of it all,” he said. 

These days, he’s excited to see how rap continues to grow as an art form, especially with the return of lyricism. 

“I think it’s great. I think it’s needed. With lyricism comes substance. I think it’s great for those that still have the love for it,” he said. “I’m from that cloth, and I love to hear things with substance and it lasts the test of time.”

He noted that some of his current favorite rappers are Lil Baby, J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Pusha T. 

“It’s still those with that substance that I love.” 

While lyrics have carried him through, he’s learned to navigate the new ways music is created and sold. And he’s adapted to every change with grace and strategy, including the introduction of his direct sales website that gives the feel of a high-end bodega offering everything from books to clothing to music and more.

“So many artists raised the bar,” he said. “Music is a beautiful way to segue to so many different things, and I just wanted to expand my brand. I can drink my own wine, wear my own sneakers, I can put my own merch out. It’s direct. I’m dealing directly with the customer, so I’m going to try it all.”

The legend of "Doe or Die"

Shortly following his now-iconic first verse, AZ released his critically-acclaimed album Doe or Die. There was no real strategy to how everything flowed, he said. He was just hungry and ready to let it all out. 

“No strategy at all. I just went in there swingin’ trying to figure it out,” he said. “I really just learned the structure of songs. I felt a ways going in, but once I really got into the groove of things and started going, I was like, ‘OK, this is good. I can do this.’ I just wrote like I was a news reporter or something.”

Nearly 30 years later, at the end of 2021, AZ followed his debut with Doe or Die II, his ninth studio album. He said he wasn’t at all nervous to give the project that name because he’s still hungry for rap. 

“It was just picking up where I left off and really just expressing new emotions,” he said. “My thoughts are still the same, just repackaged. Because it’s just about survival, it’s about always thinking before you move, it’s about having an end game. That’s been my whole spiel from beginning to now, so I’m just repackaging it because I’m putting it out in another era. I added a little more because my dialogue and my mindset got a little swifter.”

He said the album, which features Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Dave East and Jaheim, got the results he expected. 

“And I didn’t have to switch myself. I didn’t have to change my integrity. I didn’t have to do anything.”

"Rather Unique"

His first single, “Sugar Hill” may have solidified his journey, but its B-side, “Rather Unique” just might be the song that best defines him. 

“‘Sugar Hill’ and ‘Rather Unique’ define me the most, but I have a slew of songs, so when you say define, all of them, really. We’re all made up of different parts — each song shows you a part. Some days I’m militant, some days I wanna be Preacher Earl, I don’t know. But originally, ‘Sugar Hill’ and ‘Rather Unique’ because I just spoke.”

However skilled he may be, though, his name doesn’t always come up in greatest rapper conversations. 

“To me, that’s their loss — for the listeners. Secondly, everything has its course and its time,” he said. “I think in due time as the life span of hip-hop grows, they’ll hear about me and know what’s going on.”

He said his legacy will be that he was a  representative of the culture. 

“I know I’m one the greats because those that are great will tell you I’m one of the greats,” he said. “For me being spoken about the way I’m being spoken about off of sheer talent without the big machines that propel a person to them heights is an accomplishment within itself.”

Cipher of self-care

At 50 years old, the seasoned rapper not only emphasizes making an impact in music but also on self-care. 

“Health is wealth,” he said. “As we get older, we understand the proper things to eat and hygiene, these are facts, and when you want to pass these things on because it preserves you. Self-love is always beautiful because when a person sees you take care of yourself that means you’ll take care of them. That’s how I judge people. You take care of yourself, which means if I’m in your cipher, I’ll get taken care of. Not just physically, but how a person thinks, moves and how a person deals with spirituality, you can tell the fabric of the person they are.”

Self-care and preservation go even further than looking out for your health and well-being. It’s also in how you set yourself up for the future. AZ said he would love to see a unified rapper pension fund and some form of health care. 

“It’s like a union, so we gotta help each one out,” he said. “[Rap] is going to be here forever now, so I’m just thinking about things for the next 50 years. How can we help the artists coming behind us? I know it came from the street, but it went corporate, so now we gotta take it beyond corporate and set the artists up for real success and longevity.”

Leaving a legacy of completion

The Brooklyn emcee has done a lot in his three decades on the rap scene, securing a legacy as one of the most lyrically skilled rappers to ever touch a mic. So, it’s no surprise that he feels like his list is completely checked off. 

“I’m happy,” he said. “Of course, I’ve been through a lot of eras from the crack era to all kinds of eras of just life itself. So, I’m happy here and the things that I’ve achieved, and I did more than I expected. So, the bucket list has been done — I done mopped everything up. Anything else will just be a blessing, but for now, I carried the torch well and I did it to the best of my ability.”