What does everyone think of AZ?

[TraceOneInfinite]

Okay, we all know he has some bangin joints with Nas, like the classic joint "Life's A Bitch" off Illmatic and he also has a simarly smooth duet on the Stillmatic album as well.  Then, we know he was on a couple of bangin tracks on the Firm album, although I felt everyone turned in subpar efforts for that album, and a Canibus guest verse actually outshined any of the Nas and AZ verses on any song!

But anyway... he has always struggled as a solo artist.  I haven't gotten to hear his new album, but aside from that I think he only has two great solo tracks.  And they are both flawless.  In fact, they were on the same single back in 95', a single that I have from back in the day.

"Sugar Hill"-  This is a great track to just sit back, close your eyes, and imagine being on a beach somewhere just chllin out and finally enjoying life.  This song is really a jewel, although it's materialistic, you don't feel like it's being thrown in your face, it's more like he's taking you with him for mental journey to the fullfillment of all your dreams.

and...

"Rather Unique"-  He blazes this track lyrically, mentally and spirituallly, with lines like "Gettin more in depth with each breathe/ My mind follows the foosteps of Malcolm X".  This is one of those tracks that can really get you in the zone.

Peep the lyrical masterpiece he spits over this track.. this was the B Side to his single "Sugar Hill"

...

Artist: AZ the Visualiza f/ Pete Rock
Album:  Doe or Die
Song:   Rather Unique
Typed by: KXUL97A@prodigy.com

[Pete Rock]
rock the house (rock the house)
east New York, east New York
east New York, east New York
east New York, east New York
my man AZ to the fullest

Verse 1: AZ
we was already loyal to people's minds and mulianis
now we more fucked up with a mayor named Guliani
you can try to bomb me
analyze but can't define me
my mind's divine heavily entwined with Ghandi's
far from feeble, I leave your nostrils hard to breathe through
cause my cerebral's are more of a higher plane
than the Hebrews
my mic devotion brings out my deepest emotions
overdosing wannabes posing
sending them through convulsions
to hard to follow, you took a bite but couldn't swallow
your mind's boggled
but I'm as deep as Donald Goines novels
my whole persona's kinda laid back like a recliner
and since my mama, I been fucking with marijuana
wavy-haired, my skin got a money getting glare
strictly menace wear, macking offa Guinness beer
so where it all begins is here
destiny and me finally meet
so how can I be weak?
I'm rather unique

chorus:
[scratched in w/ Pete Rock ad-libs]
why, why, why I'm rather unique
why I'm rather unique --> Big Daddy Kane

Verse 2: AZ
my verbals rip shit
Brains give birth to thoughts in triplets
fuck it I'm on some flip shit
ready to let my clip spit, dramatical
vocals release shells like automatics
Do music's magical causing any battle to be tragical
I got styles sick as hell, sicker than sickle cell anemia
slaughter your circulatory like lukemia
filled with larceny, who want parts of me?
I'm vicious, mad malicious
cause it's real on this road to riches
I got this mastered, other rappers'll craft it
weak and wicked camoflauged as killers
how they speak and kick it
peep this uniqueness
nonbelievers I'm leaving speechless
left to chokers and skunk smoke
was coming through the speakers
surgically nice with any verbal device
trife, breathing life into mics
my insight's beyond the twilight
so die, fight, no surrender, no retreat
techniques speak
I'm rather unique

chorus [w/ ad-libs]

Verse 3: AZ
so it's gonna take more than your astrologist
to knowledge this
a physiologist couldn't even figure out the exoticness
raps demolishing certified the way I style it
my wordplay blaze with the rays of ultraviolence
my culture's smiling, getting more in depth with each breath
my biography follows the footsteps of Malcolm X
money and sex, Gore-Tex Donna Karan and Guess
finesse, success through the life
stress mics I blessed
puffing trees to get me high as trapeze
flipping Japanese at ease when I'm stacking G's
so let's discuss, plus degrees
how the rhyme forces the source for thoughts that's lost
so don't cross cause it'll cost
the ghetto savior, smooth, the real playa with flavor
moves be major
with unexplainable behavior
the word's on the street so keep your ears to the concrete
[why, why, why I'm rather unique]

chorus [w/ ad-libs]

[WC Iz Active]

amazing rapper!

AZ>>>>>>>>>Nas

[TraceOneInfinite]

amazing rapper!

AZ>>>>>>>>>Nas

WHOA!!!  That's going way too far man.  LOL.  But still, I like your enthusiasm.  If more of his tracks were like "Sugar Hill" and "Rather Unique" then I'd say he's better than Nas.  But instead, those are like his only good tracks.  Although, I dfeinitely need to check out his new album.

[Elevz]

AZ? An extremely good lyricist who just doesn't seem to be able to carry a song by himself. He needs to be in some sort of duo or trio because he needs others to complement him. With that being said, I really don't understand why he's still working as a solo artist...

[Lord Funk]

Technically he's amazing. In fact, put aside song structure and lyrics, and from a purely technical, MC'ing point of view (ie. flow, breath control, delivery) I don't think it's an exaggeration to say he's better than Nas. He's simply an exceptional MC.

At the same time, he unfortunately lacks the charisma to carry a whole album. Nonetheless, every CD he's put out has had at least a handful of astounding tracks on. On 'Rebirth' from his 'Aziatic' album he flows nicer than probably 90% of rappers mentioned on any one random page of this forum... Infinite, let me know if you don't have that tune and I'll up it for you.

[xGlimpsex]

The fuckin' shit and should be mentioned with the best in the game (Nas, Rakim, KRS, Pun, etc.)

[3331]

i honestly would take him over nas anyday not based on albums but as rappers. he's lyrically up there with nas but has more charisma.

i love doe or die but he seems to have gotten more dull and the same over time.

[rik]

amazing rapper!

AZ>>>>>>>>>Nas

No way.

[bez]

wish he wudda blown up worldwide.  I think The Come Up is truely one of the greatest songs ever. 

He just needs an album with Timbo, Dre, Em, beats on and shit.  Blown him up!

[GangstaBoogy]

Az is nice. I've always wished him and Nas did an album together. "Life's a Bitch" and "The Flyest" are AMAZING!

[rik]

Az is nice. I've always wished him and Nas did an album together. "Life's a Bitch" and "The Flyest" are AMAZING!

WOW...You're almost at 10,000 posts. 

[eazye]

What 11z, Lord Funk and 3331 said about him pretty much summarizes it, although I haven't heard any of his albums (just some random songs) besides Doe Or Die, which is REALLY good with 1-2 exceptions (Hoe Happy Jackie comes to mind, and that's mainly because Buckwild could've given him something better in my opinion)

[AlerG]

Az is one of the best in the game and the fact that you only mentioned two of his tracks from 95 i'm questioning if you've been sleeping on the rest of his material?

Check these out:

Uncut Raw
Mo Money, Mo Murder, Mo Homicide
Doe Or Die
Sosa
Pieces Of A Black Man
What Cha Day About
I Don't Give A Fuck
At Night
Problems
The Essence
I'm Back
Can't Stop
The Come Up
Magic Hour
The Format
Hey Az

burn those onto a cd and you have some classic az shit,

chill

[mrceo]

He's mad dope, he really doesn't have a bad album, i'd say all of his albums are at least 8/10, The Format and Do Or Die are like 9/10, i've always fucked with his shit

[sceptic1]

AZ and preemo needa do an album already