One of the numerous thoughtful gangsta rappers to emerge from New York during the mid-'90s, AZ enjoyed critical success early in his career, particularly with his debut album, Doe or Die (1995), but commercial success largely eluded him over the years. Born in Brooklyn, he initially garnered attention with his guest feature on "Life's a Bitch," one of the standout tracks on Nas' landmark debut album, Illmatic (1994). In the wake of Doe or Die's critical success, AZ collaborated with Nas in the ill-fated supergroup the Firm and released Pieces of a Man (1998), another critical favorite. But for the most part, that was it from AZ for several years as he fell by the wayside, not surfacing in a big way again until a pair of Motown releases, 9 Lives (2001) and Aziatic (2002), that didn't sell any better than his previous efforts. He subsequently took his music underground, periodically releasing albums such as A.W.O.L. (2005). In 2004 the double-disc retrospective Decade 1994-2004 looked back over his career to date, gathering up various highlights. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
Anthony Cruz, better known as AZ of Afro-Dominican descented,[1] is an American rapper, whose stage name is derived from former drug lord Azie Faison (though spelt differently.) AZ is best known for being a long time rhyme partner of Nas and being a member of hip-hop super group The Firm alongside Nas and Foxy Brown. AZ is known for his multi-syllabic rhyming pattern and deep content based on Five Percenter theologies.
AZ first came to prominence by appearing on Nas' landmark album Illmatic on the song "Life's a Bitch" (1994)—he was the only guest emcee to appear on that album. After a bidding war, AZ signed with EMI, and soon released Doe Or Die (1995) to more critical acclaim than commercial sales. The album's lead single, "Sugar Hill", became AZ's only major commercial success as a solo artist, reaching the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and achieving Gold status. AZ's EMI contract was transferred to sister label Noo Trybe Records/Virgin Records when the EMI Label Group was shut down. In 1997, he and Nas appeared in a Sprite commercial. AZ signed with Motown/Universal Records and released 9 Lives.[1] In 2002, he released Aziatic. A single from the album, "The Essence," (featuring Nas) was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.[1]
In 2004 AZ was planning on releasing his would-be 4th studio album, Final Call, however, it was eventually scrapped due to heavy leaking and released as Final Call (The Lost Tapes)[1] in 2008. His 4th and 5th studio albums A.W.O.L. and The Format were released in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Then Undeniable was released in 2008.
