AZ (Punk)

AZ's career is, in some ways, a testament to the staggering influence that his fellow Queensbridge rapper Nas had over the hip- hop world in the early '90s. After appearing on Nas' excellent debut, Illmatic, AZ found himself on the tip of many a rap fan's tongue, as people wondered when the passionate MC from Nas' "Life's a Bitch" would drop his own album. Those questions were answered with 1995's Doe or Die, a literate, sensitive look at street life that sits comfortably, as a companion, next to Nas' masterpiece. After appearing on the Nas- led (and rather ill- conceived) "supergroup" the Firm, AZ made his follow up, the disappointing Pieces of a Man. Like Nas, AZ began relying on shinier production (handled mostly by the Trackmasterz) and smoothed out his sound to appeal to an R&B audience.

S.O.S.A. is a slight return to the raw style that brought him prominence, but it still suffers from AZ's concessions to the mainstream sounds of Puff Daddy and Bad Boy. 9 Lives sadly found AZ sinking into obscurity with little to no contributions from any top- notch producers or MCs. AZ couldn't carry the weight all by himself and the album suffers from a generic feel. Happily, Aziatic is a return to form. Coming out in the shadow of Jay-Z's The Blueprint, Aziatic has a similar, soul-drenched sound, using the production of veterans such as DR Period (M.O.P.) to highlight his exceptional lyrical talents. (CHRIS RYAN)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide