AZ (born Anthony Cruz in Brooklyn, New York City) is an African-American/Dominican East-Coast rapper. His original name was "AZ The Visualiza" and was later changed to just AZ. AZ has achieved a cult following in spite of little mainstream success. He first came to prominence appearing on Nas' landmark Illmatic on the song "Life's A Bitch" (1994, 1994 in music) and soon released Doe Or Die (1995, 1995 in music) to critical acclaim, even from critics who hated hip-hop but liked AZ's moralistic and realistic portrayals of the dangers of thug life.
AZ's fanbase grew considerably after he joined The Firm, a supergroup consisting of AZ, Nas, Foxy Brown and Nature with Dr. Dre and The Trackmasters producing. The Firm's debut, The Firm: The Album, was a critical and commercial failure, as was Pieces of a Man, AZ's second solo release. Without a major label, AZ released S.O.S.A. to little fanfare in 2000 (see 2000 in music). Soon, however, AZ signed to Motown and released 9 Lives, which returned his name to popular consciousness among hip hop critics but did little to bolster his sales.
In 2002, he released Aziatic. From the album, "The Essence" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group. The video to its first single, "I'm Back," received moderate MTV2 play. AZ was supposed to release an album, Final Call, around late 2004 or early 2005. Due to massive bootlegging, the album was never released. Instead, A.W.O.L. was released on September 6, 2005. The album that featured many tracks that were on the unreleased "Final Call" was critically acclaimed and embraced by die-hard AZ fans.
During 2006 AZ released the solo track "Royal Salute" which was a response to 50 Cent's "What If". He also released two other tracks entitled "Animal" and "Professional Style" . A new album is titled "The Format" is scheduled to come out in July.
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