Hip-Hop Theory: I think Nas always wanted AZ to stay in his shadow

[The War Report]

Nas did more for AZ in the music biz than most people ever do for other people. AZ is his mans, so it’s deeper than music. They’re like two sides of the same coin. AZ just doesn’t have the depth that Nas has as an artist.

 

[GeeEffKay]

AZ had opportunities. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen for some. He’s one of my personal favs but looking back after doe or die his output was ok at best, whether it was the firm or his own joints.

 

[JustCKing]

AZ just never seemed to pull it all together. That Premo remix of D'Angelo "Lady" was a huge look, but he didn't capitalize and keep that momentum going. Then there was The Firm, but that wasn't a good look for anyone involved. It had some heat, but was all over the place with too many cooks in the kitchen. AZ even had a joint with JD that appeared on the Caught Up soundtrack, which I thought was better than the original "Hey AZ". This was right before or around the time "Money Ain't A Thang" dropped.

Nas definitely didn't hold AZ back. AZ kind of put himself in Nas's shadow. He made a lot of moves that at times mimicked what Nas was doing. Then there's the fact that people anticipated their collaboration, but I'm not sure if any of them were ever pushed. "The Essence" was Grammy nominated without a video or even that song being pushed as single.

 

[FeverPitch2]

I think you give AZ too much credit. He is a dope rapper but doesn't have as much commercial appeal. He's one of my favorite rappers too. Also, his rhyme scheme is always the same so you know what to expect with him. He's not blowing your mind with like anything super lyrical, just great rhymes, flow, and production.

Aside from the bolded, I hear that AZ is a very lowkey type of dude and he's not sweating stardom nor the cesspool that is the entertainment business.

 

[Mike Wins]

AZ just never seemed to pull it all together. That Premo remix of D'Angelo "Lady" was a huge look, but he didn't capitalize and keep that momentum going. Then there was The Firm, but that wasn't a good look for anyone involved. It had some heat, but was all over the place with too many cooks in the kitchen. AZ even had a joint with JD that appeared on the Caught Up soundtrack, which I thought was better than the original "Hey AZ". This was right before or around the time "Money Ain't A Thang" dropped.

Nas definitely didn't hold AZ back. AZ kind of put himself in Nas's shadow. He made a lot of moves that at times mimicked what Nas was doing. Then there's the fact that people anticipated their collaboration, but I'm not sure if any of them were ever pushed. "The Essence" was Grammy nominated without a video or even that song being pushed as single.

The importance of having good management and label support. Look at the rollout Puff did for Mase. He was prominently featured on a series of hit singles from 112, BIG and Puff, so by the time his debut album dropped he was already a star.

Or what Fat Joe did for Pun and Ruff Ryders did for DMX, they was everywhere in 97/98 leading up to their debuts.

Other thing is, labels generally only invest in new artists and established stars. So if you haven't blown up by album two, you probably never getting that major label push. Pieces Of A Man could've done good numbers with a label that pushed How Ya Livin, but it got zero promo. Hey AZ a perfect example, he had the right idea, used the same sample as one of the biggest hits that summer but got no push.

Thing is though, most artists who went through similar label drama just disappeared whereas AZ found a way to stick it out and put together a strong catalog.