i got a question for yall, would you guys feel any different if AZ rhymed over production that French Montana does? basically an updated NY sound? sorta what Fat Joe did on the collab album with Remy and the collab Dre album he had? I think Nas had a well balanced of that on the first King's disease album with Hit Boy, so would Hit Boy fit AZ better? What about if he did a full album with Metro Boomin? I think that's what's missing with some of these legends that still drop albums, they don't update their production and being able to bring something new to the table would spark interest on outside of their fanbase.
AZ was reaching out to Kanye during the time when he first announced Doe or Die 2 before Kanye lost his damn mind. He was talking about working with Kanye and Dr Dre. Obviously that didn’t happen but it does show that he doesn’t have an issue with working with producers who can give him a fresher, updated sound.
As an independent artist, I know its got to be bytch affording top tier beats from named producers but Large Pro, Bink, Conductor, Premo are still active and capable of putting out great music. I could see AZ staying away from Hit-Boy to avoid the Nas comparisons he already has to deal with. I think getting with Mass Appeal and curating beats from Statik, Buckwild, and Ron Browz was the right move. It keeps AZ in his comfort zone but also the production sounds fresh and not dated.
