AZ on Drink Champs

Max Goonberg

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Depending on the artist thats a pretty good question though.

Someone like Busta could give really insightful answer to that
True.

Busta will damn near interview himself. Always a dope interview regardless of the host. But most artist usually pick one or the other and it's over with.

Oh u like recording more? Dope.

He would have to find an open ended way to ask that question to get the insightful answer you're talking about.

And the quick time shyt is corny to me and low key messy. Same ass questions 5+ years later switch it up
 
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Naw, I love Qucktime. It lets me know how these nyggas feel.

And for AZ to say "both" is mad crazy about Jay and Nas


He’s from Brooklyn and knew Jay personally


I’ve been saying for years that Nas and AZ aren’t as close as people made them out to be in the 90’s. Their cool and have love for one another but you never seen Nas and AZ just hanging out like you’d see Nas and Jungle or Nas and the Bravehearts plus Nashawn or even Nas and Cormega/Lake.

Don’t forget AZ was in the Dead Presidents video.

AZ by his own admission was quiet as a church mouse when Nas and Jay went at it. AZ didn’t send not one subliminal in the Roc’a direction on behalf of Nas. Nas went for dolo with some light assistance from The Bravehearts. That should tell you the type of relationship they have
 

re'up

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Love NORE but the phrasing and framing of these questions, sometimes is just too basic for rap legends and rap fans. I think I know AZ work and career better than anyone there. Talking about he's Hatian.

Sometimes I think it's the old culture of rap, these guys were never encouraged to be vulnerable, or talk about anything, that might contradict their image.

I could tell stories of me hustling in high school, losing $400 at a gas station one night, and coming back to find it run over, but still there, an hour later. No one is incriminated lol no one is offended. That was 20 years ago. I'm sure AZ lost a brick or two in his time, or got robbed in 1992, something like that/

The closest he got to that kind of story was the Nas story. And the castle story, that was good too. That's what fans want to hear. Gives you insight into who these guys are behind the bars, which we know is only one part of their lives.

crazy he and Jay never did a track. but don't ask that. Ask what time period he would have wanted to do a track. and just cut like 50% of the hypotheticals, ask about what tracks he loved from Aziatic. Or The Come Up. I could tell you right exactly where I was when I heard those albums in my life.
 
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Alexander Wiggin

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With the 3 main interview az done, I kinda understand now why he didn't have the career people wanted him to have. He's the type of guy that don't like being out of his confort zone, he's quiet, laid back, don't want confrontation, not too ambitious.
He got in the rap game almost by accident. Mad talented but didn't want to go full potential. I'm kinda the same way so I don't blame him. But he seems content with what he achieved and from his perspective, he's right. Not a lot of people can brag about having at least one classic album, a 30 years career, respect from his peers as a great lyricist and still can drop album with fans still supporting and being able to tour internationally. And I'm sure without being a multi millionnaire his paper is right enough to live comfortably. Everyone can't be jordan or magic, he's good being a dwane wade or a pippen, which is fine

That type of character don't mesh well on long interviews like that, that's too bad cause az's in the game 30 years deep, I'm sure he has stories but he will only give you so little.

What I found interesting and he said it himself is him and nas are basically look a like, same age, same style of dress, style of rhyme, ill voice, laid back personality, both new yorkers, hanging with dangerous dudes, so you kinda wonder why one was a superstar and the other not. And I think it's because Nas got more ambition on the musical side with the concept tracks, nas willing to take more risks on his choice of production and most importantly, nas is not afraid of sharing his inner thought, personnality, flaws throught the tracks. I can have a great window into nas as an emcee and a human being through his music, nas talks about everything. Az on the contrary, doscn't share much. 30 years deep I still don't know about his family, his doubts, who he is as a personn. That's why I think Az never past a certain ceiling. But he's still a great emcee. Top 10 to me
 
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With the 3 main interview az done, I kinda understand now why he didn't have the career people wanted him to have. He's the type of guy that don't like being out of his confort zone, he's quiet, laid back, don't want confrontation, not too ambitious.
He got in the rap game almost by accident. Mad talented but didn't want to go full potential. I'm kinda the same way so I don't blame him. But he seems content with what he achieved and from his perspective, he's right. Not a lot of people can brag about having at least one classic album, a 30 years career, respect from his peers as a great lyricist and still can drop album with fans still supporting and being able to tour internationally. And I'm sure without being a multi millionnaire his paper is right enough to live comfortably. Everyone can't be jordan or magic, he's good being a dwane wade or a pippen, which is fine

That type of character don't mesh well on long interviews like that, that's too bad cause az's in the game 30 years deep, I'm sure he has stories but he will only give you so little.

What I found interesting and he said it himself is him and nas are basically look a like, same age, same style of dress, style of rhyme, ill voice, laid back personality, both new yorkers, hanging with dangerous dudes, so you kinda wonder why one was a superstar and the other not. And I think it's because Nas got more ambition on the musical side with the concept tracks, nas willing to take more risks one his choice of production and most importantly, nas is not afraid of sharing his inner thought, personnality, flaws throught the tracks. I can have a great window into nas as an emcee and a human being through his music, nas tals about everything. Az on the contrary, doscn't share much. 30 years deep I still don't know about his family, his doubts, who he is as a personn. That's why I think Az never past a certain ceiling. But he's still a great emcee. Top 10 to me


Nas is a more creative and conceptual writer than AZ and like you said, took wider swings with his career while he had the eyes and ears of the people to do so. Nas linking with Steve Stoute was the best thing that happened to him because Steve was able to maximize what was so special about Nas while still knowing what the lines were that Nas wouldn’t cross.
 

re'up

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That's a great analysis, but there's label issues too

Look at Nas with Columbia/Sony he was with them for like 10 years. And there was different issues at some times, and he signed to Def Jam in 2005, right? But, he had that consistency, and that management, while AZ did Doe Or Die with EMI, and then was out to whatever label did

Pieces of A Man, partially because of sample/single issues with Hey AZ, which didn't work commercially or critically, and set his career back, at a time when the game was about to change a lot of Swizz and Jay and Ruff Ryders, and that Bad Boy sound wasn't hot anymore.

Then he ends up on Motown, which is an odd choice, for a long delayed 2001 album, Nine Lives, which didn't work either. No one knew what to do with AZ, he always seemed like a year off from a hit record.

compare that little trajectory with Nas who knocked his second album out of the park, commercially and critically. And went on to more fame. That gave Nas momentum, but then again, they both did The Firm, which was mostly a miss, and AZ probably missed his window for the right follow up, and you got the delayed Pieces of A Man.

there's no doubt Nas is weirder and more "artistic" than A, and that plays a role too. AZ would never do a track about killing his wife and then himself, in graphic detail, and neither would Jay. They aren't even really that similar of artists besides some background and come up basic stuff. Nas went way out of his comfort zone over and over again. And that's why he's still so sharp.
 

Yehuda

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The Maino video made me laugh cause when he came in the game mentioning cats' names to get some attention he had that song where he said "it hurt when AZ wouldn't do a song with me". :russ:
 

Yehuda

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The story of how he got his name is some of the flyest shyt I've heard in a minute.
 
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