Motown / Pgd
2001
AZ
9 Lives (Explicit)
About This Album
Five years after the critical celebration surrounding his debut release, Doe or Die, AZ's name suddenly didn't seem all that familiar. Sure, Doe or Die had indeed been a quiet classic of sorts, but it never shook the cash register, and his subsequent efforts were even less successful from a commercial standpoint. Perhaps it was no surprise then that he encountered problems with his label after the indifferent response to his sophomore album in 1998. But three years later, AZ returned with a new label, Motown, and what he obviously feels is a comeback of sorts, 9 Lives. There are some problems with this comeback, though. First of all, Motown has never been known as a fostering environment for rap artists. Secondly, perhaps related to the first problem, there is a serious lack of big-money talent on 9 Lives -- no Pete Rocks or Jay-Zs for this album. Granted, these problems are purely commercial, but they're bad omens for any contemporary, commercial rap effort. No matter whether or not AZ actually succeeds with his unofficial comeback from a commercial standpoint, he's done an admirable job when judged purely on artistic merit -- his rhymes are obviously well written, he delivers them with enthusiasm, and his low-profile production team turns in some good second-rate DJ Premier/Pete Rock-style sample-laden beats.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,6 and 7)

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