#ThrowbackThursday: Doe Or Die - AZ (@QuietAZMoney); A Niles P. Joint

Believe it or not, it’s entirely possible to have a bonafide classic/genre defining album and still be one of the most criminally underrated rappers in Hip Hop history. Such is the case with AZ. 

Born Anthony Cruz, the BK emcee used his guest appearance on Nas’ Life’s A Bitch (from the legendary Illmatic) as a launching point for his own career. His 1995 debut Doe or Die celebrated its 20th birthday a week ago. It is regarded as a classic by those in the know and definitely plays a pivotal role in the genre’s history. However, despite selling a million copies, I still feel that the album mirrors AZ’s career as a whole inasmuch as it is slept on by far too many people. So for this Throwback Thursday, we’re going to revisit Doe or Die for the fans and hopefully put some new people on to a classic.

The album actually starts on a gritty note, as the intro soliloquy spills into Uncut Raw which is the darkest song on the album. The gun sound effects built into the beat make it the musical version of rolling up on your enemy with a black hoody on.The scene shifts completely with Gimme Yours. Nas comes through on the intro and chorus while AZ raps about his desire for the finer things in life. As a kid listening to this I always imagined this song playing while you were laid up with a naked chick in some expensive ass hotel room eating lobster provided by room service. That still applies as this song is the epitome of decadence, albeit peppered with AZ’s trademark wisdom. Speaking of which, the Buckwild produced Ho Happy Jackie works as a story of a fictional gold digger and how to avoid real ones. Peep game because the money saved might be your own.

Rather Unique has AZ flexing lyrically over an easygoing Pete Rock beat. Every rapper needs a track where he both tells and also shows you how ill he is with the wordplay. This is that track. The tempo kicks up a few notches on I Feel For You.  Erica Scott provides omnipresent backing vocals and AZ takes a moment to briefly feel sorry for the competition. The instrumental fits his multi syllables like a glove, mostly incorporating fast paced drums and a periodic bell. Sugar Hill was the album’s most popular single as far as charts and radio goes. Appropriately enough, it features legendary NYC radio personality, Miss Jones and very capable singer on the hook. This is another one that gave me visualizations of a champagne-induced pool party at a Spanish-style villa. Those thoughts were triggered as soon as I heard the beat (exquisitely concocted by L.E.S.). The album contains a wonderful paradox in Mo Money, Mo Murder, Mo Homicide because while the lyrics are violent in nature, DR Period cooks up a swanky beat built around an O’Jays sample. They contradict in theme but it ultimately works, especially when you have AZ and Nas trading bars.  As an added bonus, a short song called Born Alone, Die Alone is hidden within the song. The title says it all when it comes to the lyrics, as it’s the most dour track on the album in mood, with rain sound effects and simple drums.

The title track invokes feelings of the old show “NY Undercover” partially because AZ mentions it in the song intro. Overall, the vibe would fit right at home on any 90’s cop and crime-related tv show.  We Can’t Win is a thematic departure of sorts because it deals with Five Percent Nation ideology in addition to conspiracy theory type bars in order to explain the plight of the Black community. Amar Pep provides the beat, intro, first verse, and chorus. While I wouldn’t necessarily label this song as conscious rap, it definitely fits as the proverbial change-of-pace track. Ski laces Your World Don’t Stop with a popping snare drum and pulsating piano chords. AZ raps from the perspective of a prisoner and details the harsh realities of life behind bars. In spite of rugged conditions he remains optimistic that life will go on, hence the title. This would be the perfect closing track, but instead it becomes the penultimate one as we get another added bonus in the remix to Sugar Hill. This one is tougher than the original but still excellent and stands the test of time.

This album is a classic not only in sheer quality of music but because of where it stands in Hip Hop’s timeline. It’s a companion piece to Illmatic and essentially bridges the gap between that and It Was Written, gradually taking the setting from the projects to a lavish life. It’s also the thematic cousin to Raekwon’s masterpiece Only Built 4 Cuban Linx as they both came out in 1995 and popularized Mafioso rap, which was a staple that later gave way to the bling era and whatnot. Viewed as a singular project, Doe or Die is absolutely sensational. AZ manages to walk a very thin line between the streets and a more opulent lifestyle, all while staying believable. His bars have substance and he manages to fit multi syllables into every song without falling into the realm of becoming the dreaded “Rappin-Ass-Rapper” who says things just because they fit schematically without having much relevance. Throughout his career AZ has had one of the best ears for beats in the business, and it all started here as nothing is out of place musically. Doe or Die was the starting point for a very solid career for one of the most unfairly slept on emcees in the rap game. In recent years, there have been talks about releasing a sequel to his debut album (something that’s been popular lately in rap). No matter what happens though, AZ can take pride in the fact that he made a perfect album. Take a trip with me and revist the classic Doe or Die below.

#InCaseYouMissedItMonday: Silk Pyramids - @MeyhemLauren & @BUCKWILD_DITC; A Niles P. Joint

Throughout history, rappers have a history of being too generous. Aside from general financial assistance, emcees have the Havoc philosophy of “Once I get on I’ma put on all my people.” This comes in the way of giving childhood friends features on their mixtapes/albums. This often doesn’t go too well as talent level doesn’t match the bond rappers have with their friends. Fortunately, this is not the case with Queens native Meyhem Lauren. He’s childhood friends with Action Bronson and has made guest appearances on every Bronson Project out. Lauren has the proverbial bars to stand on his own two and has actually been rapping longer than his childhood chum. For this inaugural edition of In Case You Missed It Monday, I took a look at Silk Pyramids. This is actually a collaboration album as Laurenovich enlists D.I.T.C. beatsmith and hip-hop legend Buckwild to produce the entire album. This was a great move, as their respective production and rapping styles fit each other like a glove. Aside from giving a classic NYC sound, this album could best be described as gritty yet extravagant.
  

Truthfully it’s a chore to pick even a handful of standout tracks. This isn’t because the album is lame, but because each track is pretty dope and flows together with the next one seamlessly like prestige TV on AMC.  100 MPH features the aforementioned Bronsolino, but like I said serves as a quick cosign and intro rather than the album’s only high point. Make no mistake, this is Meyhem Lauren’s joint and he owns it from start to finish. QU Cartilage features periodic sinister strings between cuts from PF Cuttin. It gets grimy on Salmon Croquettes where AG Da Coroner makes an appearance.  Besides rap braggadocio, Laurenovich is also able to make concept tracks. For example, Narcotics Anonymous talks about being addicted to the overall hustle of selling drugs from the POV of a dealer as well as the physical addiction to drugs from the perspective of a fiend (in this case Meyhem Lauren plays the dealer while guest Heems plays the addict). Honey Champagne Sorbet has more of a glamorous beat that helps showcase Laurenovich’s capability to adapt to different types of beats.  Guests are well chosen as Troy Ave and Retchy P complement Street Hop quite nicely. Aside from giving a classic NYC sound, this album could best be described as gritty yet extravagant.  

Meyhem Lauren once said he was “New York before it turned into a bike lane,” and I can’t think of a more apt description for this album and Laurenovich as an emcee. While having a famous best friend may help introduce him to a new audience, he definitely has his own style and legacy. This is a rapper that can punctuate street tales and braggadocio with talk about wheat grass shots and Billie Holiday references. Aside from rap, he founded the graffiti collective Smart Crew and is a member of the infamous NYC-based Lo Life Crew. Anybody that can master more than one of hip-hop’s four elements is good in my book. You can tell Meyhem Lauren has real reverence for the culture overall.  The fact that he chose to work with the legendary Buckwild cements this as a must-hear album even a year after its release. It’s never too late to get familiar with a dope emcee, so keep an eye out for Meyhem Lauren.

#TBT: Big L - Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous

One of the most underrated things in life is rediscovering an old album that you loved back in the day but kind of forgot about.

This was the case when I was looking for an album for this throwback Thursday column.  Seeing as the 16th anniversary of his murder just passed, I decided to go with Big L’s debut album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous.  For those of you unacquainted, Big L was a talented Harlem emcee whose lyrical stylings inspired an entire generation of punchline rappers.  He is also credited for essentially starting the “horrorcore” sub-genre with his brutal lyrics, although he wasn’t beholden to just that style.  At the time of his death in 1999 he was in the process of signing with Roc-A-Fella Records.  A number of posthumous albums of varying quality have been released but his 1995 debut remains one of the most slept-on albums in the history of hip hop.  

Laced with beats from Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Showbiz, and Craig Boogie, Big L constructs an album that serves as a time capsule of sorts to 1995 and almost a blueprint for how to make a balanced album.  L had a plethora of jazzy beats on which to showcase his lyrical dexterity. 

He starts off with a couple of braggadocios/radio-friendly songs in Put It On with Kid Capri on the hook and next raps over a very familiar DeBarge sample on MVP.  Throughout the rest of the album, you get your posse cuts (8 Iz Enuff and Da Graveyard feature a “before they were stars” Cam’ron and Jay-Z respectively), socially conscious songs (Street Struck talks about avoiding the trappings of the hood while Fed Up wit the Bullshit speaks on police brutality and racism.)  The tracks All Black and Danger Zone stand out as the most gritty and dark tracks on the album, the likes of which haven’t been seen since.

I don’t feel like this album is dated or aged poorly as far as the music goes.  This album isn't for everybody though, to be honest.  On a few of his tracks, L uses his gift for wordplay to craft some of the most brutal lyrics out.  Murder is a frequent topic, to say the least.  In a more socially conscious era, I recognize that some of the content is blatantly violent, misogynistic, and homophobic.   While this won’t sit well for many people, I’m also wise enough to understand that well, that’s kind of the point.  The lyrics are meant to be outrageous and shocking.  If you can see past this, you're left with an album of 90’s era beats with some of the most clever wordplay ever put on wax.  And since Big L didn’t have a Tupac-sized trove of unreleased material, this is essentially his masterpiece since his career and life were both tragically cut short.  L set the table for mixtape rappers who became punchline-obsessed and horrorcore emcees that tried to come up with the most outlandish and demented shit that they could think of.  But no one ever replicated the layers and diversity of Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous.  Big L was only scratching the surface.  May he rest in peace.