The year was 1995. Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and the Orlando Magic had just advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time. Bill Clinton was the President of the United States. Friday had just dropped a few months ago and O.J. Simpson had just been found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson. Above all else, the writer currently writing this article was not even born yet. In the midst of the chaotic year that was 1995, AZ dropped his debut album, Doe or Die. With production from Pete Rock and features from Nas, the album captured Hip-Hop’s heart and set up AZ for a career of success.
“Doe or Die unfolds in a well-sketched procession. AZ pours forth tales of loot capers and ghetto aspirations in a rapped-patterned delivery reminiscent, but for the high tonality, of the godfather of the hip hop hustle ethic, Kool G Rap … Doe or Die achieves its purpose,” SPIN Magazine‘s Selwyn Seyfu wrote about the 1995 release.
More than 25 years after the original project dropped, AZ is back with its long-awaited sequel. Leading the way, AZ has delivered “The Wheel video with Jaheim. Backed by production from Eric Hall and Kay Gee, AZ shows that his lyrical talent has transcended time and fits perfectly in the year 2021.
“Trust is costly/Ain’t life a b*tch, girl, just divorce me/Timepiece frosty/That’s why you only get one chance to cross me,” he raps.
Doe or Die 2 will arrive on September 10. In the meantime, check out “The Wheel” video below.
