From 'Life's A Bitch' to 'Sugar Hill', AZ has blazed us with tracks for years. With his seventh studio LP "Undeniable" making a splash on April Fools Day, don't have any doubt that AZ is back in business and ready to show the world how sharp his sword really is.....Enter AZ...
illRoots.com: What’s good?
AZ: Not much whats going on with ya?
illRoots.com: Truthfully i’m tired, just getting something to eat or whatever. But I’m not going to take too long only about a half. First, thank you for the time.
AZ: {Laughs} Lets do it.
illRoots.com: With the new album “Undeniable” lets get a summary of it, what are we to look for?
AZ: I mean the album as far as features, I tried to go back to the old school and just present myself as an artist. I don’t really have too many features, I mean I have Ray J, but he’s not really a rapper he’s more of a singer. So I bring my talent to the table, and I chose to do that because there's albums out now that have the whole world on them so it turns into more of a mixtape.
illRoots.com: True. It turns into an old Clue tape.
AZ: You know what I mean, so I don’t understand it. It's cool though, you can do that on a mixtape, but on an album you want to bring yourself to the table and give your fans you so that’s what I did. As far as production I got my man Fame from M.O.P., you know he’s been under that Premier umbrella so its similar you know what I mean.
illRoots.com: Oh yeah, Fizzy Womack. For Sure.
AZ: I got my man Large Professor. I got Street Radio, they did a lot of Murder Inc.’s Music so they got that Street Radio sound. Lastly I got my man E-Mill. He’s done a lot of Ghostface’s and Freeway’s music. So you know?
AZ - Undeniable
illRoots.com: What's your favorite cut off the new album?
AZ: “The Game Don’t Stop”. The album starts out with this track and its my favorite cut because its inspiration to not only me, but everybody because it lets you know “that the game don’t stop/ till the player get knocked/ or shit flip flop and you sitting on top”. You know what I mean? That’s my joint right there.
illRoots.com: Your life summarized into one song?
AZ: Oh shit, damn. I’m sure Marvin Gaye said it best “What’s Goin' On” because we are still trying to figure out whats going on, know what I’m saying. That’s what it is if that’s the case.
illRoots.com: How do you feel this album is different from the other albums per se?
AZ: I mean we always constantly grow, that’s a definite. Everything is growth and development. I think I’m speaking from a grown-up conversation because I’m speaking 12 -13 years in, and I’m still in the best shape of my life. Mentally, physically, spiritually, and a lot of things kept me grounded. Maybe me not going double or triple platinum kept me grounded and it kept my sword sharp as far as lyrics. This album, the conversation has just grown and its good, the conversation can reach all levels.
illRoots.com: How do you feel about the state of Hip Hop right now?
AZ: This shit is going through a metamorphosis right now. I think its more digital now and it's going with the world and the internet, you know? Its “ringtone–ish”. Hip-Hop has grown and it has reached its pinnacle, it went East, West, North, South. It went every where and I don’t know where the fuck its going but I’m doing me though. {Laughs}
illRoots.com: {Laughs} I was about to say, your confusing the shit out of me. I think right now people don’t know what they want or there’s not as many options out there.
AZ: Right, Right.
illRoots.com: Its like people don’t want lyrics they want swag when swag isn’t even a real word.
AZ: Oh shit, that’s real right there, that’s crazy.
illRoots.com: Lets just put it in perspective. Whats one good book?
AZ: Um… ”The Rebuilding of the Black African Civilization” is good. I don’t remember the author, I read it like 2 years ago. Another one that’s good is “A Conversation with God”, they got one, two, and three. Its basically having a conversation with yourself because you’re the greatest person in your life because at the end of the day, when your having a conversation with God your having a conversation with yourself. I mean all the answers are within. We could keep on going on for days.
illRoots.com: If you were president of any nation, which one would you choose and why?AZ: I wouldn’t even want the burden of being the president, I’d rather be the professor to school the masses then be the president or dictatorship. There is so many options and opinions out here your going to get hated from whichever angle you decide to go anyway. I’d rather keep with the freedom of choice and educate them and let them make their own decisions and not be held responsible for anything else, ya dig?
illRoots.com: And not be held responsible for everybody’s actions and words that are around you.
AZ: I’d rather teach and let them have free choice and free will and now your mistake is yours and your held responsible for your own actions.
illRoots.com: Nas, your relationship and everything? Mainly musically, will we ever see another “Life's A Bitch”?
AZ: Yo, I love doing music with Nas, it's never the problem. I guess he has personal issues within himself because he couldn’t have issues with me. I have never stole anything from him, I never fucked one of his closest females, I never did none of the above and at the end, people ask me that and I do get personal. Jay-Z had sexual relations with his baby’s mother and they could mend that relationship, so why couldn’t we just make the music that the people want? My doors always open, but I never take time down to study it. It just is what it is and I’m going to keep on moving as a man you know?
illRoots.com: True, you can’t dwell on things like that, its very feminine. That’s why I say rap is at a period right now. Its that time of the month I guess.
AZ: Yo dog, that’s the realest shit that I heard in a while and I do a lot of interviews. There’s a lot of emotions going on right now.
AZ - The Hardest (Ft. Styles P & Large Professor)
illRoots.com: Right now people need to be real. Like when they see no Nas on the album automatically its beef, when beef in rap doesn’t matter. I mean I’m eating nuggets and fries and talking to you while looking at the internet, now that’s real.
AZ: [Laughs] You god damn right. The game is fucked up and it is what it is and I hope it survives because hip-hop is my life and it taught me everything I know. They think hip-hop is just rap when it’s the clothes and everything. It raised me. It doesn’t exist anymore, and I’m wondering where will it be a generation from now. What will we have to talk about? The streets are cleaned up, I mean me being from New York and the privacy act being abolished they got cameras on every corner and the DEA’s cleaned the streets up what do they have to talk about.
illRoots.com: Rhymefest said it best I believe. “Right now people are so conscience they appear soft and gangstas are so fake that they appear lost.”
AZ: Wow, that’s nice.
illRoots.com: I mean hip hop is the culture so you can’t just watch VH1 Hip Hop Honors or Driven and now you’re an ambassador for Hip-Hop. I mean the impersonal approach is killing the game we can touch millions and not see one face.
AZ: Yeah, that’s serious. Your right you can’t feel them or nothing
illRoots.com: That’s Hip-Hop though, it’s a Broke Pimp Society. I mean its boring.
AZ: It has nothing to do with the artist, but more with the powers to be because they dictate policy at the end of day. Like this is what we need, this is what we’re looking for go out and get it. They fucking the game up. Some people do this for the money.
illRoots.com: I mean the game is the Denver Broncos, we churn out running backs but don’t nobody know the offensive line. We put out rappers but no one really cares anymore its just the buck.
AZ: [laughs] Yo, you’re the funniest.
illRoots.com: Its going to be crazy because no big budgets but yet you still talk about billions, I mean everything goes out and the bigger heads need to think is the format of an LP outgrown itself. When your broke and you just look at the music its good.
AZ: [laughs] Yo, you’re a funny fucking guy, its like this song on the album “Dead End”, “When it’s a dead end you got nothing/ we was all better broke/ when we had to ante up to smoke/ and you lived what you spoke”
illRoots.com: How do you think your LP will do or match up to the others?
AZ: Well when your dealing with an independent level and at the end of the day I know what the independent level is and independently I know what I did because I’ve done like 2 independents and a few majors. I’m not mad, I don’t study soundscan as long as I do my little 100,000 I’m good. Anything better is appreciated but I’m getting so much an album I’m good and I know that my talent is impeccable so its my life now. It is what is 100,000 or better I’m good money.
illRoots.com: Word, well anytime you need us we are here.
AZ: No, thank you. Great conversation, keep up the good work.
Nas & AZ "Executive Decisions".
