AZ

The latter earned a nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for its song "The Essence" (featuring Nas) at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards.

Online magazine About.com listed AZ as the "Most Underrated [Rapper] of All Time".

Anthony Cruz (born March 9, 1972), better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper.

He attended Eli Whitney High School, with fellow Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z, until the vocational school closed down in the late 1980s.

AZ also made it onto the site's "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", where he was reiterated as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever".

AZ was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to an African-American mother and a Afro-Dominican father.

He grew up in East New York, Brooklyn, with his mother and sister.

AZ started writing rap lyrics when he was 12 years old.

In the early 1990s, he became friends with Nas, a young rapper from Queens.

Nas started working on his debut album Illmatic and invited AZ to work with him in the studio.

AZ appeared on the album intro and had a verse on "Life's a Bitch".

Cruz first saw recognition for his guest appearance on Nas' 1994 single "Life's a Bitch" from his album Illmatic (1994).

After Illmatic was released in 1994, EMI Records offered AZ a record deal.

Cruz was then signed by EMI to release his debut studio album, Doe or Die (1995), which was met with critical acclaim.

Its lead single, "Sugar Hill" (featuring Miss Jones) peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

AZ's debut album Doe or Die was released by EMI Records on October 10, 1995.

It features guest appearances by Nas and production from N.O. Joe, Pete Rock, L.E.S., and Buckwild, among others.

Upon its release, Doe or Die received notable commercial success, peaking at #15 on the Billboard 200, and #1 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

Doe or Die was known for popularizing the theme of mafioso rap, alongside several albums, namely Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt and Nas's It Was Written.

Doe or Die produced several singles, including "Mo Money, Mo Murder, Mo Homicide", "Gimme Your's (remix)", "Doe or Die" and "Sugar Hill" – which was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1995.

Best known for his affiliation with hometown native and fellow East Coast rapper Nas, they formed the New York City-based hip hop group the Firm with Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature in 1996.

Moreover, The Firm's sole album (1997) peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart despite unfavorable critical response; the group disbanded two years later.

Upon EMI's dissolution, he was transferred to its sister labels, Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records, through which he released his second album, Pieces of a Man (1998) to continued acclaim.

In 1998, Pieces of a Man, AZ's second album, was released on EMI.

9 Lives, his third album, peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Top Hip Hop / R&B Albums.

The leading single, "Problems", with its accompanying music video, reached #34 on the Hot Rap Singles.

After the release of the album, AZ left the label.

AZ's fourth album Aziatic features a duet between AZ and long-time friend and collaborator, Nas, "The Essence", which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

The album was mostly well received by critics, one such positive review from Brad Mills at Allmusic, states:

"AZ has been looked upon to do amazing things with his music. Has he lived up to those high expectations on this album he has from start to finish. The beats on this album are complex, inventive, and almost perfectly suited for AZ's style of rhyming. He's carefully crafted this album rather than slapped it together overnight to meet his quota, and it shows. It helps immensely that he's brought along people like DR Period, Az Izz, Nas, and Buckwild, but they don't outshine the younger AZ as he holds his own well. AZ has come up with his best work in a long time on this album."

Afterward, Cruz signed with Motown and Universal Records to release his third and fourth albums, 9 Lives (2001) and Aziatic (2002).

On September 6, 2005, A.W.O.L., his fifth album, was released, becoming the first AZ album to be released on his own imprint, Quiet Money Records.

AZ's sixth studio album The Format features production from Lil' Fame of M.O.P., Face Defeat, Emile, J. Cardim, Phonte, Statik Selektah and DJ Premier.

The album's lead single is its title track "The Format", which was produced by DJ Premier, with "Vendetta" as its B-Side.

The Format also features the bonus track "Royal Salute", a retaliation to 50 Cent's song "What If" which included a line aimed at AZ.

On October 7, 2007, Quiet Money released The Format (Special Edition), adding six bonus tracks including "Royal Salute".

Undeniable, his seventh studio album, was released on April 1, 2008, through Quiet Money and Koch Records.

The album debuted at number 141 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling over 25,000 copies in its first week.

In October 2009, AZ confirmed he was working on a sequel to his debut studio album, titled Doe or Die 2.

He hoped to enlist the original production team from Doe or Die such as L.E.S., Pete Rock, DR Period, and Buckwild.