AZ

AZ is a name that every serious hip-hop fan knows, even if the general public never fully picked him up. That distinction says more about mainstream taste than about the quality of his work. He started where few start: as a guest artist on one of the most celebrated hip-hop albums ever. His verse on \"Life's a Bitch\" from Nas' Illmatic (1994) immediately set the tone: many syllables per line, effortlessly delivered, with a hook that was as concise as it was vivid. That he subsequently built his own career that survived the decades proves that it was no beginner's luck. His debut Doe or Die (1995) was at the top of the R&B charts, the single Sugar Hill went gold, and as a member of supergroup The Firm, he was at number one on the Billboard 200 in 1997 with The Album. The albums that followed (Pieces of a Man, 9 Lives, Aziatic) all reached the top ten of the R&B charts. The Essence, a collaboration with Nas, was nominated for a Grammy. A true mainstream breakthrough did not happen. But his reputation within hip-hop grew steadily, his pen never lost its sharpness, and his discography continues into the twenties with, among others, Doe or Die II (2021). This year his new record Doe or Die III came out, the final piece of his legendary trilogy, on which his fluid flow and sharp lyrics prove that the New Yorkse hip-hop icon is still performing at an absolute top level after thirty years. On September 8, 2026, AZ will be in Club Wintercircus.