A thoughtful, literate gangsta rapper in the truest of New York traditions, critics have long celebrated AZ's lyrical prowess. Like local peers Nas and Jay-Z, not only does AZ bring intelligence to his rhymes, but also an impressive flow and delivery that further sets him apart from the flood of New York MC's fighting for survival in the crowded rap game. With a successful underground career dating back to 1995, AZ has often been linked to Nas ( debuting on "Life's a b---h" from the Nas album "Illmatic").With Pete Rock crafting beats for him on his solo outings, his career took a sudden upswing ashe joined rap super group The Firm (featuring Nas, Foxy Brown and Nature) recording with Dr.Dre and The Trackmasters. Since the '97 release of The Firm's "The Album", AZ has released three solo albums that have each sold over 200,000 units a piece.