With only four guest appearances on the album, it would seem that AZ is keen to have the limelight all to himself for his 2005 comeback. After all, it should be a rapper’s lyrical skills that draw the fans in, not their collaborations. AZ agreed, describing how he came about working with the likes of Wu Tang’s Ghostface and Raekwon. “Yeah, the people that are on my album are people who we were like, ‘You know what? These songs would sound good with these people on there.’ So I reached out to them and everyone was like, ‘Let’s go.’ They was on the same page as me, so that’s a good thing.”

During his time in the music industry, AZ has been with four different record labels, but it was his last deal, with Motown Records, which made the rapper vow never to return to a major label deal ever again. “Well, Motown was just crazy within itself,” he began. “They were dealing with the Neo-Soul thing, and I was thinking I can change that, you know what I mean? I guess it was things going on internally, within Motown, so I got away from that and said to myself, ‘I’m never going back to a major, I’m gonna do independent.’ Then I ran into Koch Records and I had the Quiet Money label which I started, and they were like, ‘Ok, we’ll distribute it’. I’m an artist on my own label now, so it’s a good look.”

Being signed to such a big label famous for their R&B and Soul acts, it must have been difficult for a Hip Hop artist like AZ to express himself at Motown. Discussing the constraints he faced at the label, AZ said, “I mean, you know, you get your creative control, but so much, you know? You aren’t able to dictate a lot of things. For some people it’s cool, I mean they can work in that zone, but for me personally, I’m a control freak. I’m a control freak, I’m not gonna lie!”

Back when AZ was a freshman in this rap industry, Biggie and 2Pac were still ballin’; Jay-Z was only a small fish in this game, and there was no Eminem, no 50 Cent, no G-Unit. Oh how times have changed. Looking back on the decade gone by, AZ comments on the changes the rap game has gone through since 1994. “Well, music is fickle; it moves around a lot. I mean, you got your East Coast, your West Coast, you got the Mid-West, you got Southern music, so music’s just changing; it’s evolving, so it is what it is, you either get with it or you don’t, you know? But it’s a good look ’cos everybody can express themselves, and we see things from their point of view.” He continued, “To me, music is like a code of communication; like, we bring people into our world and they bring us into their world.” So who is AZ feeling right now? “I like all artists that are making noise now, you know, Common, Fat Joe, T.I., Game…” Liking their music is one thing, but working with them is another question. “Not necessarily, I mean, if we do, we do, you know? It’s nothing that I plan, it’s a vibe that must be there first, you know?” Continued on page 3 »