AZ - AWOL

Sleep No More.

AZ is one of the most enigmatic rappers of our time. Lyrically, his name should be mentioned along with the greats, yet not many know who he is. He’s a shadow of a rapper. He moves through the industry dropping off diamonds, kind of like a thief in reverse, and then he’s on his merry way. This one doesn’t complain about how much he doesn’t sell. He’s never switched his style to keep up with the times. He’s always been AZ all the time. AWOL sounds like a whole different animal. It’s vintage, classic and unmistakably AZ. He still as never managed to match the best bars with the baddest beats, but with this album, he comes closest. AZ’s One of the few rappers who can hold the title of being your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. But again, with no fanfare. His M.O. is under. Underrated and underappreciated. Understand why AZ is still “that dude” yet still under the radar.

“You know my persona.” These are the first words of his latest LP. Oh, we know and the tables are set. Can’t Stop provides ample hip-hop quotable material. Each verse keeps the same end rhyme yet avoids being monotonous. Still Alive starts with…”If you in the club.” That’s not what I want to hear AZ say at the beginning of a song. The beat is distracting (read wack) and the hook is empty, making this one the weakest tracks on the album (Envious being the other). He quickly makes up for it with AZ’s Chillin. Here he mixes the simple rhyme pattern of RUN DMC with that AZ flow. Bedtime Story had potential but it faded out right in the middle which leads me to believe that the first verse was the only thing worth keeping. Envious, in my humble opinion, should have never been recorded. The beat is way too simple (also read wack) and his flow struggles on it. No comment on Bounty Killer. A.W.O.L. provides the perfect bookend to AZ’s newest album. No hooks just verse. Now that’s real hip hop.

Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone. Three Hall of Famers who never won a championship. AZ is the equivalent in hip hop. The Jimi Hendrix of rap. Everyone likes him, but no one listens to him. He never got the acclaim he deserved. He never got his shine because he never sold that many records. He never got his hands on that championship. AWOL is a statement. Especially with rap in the shape that it is in today, people are going to listen. More will finally realize what few already knew.

Hot Trax: So Sincere, Can’t Stop, AZ’s Chillin’, City of Gods, A.W.O.L