AZ - "The Game Don't Stop" (mp3)
Undeniable is AZ's seventh solo album, but the first one I've heard, which means I probably missed a lot of good shit from him over the years while I let Nas's "Life's A Bitch" and a few other guest appearances define him for me. And it never occurred to me before, but one of the first things that struck me when listening to the album is that he sounds a lot like Consequence. Same kinda high voice, similiar accent, same approach to dense internal rhymes that kind of pile up on each other, which makes sense since they came up in the same era, both alongside Queens legends (although AZ is from Brooklyn, I guess).
The other thing that struck me pretty quickly about this album is that it has a shitload of singin' on it. Like seriously, almost every song. It doesn't bother me, since most of the time the hooks are good and/or unobtrusive (even Ray J is less annoying than he was on the Styles P. album). It's just interesting how, without having any real obvious crossover attempts or even some mellow romantic tracks, AZ has made a pretty traditional hardcore NYC rap album that just happens to have a lot of R&B and melody in it, which might be him mellowing with old age, but then, not having heard his other albums, I have no idea if it's a new development.
Undeniable is AZ's seventh solo album, but the first one I've heard, which means I probably missed a lot of good shit from him over the years while I let Nas's "Life's A Bitch" and a few other guest appearances define him for me. And it never occurred to me before, but one of the first things that struck me when listening to the album is that he sounds a lot like Consequence. Same kinda high voice, similiar accent, same approach to dense internal rhymes that kind of pile up on each other, which makes sense since they came up in the same era, both alongside Queens legends (although AZ is from Brooklyn, I guess).
The other thing that struck me pretty quickly about this album is that it has a shitload of singin' on it. Like seriously, almost every song. It doesn't bother me, since most of the time the hooks are good and/or unobtrusive (even Ray J is less annoying than he was on the Styles P. album). It's just interesting how, without having any real obvious crossover attempts or even some mellow romantic tracks, AZ has made a pretty traditional hardcore NYC rap album that just happens to have a lot of R&B and melody in it, which might be him mellowing with old age, but then, not having heard his other albums, I have no idea if it's a new development.
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