I’ve said it on my site a 1000 times, Sosa is the most underrated M.C. of all time.

L

imhiphop.blogspot.com

AZ = Top 5, dead or alive.

I love AZ’s first joint but I haven’t heard a lot of his other stuff. What’s his next best album after Doe or Die?

AZiatic was dope.

Anybody know the name of that bonus song at the end of “The Hardest”?

I feel AZ is as underrated just as much as the next man but sometimes when I listen to his songs his subject matter almost never changes…and I honestly think that’s why he’s been overlooked. Like AZ is a lyricists’ lyricist imo but I just wish attimes he’d challenge himself to rhyme about other interesting things aside from being one of the livest on every song. Also his beat selection attimes isn’t wack but its just there nothing exceptional sounding and as a dope emcee you sometimes need a very dope beat or you razzle dazzle with lyrics. It’s unfortunate many think he’s a poor man’s Nas and that one verse seems to have overshadowed his entire career..

Aziatic was truly a dope album front and center. I think AZ will shine by aligning with a dope producer who could challenge him to try different things lyrically as opposed to just sitting in the pocket with one topic.

Just my honest assessment as a true AZ fan.

You have a point. He’s lacking in the versatility department. Still, his flow, man….

AZ is a monster

He’s alright

Sosa is a beast. If you are a fan of Lyricism, you are a fan of the Sos. If you are a fan of that “Boom-Bap” hip hop, then you are a fan of the Sos’.

Honestly I don’t know why he is not more accepted by today’s Hip-Hop public.

He consistently drops a nice single every album, and (excluding his last album, The Format) if full of material in which he challenges the listener to press skip. And Honestly The Format was a good album, just not enough Az, and to much of his homies.

If you think Kanye invented that soulful sound, go cop Az’s “Pieces of a man” That whole album was full of soul riffs, and sped up samples. and this was in 1998.

You want more proof of Sosa’s Lyrical genius? Go cop Decade 1994-2004. and if you don’t realize how great this dude is you don’t know what “real Lyricism” is.

L
imhiphop.blogspot.com

while I agree Az may be a 1 trick pony, but then again what M.C. isnt these days?

“Honestly I don’t know why he is not more accepted by today’s Hip-Hop public.”

Lyricism isn’t marketable.

Lyricism isn’t marketable

Thats a great point, now that you mention it What great lyricist has sold a lot of units?

Pun, but he had that whole chubby Latin thing going for him.

I can’t think of one. I think Sos needs to sign to a major label, to get a machine behind him, because he had the material. He just needs the proper dollars to be spent on his project. He’s Had primo, he’s had Dre, Trackmasters (remember them) so he’s had the beats, just not the proper push behind him.

maybe this album will at least go gold.

-L-
imhiphop.blogspot.com

Too bad the new record sounds Koch, in addition to being released on the label. “Aziatic” was AZ’s dope record.

Also, L, AZ has little to no commercial appeal, I’m sorry to say. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just the truth.

“AZ has little to no commercial appeal”

and Pun did???

A is a great lyricst, I would think there is a marketing department out there somewhere that can market greatness.

Maybe we need to get that Az & Nas album poppin to get a some more exposure or atleast a firm reunion.

L
imhiphop.blogspot.com

Yo Riz, did you invite a bunch of your commenters to blackplanet.com? Cuz’ me and a friend of mine got invites, and are thinkin’ they came from those dudes who post the “DID YOU KNOW KOBE FOUND A HOT DATE ON XYZSITE.COM” shit. In any case, lemme know.

“What great lyricist has sold a lot of units?”

Em sold a lot of units but of course there were a lot of other factors in that lol…but AZ is a great lyricist and i agree that he is underrated but he should be more creative and versatile with his songs….because of his first verse on Illmatic I think he will always live in Nas’ shadow but he can go bar for bar with the best of them imo and his flow is unmatched

I’ve been listening to AZ for over a decade. How much do I know about him? Not much. That’s a decade!

How much does everyone here know about Jay, 50, Kanye, Em, Big, Pac. I know there whole lives. They let you in. Until AZ opens up and talks about something that matters, him and Jada (sorry Kiss) are going to remain the Vince Carters of the rap game. Unbelievably talented but afraid to take it to the next level.

If anyone got a message being invited to blackplanet, please disregard it. Someone hacked into my email address today.

Wow sorry to hear that @ Riz..

@Wildes: I disagree on Jay. It took a long while before Jay let us in, and that wasn’t until BP and in some ways the Black Album…Jay has been notorious for not letting ppl in but just giving folks snippets enough to have us wonder..

His flow is bananas, always has been and always will. I think the versatility needs a step up, trying diff things, rapping about diff things on diff types of beats..

I disagree with the Pun comparison. Pun had, “It’s so hard” with an R&B cat (Donell) and “still not a player” with another R&B cat. Had it not been for both those tracks Pun may not have gotten as much shine as he did, that and the fact he was latino also. Let’s not get the facts twisted as if his popularity was due to his lyricism in the mainstream..

Then again in the mid to late 90’s you could still manage lyrcisim with some accessibility beat-wise today not so much…

I’m going to make an exception here and say that AZ is actually quite accessible. He’s talked about the Firm issues, he addressed his relationship with Nas, he occasionally drops knowledge on other issues as well. Maybe not as much as the Kanyes of this world. But everyone has their lane, and he’s staying in his. Is that good for his career? I don’t know. He’ll still go down in history as one of the greatest to ever do it.

Now, I agree that he definitely needs to switch up his production though and be a bit more versatile.

AZ + Premo was a good look back in 2006, but I’d also like to see him work with cats like Alchemist, Just Blaze, RZA, Redman (yes, the producer…), Madlib…. ah, I could go on….. dreams….. dreams…

What did people think bout “Undeniable”. Im not sure yet, but I think I can say that “The Format” was better.

@Esbee - very good points.

@24
the album is dope if you like AZ