Seminal to this movement was AZ’s 1995 debut album Doe or Die which was one of the most anticipated albums of that year after his epic introduction on Nas’ inaugural 1994 effort Illmatic.ĭoe or Die was rewarded both critically and commercially for AZ’s crisp lyrical delivery, superb beat selection, and broad optics of the entire landscape of life within the Big Apple. Songs like “Streets of New York” from Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) and “On the Run” from Live and Let Die (1992) became the manifesto of rap’s first Godfather whose aura inspired famous aliases like Nas Esobar, the Wu-Gambinos, and AZ Sosa.Īlthough there was a backlash among hip-hop purists at the time, in retrospect it is undeniable that the lyrical and visual influence of this obsession with the Latin American drug cartels and Italian Cosa Nostra helped create some classic LPs during the decade. Rap’s earlier records were the roadmap for the culture’s destination. By 1995, a new generation of emcees sat comfortably in the driver’s seat, steering hip-hop in a new direction, and for many, Kool G. Happy 20th Anniversary to AZ’s second studio album Pieces of a Man, originally released April 7, 1998.Īmerica has always had a fascination with its criminal underworld, and although this fixation had always been present in hip-hop, the mid ‘90s became saturated with language and imagery indebted to organized crime.
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