| Product Summary | | Label: Emd/virgin | | UPC: 00724385671524 | | Release Date: 4/7/1998 | | Buy.com Sku: 60074677 | | Item#: M3MP5D | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25050 | Format:  CD |
|
|
|
|
| Song Listing |  |
(P) (C) 1998 Virgin Records America, Inc.. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of applicable laws.
(C) 1998 Virgin Records America, Inc.
|
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: AZ, The RZA, Nas, Kenny Greene, Nature, Monifa, Panama PI, Foxy Brown, Keanna Henson (background vocals) | | Producers include: Trackmasters, Kenny Smoove, Goldfinga, LES, Gucci Jones. | | Engineers include: Jim Janik, Ken "Duro" Ifill, Steve Souder, Kevin Crouse, Steve Eigner. | | AZ had a lot to prove with his second album, Pieces of a Man. Not only did he have to prove that the success of his debut, Doe or Die, was not a fluke, he had to live up to his success with the Firm and as a guest artist with Monifah, D'Angelo, and Nas. For the most part, he lives up to these expectations on Pieces of a Man. There are certainly some slow spots on the record, but the production from Trackmasters and Dr. Dre is appealing, funky, and seamless, blending street rhythms with radio-ready hooks. Furthermore, AZ's lyrical skills are increasing, as the best moments (including the single "What's the Deal") prove. The moments that work on Pieces of a Man are so strong that they make the lesser, lazier moments forgivable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine | | When you're blessed enough to have been the only guest rapper on what is arguably the best hip-hop album ever made (Nas' ILLMATIC), you should realize that high expectations come with it. Lyrically, AZ has always been on point. From his own solo career to his Firm collaboration, the Brooklyn-based MC remains one of the most respected. But you're only as good as your last album, and AZ was well aware that the followup to his debut would be a DOE OR DIE situation. Fortunately for AZ, PIECES OF A MAN picks up right where he left off, giving listeners a true feel for the artist's idiosyncratic lyrical and musical vision. Approaching veteran status, AZ's years of experience are easily manifested, and with true hard-core production in his corner, he is able to deliver the goods. |
Musical Guests | | Foxy Brown | | Nas | | Monifah | | RZA |
| | Artist Overview | | Brooklyn-bred AZ made about as big a splash as an MC could hope for in 1994. He supplied both the key verse and vocal hook for "Life's A Bitch" off Nas's seminal ILLMATIC. Then, his own debut LP, '95s DO OR DIE, catapulted to the top of the era's gritty-but-thoughtful East Coast rap scene, helping to bridge the gap between Eric B. & Rakim and Black Star. However, after The Firm--a supergroup comprised of AZ, Nas, Foxy Brown and others--flopped commercially, his own success tailed off as well. But AZ is still recording actively if independently, and his 2007 full-length, UNDENIABLE, demonstrated his influence on the younger generation, with guest spots from hot up-and-comers like Saigon. |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 04/07/1998 | | Original Release Date : 1998 | | Catalog ID : 56715 | | Label : Noo Trybe | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00724385671524 |
|
| | Professional Reviews | | Rap Pages (11/97, p.111)
- "...AZ knows what he is doing and does his own thing with style...PIECES OF A MAN clearly seeks to maintain this click's string of commercial successes and seems to have the singles to do so..." |
|
| |
|
|
