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For those who might not be familiar with the name, AZ (Anthony Cruz) is a hip-hop legend out of Brooklyn, New York. He famously burst onto the scene in 1994 as the only featured guest artist on Nas's multi-platinum masterpiece Illmatic, delivering an iconic, unforgettable verse on the track "Life's a Bitch." He is easily one of the dopest, illest, and absolute greatest emcees in the history of the rap game, yet he rarely gets the mainstream recognition or attention he truly deserves.

One of the most remarkable things about AZ is just how incredibly smooth his voice is whenever you hear him talking or rapping. He is a deeply introspective, classy, distinguished, and calculated dude. Throughout his entire career, you have never heard of any weird stuff or internet beefs surrounding his name. He is a solid individual who has always carried himself like a real man with pure integrity, and you can instantly hear that in his voice. Even today, he still rocks a tight, classic fade; he isn't wearing tight clothes, rocking female hair extensions, or chasing trends. He is just calm, confident, and completely secure in his own skin without feeling the need to impress anyone.

Beyond the music, he always brought an effortless smoothness and classic, sharp fashion sense to the culture, standing out as a genuinely good-looking, sharp-dressed man. It makes you wonder why you don’t see young rappers with that kind of authentic swag and style anymore. When you compare him to the rap game today, the contrast is wild. Instead of that natural, mature presence, you catch young new rappers nowadays with absolutely no individual style, all dressed exactly the same like clones, and relying on internet antics rather than lyrical craft.

Do you feel like the art of the smooth, high-integrity lyricist with real style has been completely lost in modern hip-hop, or do you think AZ's blueprint is simply too unique to ever be duplicated?