AZ’s significance to hip-hop isn’t as widely discussed as other artists from New York but his contributions have had a lasting effect on the culture. Yesterday marked the rapper’s 50th birthday, and commemorating the milestone is the official trailer for his new documentary, Jewels, Gems & Treasures.
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From his come-up in Brooklyn to becoming one of the most revered MCs to do it, AZ’s tale is one that’s yet to be explored in-depth. However, the new documentary offers an exclusive glimpse into his childhood and career with some help from a few fellow heavyweights in rap. Both Nas and 50 Cent contribute to the documentary with nothing but praise for AZ’s emergence in rap.
“Az would say some slippery shit,” Fif said in the trailer.
Nas, who offered AZ his first big break on Illmatichighlight, “Life’s A Bitch,” also praised AZ for carving out his own avenue in hip-hop. “He created a lane for himself. He didn’t want to go where anybody else went, where I went, where this guy went,” Nas explained.
“A lot of cats that I know from around the world look at AZ like, ‘Yo, he’s one of the coldest rappers ever,'” Buckwild said.
AZ recently released Do Or Die II last year which boasted appearances from Conway, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross, among others. AZ returned the favor to Ross for the deluxe edition of Richer Than I Ever Been single, “Vacheron.” During our recent interview with Ross, he detailed why AZ’s voice was a necessary inclusion to the project.
“I just wanted to, once again, go and tap into an artist whose voice has always been priceless. Rarely seen, but it’s timeless,” he continues. “And so when I think of Vacheron, this is timeless. This is priceless. You can’t put a number on this. You can’t put a number on what AZ brought to the game.”
Check out the trailer for AZ’s upcoming documentary below.