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Buckwild
Buckwild
American hip hop record producer
1
Nas
Nas
American rapper, record executive, entrepreneur and investor from New York
2
Cormega
Cormega
African-American rapper
3
The Firm
The Firm
American hip hop supergroup
4
Raekwon
Raekwon
American rapper
5
Big L
Big L
American rapper
6
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur
7
Vinnie Paz
Vinnie Paz
American rapper
8
Kool G Rap
Kool G Rap
American rapper
9
Large Professor
Large Professor
American rapper and record producer
10
Diggin' in the Crates Crew
Diggin' in the Crates Crew
band
11
R.A. the Rugged Man
R.A. the Rugged Man
American rapper
12
Domo Genesis
Domo Genesis
American hip-hop artist
13
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
American rap group
14
Beanie Sigel
Beanie Sigel
American rapper
15
Havoc
Havoc
American rapper and record producer
16
Skyzoo
Skyzoo
American rapper
17
Inspectah Deck
Inspectah Deck
American rapper and producer
18
Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks
American rapper from New York; member of G-Unit
19
Doe B
Doe B
American rapper
20
Prodigy
Prodigy
American rapper
21
Celph Titled
Celph Titled
rapper
22
Mustard
Mustard
American record producer, DJ and hype man from California
23
Elzhi
Elzhi
American musician
24
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep
American hip hop duo
25
Trackmasters
Trackmasters
American hip hop production duo
26
Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown
American rapper, model, and actress
27
Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
American rapper from Illinois
28
Ras Kass
Ras Kass
American rapper
29
Sadat X
Sadat X
American rapper
30
Termanology
Termanology
American rapper
31
O.C.
O.C.
American rapper
32
Joey Bada$$
Joey Bada$$
American rapper, record producer, and actor from New York
33
King Tee
King Tee
American rapper
34
Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah
American rapper from New York
35
Tedashii
Tedashii
American rapper
36
DJ Premier
DJ Premier
American record producer and DJ
37
Yo Gotti
Yo Gotti
American rapper from Tennessee
38
Jim Jonsin
Jim Jonsin
American record producer
39
Young Buck
Young Buck
American rapper
40
Joell Ortiz
Joell Ortiz
American rapper
41
Juicy J
Juicy J
American rapper and record producer from Tennessee
42
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
American rapper from New York
43
Action Bronson
Action Bronson
American rapper and former chef
44
Kurupt
Kurupt
American rapper
45
Sir Jinx
Sir Jinx
American rapper
46
Twista
Twista
American rapper from Illinois
47
DJ Quik
DJ Quik
American rapper
48
Slim the Mobster
Slim the Mobster
singer
Intro
American rapper
Record Labels
News

Anthony Cruz (born March 9, 1972), better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is known for being a longtime and frequent music partner of East Coast rapper Nas and also a member of hip hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature. Online magazine About.com listed AZ as the "Most Underrated [Rapper] of All Time", and made it onto the sites' "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", where he was reiterated as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever."

AZ first became known by appearing on Nas's landmark 1994 album Illmatic on the song "Life's A Bitch", as well as featuring vocals on the opening track "The Genesis". AZ signed with EMI, and soon released his debut album Doe or Die in 1995 to critical acclaim. The album's lead single "Sugar Hill" became AZ's major commercial success as a solo artist, reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and achieving Gold status. AZ's EMI contract was transferred to sister label Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records when the EMI Label Group was shut down.

In 1997 AZ joined the group The Firm with Nas, Nature and Foxy Brown and released their only album as a group The Album. In 1998 AZ released his second solo album, Pieces of a Man. The album fared well but did not chart quite as well as his debut and did not feature a crossover single like "Sugar Hill".

After this album's release, AZ signed with Motown and Universal Records and released 9 Lives. In 2002 he released Aziatic. A single from the album, "The Essence," (featuring Nas) was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.