Aziatic is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper AZ. It was released on June 11, 2002 via Motown. Recording sessions took place at Sweet Mountain Studios in Englewood and Power Station in New York. Production was handled by Chop D.I.E.S.E.L., Buckwild, Miller Time, Precison, Baby Paul, DR Period, L.E.S., Mike Risko, Portiay and Big Joe, with Damian "Deo" Blyden, Kedar Massenburg and AZ serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Animal, DJ Rogers Jr., El Shabar, Nas and Trav.

Aziatic
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 11, 2002 (2002-06-11)
Recorded2001–2002
Studio
GenreHip hop
Length46:58
LabelMotown
Producer
AZ chronology
9 Lives
(2001)
Aziatic
(2002)
A.W.O.L.
(2005)
Singles from Aziatic
  1. "I'm Back"
    Released: September 18, 2001
  2. "Take It Off"
    Released: May 7, 2002
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
HipHopDX4.5/5[2]
RapReviews9/10[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
StylusA[5]
The Village Voice(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[6]

The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. Its lead single, "I'm Back", made it to number 63 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song "The Essence" off of the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Outkast's "The Whole World".

Background

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After two albums that received vastly differing responses —Pieces of a Man and 9 Lives— AZ's fourth solo full-length is considered the rapper's comeback album, which restored his credibility. The project features AZ's flow and style over melodic, soulful production.[7] It also marks his second and final studio album for Motown Records.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Once Again"DR Period2:38
2."A-1 Performance"
Portiay3:53
3."Wanne Be There"
  • Cruz
  • Mark Curry
  • Damien Blyden
  • Maurice Barge
  • Jimmie Jiles
Chop D.I.E.S.E.L.3:55
4."Take It Off"
L.E.S.4:23
5."The Essence" (featuring Nas)
3:29
6."Hands in the Air" (featuring D.J. Rogers Jr.)
  • Cruz
  • Larry Gates
Precision4:14
7."Fan Mail"
Miller Time3:36
8."Paradise (Life)"
Miller Time2:54
9."Take Care of Me"
  • Cruz
  • Sherree Ford
  • Gates
Precision3:41
10."I'm Back" (featuring El Shabar)Buckwild3:12
11."Hustler" (featuring Trav and Animal)Chop D.I.E.S.E.L.4:08
12."Re-Birth"Buckwild2:00
13."Aziatic (Outro)"
  • Cruz
  • Curry
  • Blyden
Chop D.I.E.S.E.L.1:07
14."Doing Me" (Bonus Track)
  • Cruz
  • Donald Woolfolk
Big Joe3:48
Total length:46:58
Sample credits

Personnel

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  • Anthony "AZ" Cruz – vocals, executive producer
  • Nasir "Nas" Jones – vocals (track 5)
  • D.J. Rogers, Jr. – vocals (track 6)
  • Terry "El Shabar" Williford – vocals (track 9)
  • Trav – vocals (track 11)
  • Animal – vocals (track 11)
  • Makeba Riddick – additional vocals (track 2)
  • Chimere Scott – additional vocals (track 3)
  • Shelene Thomas – additional vocals (track 4)
  • Londell "Nikko" Smith – background vocals (track 6)
  • Sherree Ford – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Darryl "DR Period" Pittman – producer (track 1)
  • Portiay – producer (track 2)
  • Mark "Chop D.I.E.S.E.L." Curry – producer (tracks: 3, 11, 13)
  • Leshan "L.E.S." Lewis – producer (track 4)
  • "Baby Paul" Anthony Hendricks – producer (track 5)
  • Mike Risko – producer (track 5)
  • Larry "Precision" Gates – producer (tracks: 6, 9)
  • Robert "Miller Time" Miller – producer (tracks: 7, 8)
  • Anthony "Buckwild" Best – producer (tracks: 10, 12)
  • Big Joe – producer (track 14)
  • Damien "DEO" Blyden – recording, executive producer, A&R
  • Mike Thomas – recording
  • Chris Athens – mastering
  • Kedar Massenburg – executive producer
  • Annalee Valencia-Bruch – art direction, design
  • Clay Patrick McBride – photography
  • Sandy Brummels – creative director
  • Orrin Ennis – A&R
  • Liz Loblack – production management
  • Monica Morrow – stylist

Charts

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Chart (2002) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8] 29
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 5

References

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  1. ^ Mills, Brad. "Aziatic - AZ | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Williams, DeMarco (July 4, 2002). "AZ - Aziatic". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (June 25, 2002). "AZ :: Aziatic :: Motown". www.rapreviews.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2002. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Marriott, Rob (July 2, 2002). "Recordings". Rolling Stone. No. 901 (published July 25, 2002). pp. 72–73. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Berliner, Brett (2003). "AZ | AZiatic | Motown | 2002". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved February 1, 2010 – via Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 4, 2003). "The Prelude". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on February 11, 2003. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  7. ^ McIntosh, Daryl (June 11, 2022). "Rediscover AZ's 'Aziatic' (2002) | Tribute". Albumism. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "AZ Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "AZ Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
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