June 16, 2003 @ 9:00 pm

AZ- Aziatic (Motown)

Serena Kim

AZ never breaks a sweat.

AZ never breaks a sweat. A street-level aristocrat who’s got it made, he’s content to churn out predictable, innocuous albums as if rhyming were just a part-time gig. Aziatic is no exception. Certainly, AZ has the kind of breath control admired in corner ciphers, but an album demands risks, charisma, and originality—not just a nice flow. AZ spits lackadaisically over slinky R&B vocals, offering telling lines like “No rehearsal / Nothing’s controversial” on “A-1 Performance,” which isn’t one. His conceptual “Fanmail” is simply an uninventive spin on Eminem’s “Stan,” on which he recites “deep” letters from an inmate and a widow. And when he enlists old friend Nas on “The Essence,” all they do is compare spa treatments. Like the rhymes, the production is milquetoast—uninteresting, harmless beats provided by standbys like L.E.S., Baby Paul, and Buckwild. Each song dutifully fills a niche—the obligatory girl song, the thug anthem, the party joint—but they never gel into an inspired product. AZ needs to learn from the original “Asiatic”—”ain’t no half steppin’.”

Article tags: AZ, Aziatic, Motown 

Page printed from:
http://www.vibe.com/music/revolutions/2003/06/az_aziatic_motown/

Return to previous page