AZ & DJ Absolut Present N.4.L.
Only a few months after his most recent full-length, Undeniable, the legendary lyricist, AZ, is set to bless fans with an mixtape of historic significance, AZ's N.4.L (Niggaz 4 Life) hosted by Heavy Hitter affiliate and HOT 97's (WQHT-FM, New York) award-winning mixmaster, DJ Absolut, and produced by Absolut, Frado and Street Radio (Styles P, G-Unit, Joell Ortiz) hits online etailers and retail shelves August 5, 2008.
The guiding voice of hip-hop for nearly 14 years, AZ has connected the street-lore and mystique of the past with guidance and wisdom for the future. His newest album, N.4.L. is an edgy, controversial, yet relevant 16-track rap thesis on the word "Nigga" and what it means to be Black in the world today. The concept album expands on the movement started by his long-time collaborative partner, Nas, whose controversial album, Nigger, now Untitled, received so much backlash.
"I'm not doing N.4.L. to be in Nas' shadow," explains AZ. "I was inspired by the message behind the movement. I'm just adding to the concept because the message is so powerful. It's about our culture and our people. He and I are cut from the same cloth, so I understood where he would have gone with it if the forces hadn't intervened. The closest thing to us rhyming together for now is the N.4.L. mixtape. You'll get him burning the candle from one end, [and me] burning the candle from the other end, [and] at the end of the day we gotta meet up in the middle. What you didn't get from Nas, you can get from AZ."
The historical significance of N.4.L. transcends the music and is reflected even in the shocking cover imagery, a historic B&W image of civil rights protestors violently hosed by firemen and the inside jacket's illustration of AZ hanging on a noose, an obvious suggestion to the historic lynchings and the present day lynching of black men and hip-hop artists. Even a cursory glance at the track titles "Knowledge Freedom," "Runaway Slave," "Conspiracy," "Negro Spiritual," and "Self Savior" evoke reaction and provoke thought.
"The title N.4.L. has a dual meaning for me. The first suggests that no matter what you achieve in life, as a Black Man, even if you become President Of The United States, in someone's eyes, you'll always be looked at as a 'nigga for life,'" explains AZ. The second he explains is a reflection of the generational divide, "I'm from the '80s era and our experiences with the 'n' word are different. Growing up, 'nigga' was just our way of communicating and acknowledging each other. You might roll up on someone and say what's up my nigga. Depending on who is saying it, you may not be offended. Although I understood what my mom and grandparents felt about the word, it's not the experience of our generation. Hopefully N.4.L. will engage more dialogue, so both generations can listen to each other and understand how we both perceive the meaning behind the word differently. I express that meaning in N.4.L. from both a street and historic perspective."
Absolut adds, "After the intro, you'll hear the whole 'nigga' concept brought to the table. The first record is called 'Knowledge Freedom,' which sets the tone for the whole mixtape. It gets deeper CD moves along. I wanted to challenge AZ's flow, so we created certain beats and used different interludes that would compliment his skill out a lyricist," explains Absolut who compiled the beats, coordinated the tracks, and hosts throughout. Raekwon and Charlie Rock guests on the leak track, "The Secret" as Sheek Louch and Trey Songz guest on the first official single, "I Just Wanna"
Omar "Ice Man" Sharif, founder and CEO of Ice Man Music Group (IMMG) who is releasing N.4.L. as part of a joint venture between Absolut's Addicted 4 Life and AZ's Quiet Money shares, "AZ is one of the best lyricists hip-hop has to offer. On all his albums, he mixes the message with the music in a way that speaks to the streets and teaches us something new. If we're gonna use the word, then we should understand the history behind it and why the generations before us have such a problem with it! DJ Absolut was the perfect person for AZ to link up with to spread this message because he's on their favorite radio station everyday breaking new records, keeping his ear to the streets. The kids love him! He's a star!"
After a decade and a half of lyrical mastery, AZ says he's truly finding his stride, "I worked hard to get to this point in my career, going from the majors to independent." He quotes Tupac Shakur's popularized acronym 'Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished,' and says with optimism, "As proven in the past, niggas will prevail!"
About DJ Absolut - Host, Producer, Mixer of N.4.L.
Award-winning mixmaster and Heavy Hitter affiliate DJ Absolut is never far from the beats. Expanding his audio empire from DJing the hottest parties all over the club, to hosting a radio show on New York's #1 Radio Station HOT 97, and linking up with the Heavy Hitters, the most connected DJ franchise world-wide, DJ Absolut, has his hands on the turntables, but his ear to the streets. Rising up from humble beginning as a intern at Stress Magazine (now defunct) in 1997, Absolut was eager to make his mark on the industry. While there he learned the importance of networking, the value of forging relationships and built a series of connects that helped him get bookings at the hottest hip-hop clubs in New York. Not long after, we secured his first on-air gig and an affiliation with The Heavy Hitters, the most connected DJ collective world-wide with the power to make n' break artists. An award-winning mixtape producer & DJ, Absolut inked a joint venture through his production company, Addicted 4 Life, to produce a series of mixtapes released by Iceman Music Group and distributed by Koch Entertainment. The first of which is AZ's N.4.L. album. Absolut has been featured on BET MTV, The Source, Vibe Magazine, XXL Magazine.
About Ice Man Music Group, Inc. (IMMG)
Founded by Omar "Ice Man" Sharif, Ice Man Music Group (IMMG) distributed by Koch Entertainment (parent distributor for Koch Records) dedicates itself to raw original hip-hop and includes Spider Loc, AZ, ONYX (Fredro Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Sonny Seeza), DJ Absolut and new artists Young Hustel and Bad Luck. Under IMMG is a coalition of labels: Onyx Records Presents 100 Mad Niggaz With Gunz. Baymacc, Onyx Records,Quiet Money, Addicted 4 Life, and many more to come.
The guiding voice of hip-hop for nearly 14 years, AZ has connected the street-lore and mystique of the past with guidance and wisdom for the future. His newest album, N.4.L. is an edgy, controversial, yet relevant 16-track rap thesis on the word "Nigga" and what it means to be Black in the world today. The concept album expands on the movement started by his long-time collaborative partner, Nas, whose controversial album, Nigger, now Untitled, received so much backlash.
"I'm not doing N.4.L. to be in Nas' shadow," explains AZ. "I was inspired by the message behind the movement. I'm just adding to the concept because the message is so powerful. It's about our culture and our people. He and I are cut from the same cloth, so I understood where he would have gone with it if the forces hadn't intervened. The closest thing to us rhyming together for now is the N.4.L. mixtape. You'll get him burning the candle from one end, [and me] burning the candle from the other end, [and] at the end of the day we gotta meet up in the middle. What you didn't get from Nas, you can get from AZ."
The historical significance of N.4.L. transcends the music and is reflected even in the shocking cover imagery, a historic B&W image of civil rights protestors violently hosed by firemen and the inside jacket's illustration of AZ hanging on a noose, an obvious suggestion to the historic lynchings and the present day lynching of black men and hip-hop artists. Even a cursory glance at the track titles "Knowledge Freedom," "Runaway Slave," "Conspiracy," "Negro Spiritual," and "Self Savior" evoke reaction and provoke thought.
"The title N.4.L. has a dual meaning for me. The first suggests that no matter what you achieve in life, as a Black Man, even if you become President Of The United States, in someone's eyes, you'll always be looked at as a 'nigga for life,'" explains AZ. The second he explains is a reflection of the generational divide, "I'm from the '80s era and our experiences with the 'n' word are different. Growing up, 'nigga' was just our way of communicating and acknowledging each other. You might roll up on someone and say what's up my nigga. Depending on who is saying it, you may not be offended. Although I understood what my mom and grandparents felt about the word, it's not the experience of our generation. Hopefully N.4.L. will engage more dialogue, so both generations can listen to each other and understand how we both perceive the meaning behind the word differently. I express that meaning in N.4.L. from both a street and historic perspective."
Absolut adds, "After the intro, you'll hear the whole 'nigga' concept brought to the table. The first record is called 'Knowledge Freedom,' which sets the tone for the whole mixtape. It gets deeper CD moves along. I wanted to challenge AZ's flow, so we created certain beats and used different interludes that would compliment his skill out a lyricist," explains Absolut who compiled the beats, coordinated the tracks, and hosts throughout. Raekwon and Charlie Rock guests on the leak track, "The Secret" as Sheek Louch and Trey Songz guest on the first official single, "I Just Wanna"
Omar "Ice Man" Sharif, founder and CEO of Ice Man Music Group (IMMG) who is releasing N.4.L. as part of a joint venture between Absolut's Addicted 4 Life and AZ's Quiet Money shares, "AZ is one of the best lyricists hip-hop has to offer. On all his albums, he mixes the message with the music in a way that speaks to the streets and teaches us something new. If we're gonna use the word, then we should understand the history behind it and why the generations before us have such a problem with it! DJ Absolut was the perfect person for AZ to link up with to spread this message because he's on their favorite radio station everyday breaking new records, keeping his ear to the streets. The kids love him! He's a star!"
After a decade and a half of lyrical mastery, AZ says he's truly finding his stride, "I worked hard to get to this point in my career, going from the majors to independent." He quotes Tupac Shakur's popularized acronym 'Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished,' and says with optimism, "As proven in the past, niggas will prevail!"
About DJ Absolut - Host, Producer, Mixer of N.4.L.
Award-winning mixmaster and Heavy Hitter affiliate DJ Absolut is never far from the beats. Expanding his audio empire from DJing the hottest parties all over the club, to hosting a radio show on New York's #1 Radio Station HOT 97, and linking up with the Heavy Hitters, the most connected DJ franchise world-wide, DJ Absolut, has his hands on the turntables, but his ear to the streets. Rising up from humble beginning as a intern at Stress Magazine (now defunct) in 1997, Absolut was eager to make his mark on the industry. While there he learned the importance of networking, the value of forging relationships and built a series of connects that helped him get bookings at the hottest hip-hop clubs in New York. Not long after, we secured his first on-air gig and an affiliation with The Heavy Hitters, the most connected DJ collective world-wide with the power to make n' break artists. An award-winning mixtape producer & DJ, Absolut inked a joint venture through his production company, Addicted 4 Life, to produce a series of mixtapes released by Iceman Music Group and distributed by Koch Entertainment. The first of which is AZ's N.4.L. album. Absolut has been featured on BET MTV, The Source, Vibe Magazine, XXL Magazine.
About Ice Man Music Group, Inc. (IMMG)
Founded by Omar "Ice Man" Sharif, Ice Man Music Group (IMMG) distributed by Koch Entertainment (parent distributor for Koch Records) dedicates itself to raw original hip-hop and includes Spider Loc, AZ, ONYX (Fredro Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Sonny Seeza), DJ Absolut and new artists Young Hustel and Bad Luck. Under IMMG is a coalition of labels: Onyx Records Presents 100 Mad Niggaz With Gunz. Baymacc, Onyx Records,Quiet Money, Addicted 4 Life, and many more to come.
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