The Firm "The Album" (October 21, 1997)

Nas and his cohorts have all the right ingredients for the perfect music Molotov; gold and platinum artists and producers, street credibility, a femme fatale, and a young protege. Yet The Firm routinely jumps back and forth over the skinny fence that separates failure from success. The foursome do, however, provide vigorous deliveries, renaissance rhymes, reflections on social conditions, and nicely timed mike tosses. Dr. Dre is on fire for some tracks; on some cheesy yesteryear shit for others. And although Nas is the apparent headliner, the verve and poetic acumen of his secondary architects prove the album's high points. Nas sounds crisp and clear but often comes off as unfocused, too infatuated with the high life and overly concerned with with polishing his laurels. But his clique's nimble-tongued members come through. They've got points to prove and doubts to squash. AZ, preparing for his forthcoming album, Pieces of a Man, steps up with tight, intertwined street stanzas that gain depth with every listen. Delivering on the initial promise he showcases on Nas's 1994 "Life's A Bitch," the Visualiza threads metaphysical thoughts, occult teachings, a taste for the glamorous life, and hip-hop's ever present one-upmanship into awesome aural lattices.... And Foxy is full of the kind of post-pubescent confidence that comes with having just recognized the power of the p#ssy. She's never been a better rhymestress than she is on The Firm.... Equally interested in cunnilingus as in being a cunning linguist, Foxy turns the tables around like a female Too Short, leaving pearl juice dripping from the speakers. You forget that she's an 18-year old kid playing grown-up. The up-and-coming Canibus assumes his regular role as show-stealer. But a plethora of guest appearances--including Noreaga and Half-a-Mil, Pretty Boy and Wizard--all get significant mike time,  blurring the focus of The Firm.... Ultimately, The Firm is heavy on motif, okay on concepts, and DOA on plot, while its overbearing skits and filler material pull the project into the mire of gimmickry. The Firm, though, even with star turns from AZ, Nas, and Foxy, misses its mark. This tight-knit work fam looks good together, sounds good together, but... is a little bit shaky. You'll be hitting fast-forward before your morning cup of joe wears off. - Vibe Magazine.

There are still songs on this I love, but the Vibe review wasn't wrong either ... 

Happy Born Day, AZ! (Playlist)

Born in Brooklyn, New York, AZ is a Grammy-nominated rapper who first came to prominence by appearing on Nas' landmark album Illmatic on the song "Life's a Bitch" (1994)—he was the only guest emcee to appear on that album. After a bidding war, AZ signed with EMI, and soon released Doe Or Die (1995) to more critical acclaim than commercial sales. The album's lead single, "Sugar Hill", became AZ's only major commercial success as a solo artist, reaching the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and achieving Gold status. AZ's EMI contract was transferred to sister label Noo Trybe Records/Virgin Records when the EMI Label Group was shut down. AZ's fanbase grew considerably after he joined The Firm, a supergroup comprised of AZ, Nas, Foxy Brown, and Nature, with Dr. Dre and The Trackmasters producing. However, The Firm's only album, The Album, was regarded as critically disappointing. AZ has released over a dozen projects over the course of his career, maintaining a smooth, rhythmic cadence; multi-syllable rhyme schemes, internal rhymes, unconventional rhymes, and his vast vocabulary. While commercial success always eluded him, AZ will go down as one of the nicest MCs to emerge from the mid-90s. Below is a glimpse at some of my favorite tracks from AZ's extensive catalog - check it out, and wish him a Happy Born Day today! 

Below are a couple promo items, hit the archives for more...

The Firm "The Firm Album" (Cassette Sampler, 1997)

"The Firm was like this hip-hop supergroup. All three of them - Nas, AZ, and Foxy Brown - had reached a level of success by this time, so getting the three of them together was a real challenge. AZ was an hour late, Nas was an hour late, and Foxy was even later, like hours and hours, so I decided to work with AZ and Nas first and got some individual shots. I remember Nas was wearing this big "QB" (Queensbridge) medallion. I shot this at Sony Studios soundstage. I was always really inspired by the Blue Note albums, so I used filters for the lights and also added a filter on the lens, and that gives it the red tone. When you apply red filters to black-and-white photos in particular, it does something really magical to skin tones." - Jamil GS (Contact High). Just about anything that could be said of The Firm's 1997 group album has already been said, surely, but just wanted to revisit the album on its anniversary and aside from the photoshoot above, also share the original album sampler (via cassette) that was hosted by DJ Clue and released to promote the LP. It's dope that Cormega is back in the fold of things and is featured on the King's Disease LP. Of course, respect to Nature, who had one of the best mix tape runs at that time. He bodied everything he touched on those early Clue mix tapes. Anyhow, released on 10/21/97.... listen to the sampler below.

Firm Biz ad from The Source's cover issue with Nas, Foxy & AZ...

Nas "King's Disease" (Album Stream)

King's Disease is the thirteenth studio album by legendary eMCee, Nas. It was released today through Mass Appeal Records. The album features appearances from Foxy Brown, Dr. Dre, Cormega and AZ as The Firm, as well as Anderson Paak, A$AP Ferg, Big Sean, Brucie B, Charlie Wilson, Don Toliver, Fivio Foreign, Hit-Boy and Lil Durk. The album is produced by Hit-Boy, with additional production by Gabriel Zardes. King's Disease is the first album I've listened to on the day of its release in quite a long time. Although I'm still making my way through it - slowly digesting it - I've enjoyed what I've heard thus far! I've been disappointed by the early reviews I've read: fans/media are still comparing new material against his debut opus Illmatic and complaining that the music is catering to the mainstream. I'm amazed this is still a conversation in 2020, lol. Sure, I'd like to hear a Nas and DJ Premier album, too ... but I wasn't expecting some underground shit from Hit-Boy and I'm not gonna discredit the content and the skill of Nas, just because it's not 1994 anymore. Cut it out. Mind you, that's coming from someone who hustles nostalgia, the irony isn't lost on me! There's plenty to dig into with this release, just approach it with an open mind. And I can't let this post go up without saying that AZ is still razor sharp, too: "Dialog superb, flyest cars on the curb / word, when I evolved the higher God emerged..." Possibly the best verse on the whole project. Update: I've now sat with it for a few days and think it's a solid album. It's got replay value, to me! Dig in...

The Firm "The Album" (Rap Pages, December 1997)

"When Dr. Dre left N.W.A. to start Death Row Records with now-convicted felon Marion "Suge" Knight, he brought with him a sparkling track record peppered with numerous gold and platinum records. Unfortunately for Dre, since he escaped Death Row's death row to establish Aftermath Records, he has been unable to duplicate earlier achievements. His label debut  bombed and the Firm, a conglomerate of rappers masquerading as money launderers and cocaine traffickers, fails miserably. The Firm, consisting of Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and newcomer Nature, first appeared on Nas's It Was Written on "Affirmative Action cut. "Affirmative Action" spun far-fetched tales of cocaine trafficking via Columbia and deals that suddenly turn sour. The insanity continues on the Firm. Instead of only one song depicting such foolishness, the entire album consists of uninspired, rehashed concepts pilfered from movies, such as Goodfellas, The Godfather, Casino and, of course, Scarface. Trackmasters shares production duties with Dre and seem satisfied with making records that probably pose as clever and original pieces of work to most of today's teens. For instance, "Hardcore" is a ripoff of Cheryl Lynn's "Encore," "Firm Biz" bites Teena Marie's "Square Biz" and "Fuck Somebody Else" boldly jacks the Jones Girk's "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else."

"With the Firm's roster of MCs, one would expect this album to be laced with hit. Nothing could be further from the truth. The lyrical content of this debacle is bland. Nas continues his love affair of Latin American-mafioso-Cali cartel fantasies. Usual escapades of bartering p#ssy for loot, as well as breaking down the mathematics and intricacies of the drug trade are detailed by Foxy - again! AZ continues his career as the connected-but-not-yet "made" underling, and Nature never appears comfortable behind the mic. He ends up as the odd man out in the Firm's musical soiree. The Firms is a partnership that desperately needs to be dissolved." - Rap Pages, December 1997. Honestly? While my aim is to only post about content I enjoy - and I do think this album had a few redeeming moments - I have to agree, this album really did disappoint me a bit back in '97. So, I post this only to say, even though it features some of my favorite artists, they had a fair share of misses, too! Or, maybe I need to remove expectations from it, because with that collective, it shoulda been amazing!