AZ & DJ Absolute to Release N.4.L. Mixtape on August 5th
Leaked Track: Secret ft. Charlie Rock and Raekwon
CONTROVERSIAL PACKAGING CONTAINS ILLUSTRATION OF AZ HANGING ON A NOOSE SYMBOLIZING THE LYNCHING OF HIP-HOP
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
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.”
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