Aziatic

2002 studio album by AZ

Aziatic

Studio album by

Released

June 11, 2002 (2002-06-11)

Recorded

2001–2002

Studio

Sweet Mountain Studios (Englewood, NJ)
Power Station (New York, NY)

Genre

Hip hop

Length

46:58

Label

Motown

Producer

Baby Paul
Buckwild
Chop Diesel
DR Period
Larry "Precision" Gates
L.E.S.
Mike Risko
Miller Time
Portiay
Big Joe

AZ chronology

9 Lives
(2001)

Aziatic
(2002)

A.W.O.L.
(2005)

Singles from Aziatic

"I'm Back"
Released: September 18, 2001
"Take It Off"
Released: May 7, 2002

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
HipHopDX	4.5/5^[2]
RapReviews	9/10^[3]
Rolling Stone	^[4]
Stylus	A^[5]
The Village Voice	^[6]

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.

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

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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Once Again"	Anthony Cruz Darryl Pittman John Sebastian	DR Period	2:38
2.	"A-1 Performance"	Cruz Makeba Riddick Curtis Richardson Geoffrey Leib	Portiay	3:53
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"	Cruz Shelene Thomas Leshan Lewis Herbert N. Middleton	L.E.S.	4:23
5.	"The Essence" (featuring Nas)	Cruz Nasir Jones Paul Hendricks Michael Risko James A. Johnson	Baby Paul Mike Risko	3:29
6.	"Hands in the Air" (featuring D.J. Rogers Jr.)	Cruz Larry Gates	Precision	4:14
7.	"Fan Mail"	Cruz Robert Miller Blyden Leonard Caston Jr. Terri McFaddin	Miller Time	3:36
8.	"Paradise (Life)"	Cruz Miller Blyden Vinnie Barrett Bruce Hawes	Miller Time	2:54
9.	"Take Care of Me"	Cruz Sherree Ford Gates	Precision	3:41
10.	"I'm Back" (featuring El Shabar)	Cruz Terry Williford Anthony Best Frank Edward Wilson Caston Jr. Pamela Joan Sawyer	Buckwild	3:12
11.	"Hustler" (featuring Trav and Animal)	Cruz Trevor Carroll Curry Blyden Dennis Edwards Otis Williams Damon Harris Richard Street David English	Chop D.I.E.S.E.L.	4:08
12.	"Re-Birth"	Cruz Best Keith Mansfield	Buckwild	2:00
13.	"Aziatic (Outro)"	Cruz Curry Blyden	Chop D.I.E.S.E.L.	1:07
14.	"Doing Me" (Bonus Track)	Cruz Donald Woolfolk	Big Joe	3:48
Total length:				46:58

Sample credits

Track 1 contains elements from "Welcome Back" written and performed by John Sebastian.
Track 2 contains elements from "She Can Wait Forever" written by Geoffrey Leib and performed by George Duke.
Track 3 embodies portions from "I Just Want to Be There" written by Maurice Barge and Jimmie Jiles and performed by The Independents.
Track 5 contains elements from "Musical Love" written by Rick James and performed by the Mary Jane Girls.
Track 7 embodies portions from "Each Day I Cry a Little" written by Leonard Caston Jr. and Terri McFaddin and performed by Eddie Kendricks.
Track 8 contains elements from "Just As Long As We Have Love" written by Vinnie Barrett and Bruce Hawes and performed by Wilbert Longmire.
Track 10 embodies portions from "Loving You the Second Time Around" written by Frank Wilson, Leonard Caston Jr. and Pam Sawyer and performed by Eddie Kendricks.
Track 11 embodies portions from "I'm a Bachelor" written by Dennis Edwards, Otis Williams, Damon Harris, Richard Street and David English and performed by The Temptations.
Track 12 contains elements from "Important Project" written and performed by Keith Mansfield.

Personnel

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

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

References

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