Add twelve-year veteran AZ to the list of newsworthy fourth quarter releases, as he (Quiet Money Records) and Fastlife Music plan to November 7 drop the emcee’s sixth solo LP, ‘The Format.’ The Brooklyn bred, self-proclaimed “greatest since Pac” teams with frequent collaborator DJ Premier for the lead single and title track, “The Format,” however it’s the lauded producer/DJ’s only offering. AZ chooses Emile (from AZ’s “New York” and “Since They Wanna Know,” Obie Trice) to hold down a third (four tracks) of the rather brief LP. J. Cardim, another up and comer- known for work with Saigon, Jean Grae and Talib Kweli-contributes music on three cuts, including “Rise & Fall” featuring Little Brother.‘The Format’ is a lean eleven tracks, plus a bonus 50 Cent diss, “Royal Salute,” released earlier this year (50 said AZ drops “bullshit joints” on “What If” from the ‘Get Rich or Die Trying’ soundtrack). M.O.P. and Little Brother are the only rappers featured on ‘The Format.’ The retail package will include a DVD featuring live concert footage and music videos.‘The Format’ is AZ’s second Quiet Money/Fastlife release; after ‘The Final Call’ was heavily bootlegged in 2004, 2005’s A.W.O.L. became the first, debuting at number 73 on The Billboard 200, breaking AZ’s three-year silence (‘Aziatic,’ 2002).
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