Biography:
AZ was born Anthony Cruz to an African-American mother and a Dominican father. Although he had been rapping since 1992, AZ 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.
In 1997, he and Nas appeared in an Sprite commercial.
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. The Firm's only album, The Album, was regarded as critically disappointing. Pieces of a Man, AZ's second solo release, didn't sell well. Independently, AZ released S.O.S.A. to little fanfare in 2000. Soon, however, AZ signed with Motown/Universal Records and released 9 Lives.
In 2002, he released Aziatic. A single from the album, "The Essence," was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The video to its first single, "I'm Back," received moderate MTV2 play. AZ was supposed to release an album titled Final Call, around late 2004 or early 2005. Due to massive bootlegging, however, the album was never released. Instead, A.W.O.L. was released on September 6, 2005. This album featured many tracks that were on the unreleased Final Call, as well as some new ones—the first single was the DJ Premier-produced "The Come Up," and it became a moderately popular single.
AZ's sixth solo album The Format , was released on November 7, 2006.
Since The Format, AZ has released a mixtape titled The Memphis Sessions and a J-Love mixtape titled The Return of S.O.S.A. His latest album Undeniable will be released in early 2008.
Style:
AZ is known for his smooth, rhythmic cadence of delivery. He is also known for his use of multi-syllable rhyme schemes, internal rhymes, unconventional rhymes, and a large vocabulary. AZ is "one of the greatest rappers as far as lyrics and longevity", his style and flow are instantly recognizable and comparable to his friend and collaborator Nas.
Albums:
* 1995: Doe Or Die
* 1997: The Firm: The Album
* 1998: Pieces Of A Man
* 2000: S.O.S.A. (Save Our Streets AZ)
* 2001: 9 Lives
* 2002: AZiatic
* 2004: Final Call (unreleased)
* 2005: A.W.O.L.
* 2006: The Format
* 2007: Memphis Sessions (Remixtape)
* 2008: Undeniable
* 2009: Legendary
* 2009: G.O.D. (Gold, Oil & Diamonds)
Enjoy Yourself
AZ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
9-8, get it straight
Yo, yes yes y'all steady playin the wall
Too young to sip alcohol at the bar
I'm ready to jet, girls actin bourgeoise
Yo Kedar, let me hold the keys to the car
I'm in front of the club tryin to bag a chick
Tryin to get five of em, cuz the whip seat six
Watch the moonlight bounce off the pearl white
Word money, I earn money just to burn money
I'm tryin to get this federal reserve money
There's two type of artists, expert and novice
Expert always hit the mark of they target
[Chorus:]
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself with me
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself with me
You gotta enjoy yourself... cmon
I have the baddest foundation ever established
Me and my team bubble like Alka Seltzer tablets
Don't sleep, when its time to creep
A little pimp like me will crawl underneath
It takes alot more than word to move me
I don't give a P-H-U-K what you say
Actin all wild, unprofession-al
Who got beef, I knock teeth out ya smile
My lyrical lubricant keeps the crowd movin
You get booed when your stage show needs improvment
So if you wanna see A+ the artist
You gotta Western Union me a key grand deposit
While that cats out there steady kickin garbage
Girls steady sayin, look I can see who the God is
You can't harm me or stop me
even on a poor quality bootleg cassette copy
[Chorus]
Yo yo yo, take ya time, make up ya mind
The dime pieces love the diamonds and the shine
Real friends never fall in love
Stealin my heart, is like stealin a car with The Club
Nevertheless I get an occasional crush
Say some romantic stuff to make you wanna blush
Girls in all flavors, no matter what they race is
Rhymes amazin, makin Craig Mack faces
Take em back to the lab and touch three bases
Take my time, don't wanna catch no rape cases
Kiss her on the forehead and say goodnight
A+ y'all, and I'm out like three strikes
[Chorus]
AZ's song "Enjoy Yourself" starts with the rapper wanting to have a good time at the club. He is too young to drink alcohol, but he is ready to leave with some girls. The song talks about his aspirations to make money and become successful. In his opinion, there are two types of artists, expert and novice, and the former always manages to hit the target. AZ considers himself an expert artist and wants to be rich.
The chorus of "Enjoy Yourself" talks about having a good time and enjoying life. The rapper invites everyone to join him in having fun. He mentions that he has a solid foundation with his team, and he is not easily moved. He is confident that he can handle any challenge thrown at him. He also talks about impressing girls with his romantic words and his rhymes.
In the last verse, AZ talks about taking his time with girls and being a gentleman. He is not interested in forcing himself on anyone and wants to avoid getting into any trouble. The song ends with AZ saying goodbye to his audience.
Line by Line Meaning
Enjoy Yourself.
Have a good time and enjoy yourself.
9-8, get it straight
Let's clarify that we are talking about 1998.
Yo, yes yes y'all steady playin the wall
Hey everyone, I see you standing around and not really doing anything.
Too young to sip alcohol at the bar
I am not legally old enough to drink at the bar.
I'm ready to jet, girls actin bourgeoise
I want to leave, the girls are acting stuck-up.
Yo Kedar, let me hold the keys to the car
Hey Kedar, can I borrow the keys to the car?
I'm in front of the club tryin to bag a chick
I'm trying to pick up a girl in front of the club.
Tryin to get five of em, cuz the whip seat six
I'm trying to get five girls because my car seats six people.
Feelin aight, chrome lookin real tight
I'm feeling good, my car looks impressive with the shiny chrome.
Watch the moonlight bounce off the pearl white
Observing the effect of moonlight on my car's pearly white color.
Word money, I earn money just to burn money
I make money just to spend it all.
I'm tryin to get this federal reserve money
I'm trying to make a lot of money.
There's two type of artists, expert and novice
There are two types of artists: experienced and inexperienced.
Expert always hit the mark of they target
An expert always achieves their goals.
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself with me
Have a good time with me.
I have the baddest foundation ever established
My foundation is the strongest and most impressive ever seen.
Me and my team bubble like Alka Seltzer tablets
My team and I have a lot of energy and are always active.
Don't sleep, when its time to creep
Be alert and ready when it's time to sneak around.
A little pimp like me will crawl underneath
I am experienced at sneaking around and hiding.
It takes alot more than word to move me
It takes a lot to impress me.
I don't give a P-H-U-K what you say
I don't care what you say.
Actin all wild, unprofession-al
Behaving unpredictably and unprofessionally.
Who got beef, I knock teeth out ya smile
Who wants to fight? I'll hit you so hard that you won't be able to smile.
My lyrical lubricant keeps the crowd movin
My smooth rhymes keep the audience moving and dancing.
You get booed when your stage show needs improvment
You will get booed if your performance is not good enough.
So if you wanna see A+ the artist
If you want to see me perform as A+ the artist,
You gotta Western Union me a key grand deposit
You need to send me a deposit of $1,000 via Western Union.
While that cats out there steady kickin garbage
While other artists are making bad music.
Girls steady sayin, look I can see who the God is
Girls are always telling me that I am the best.
You can't harm me or stop me
You cannot hurt me or prevent me from doing what I want.
even on a poor quality bootleg cassette copy
Even a low-quality bootleg recording of my music cannot diminish my greatness.
Yo yo yo, take ya time, make up ya mind
Take your time before making decisions.
The dime pieces love the diamonds and the shine
The attractive women love jewelry and shiny things.
Real friends never fall in love
True friends do not develop romantic feelings for each other.
Stealin my heart, is like stealin a car with The Club
It is difficult to win my love and affection.
Nevertheless I get an occasional crush
However, I do occasionally develop feelings for someone.
Say some romantic stuff to make you wanna blush
I will say sweet and romantic things to make you blush.
Girls in all flavors, no matter what they race is
I am interested in women of all races and ethnicities.
Rhymes amazin, makin Craig Mack faces
My rap lyrics are amazing and making people make funny faces like Craig Mack.
Take em back to the lab and touch three bases
Take the woman back to my place and achieve three goals (probably sexually).
Take my time, don't wanna catch no rape cases
I will take my time and be careful to not be accused of sexual assault.
Kiss her on the forehead and say goodnight
I will kiss her on the forehead and say goodnight.
A+ y'all, and I'm out like three strikes
I am A+ and now I'm leaving like being out in baseball with three strikes.
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself with me
Have a good time with me.
Contributed by Colin Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.