The Memphis Sessions

Az (Rap)

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 7, 2007)
• Original Release Date: August 7, 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Quiet Money
• ASIN: B000T8CC0O
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #195,218 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Am The Truth

2. AZ Interlude

3. Sit 'Em Back Slow feat. MOP

4. The Format

5. New York feat. Ghostface & Raekwon

6. Get High

7. Make Me feat. Fresh

8. Envious feat. Bounty Killer

9. The Come Up

10. Games

11. Rise And Fall feat. Little Brother

12. Doin' That

13. Game Of Life

14. Vendetta feat. Fresh

15. The Realest w/ Kool G Rap

16. This Is What I Do

17. Life

18. Seems That Way

19. You Know

20. The Love Of Money

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Fresh off his critically-acclaimed album "The Format", AZ returns once again to bless his fans with a unique offering entitled "The Memphis Sessions", a two disc set where each disc stands on its own. Disc One combines AZ's effortless flow with some of the most funky and soulful tracks you'll come across. The second disc is comprised of all new, never released AZ cuts that sound as good on the streets as they do in the club. The result is pure start to finish listening pleasure for the audience as AZ's most popular acapellas are blended with beats reminiscent of 1970's Memphis. The success of Guru's "Jazzmatazz" albums proves that combining Hip Hop with other genres of music is a cutting-edge theme that's bound to be more common in the future. AZ was first heard on Nas' classic "Illmatic" masterpiece back in 1994 when he laid down an incredible verse to the song "Life's A Bitch." Since then, he has released such gems as "Do or Die", "Pieces of A Man", "9 Lives", "Aziatic", "A.W.O.L", and most recently, "The Format." So sit back, relax, and let one of Hip Hop's most underrated emcees take you on a journey from the old to the new, from Memphis to NYC.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Classic..., August 25, 2007

By	Zuriel (Philly, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This remix album, with it's laid back Memphis Soul Stew, actually highlights AZ's lyrical ability. You can catch every word without the beats getting in the way. I think I actually like AZ better than Nas now. Another classic from the god AZ.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Underated, March 14, 2009

By	EnterTHe Wu05 - See all my reviews

This mixtape is maybe the dopest thing AZ has done. His flow fits perfectly over these raw soulful beats. A must have for anyone who likes AZ. I think a lot of these songs are even better than their original versions which is saying a lot because those were hot tracks to start with.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A whole album of Al Green samples? Why not?!, April 20, 2008

By	PSB (Minnetonka, MN United States) - See all my reviews

Andrew Kelly did a great job reworking Al Green samples. AZ's flow often fits quite well - an impressive feat for a remix album. Unfortunately, AZ does not sound right with this music. I'm no expert, but it seems there is a problem with the mixing of the vocal tracks. Not only are the vocals way too loud for the music, but they sound harsh over the warm Al Green samples. AZ's "ess" sounds are almost unbearably loud! I'm sure this is great if you are trying to study AZ's lyrics and technique; he comes across quite clearly. However, for the purpose of musical enjoyment, the mismatched vocals are quite problematic. (EQing down the upper frequencies helps somewhat.)

While "The Memphis Sessions" would have been much more listenable with better mixing, this music is really too good for a "Remixtape". This would have been better as an instrumental or an original album. Also, I'm not really sure AZ is the best fit. There are plenty of rappers that sound better over simple soul samples. I'd really like to see what Raekwon/Ghostface or, to a lesser extent, Twista could do with this. (Tracks 3 and 4 of "The Memphis Sessions" are based on the samples used for Twista's "Do Wrong" and Ghostface's "260", respectively.)

This is definitely worth a listen, if only for the use of Al Green samples. But, unless you are obsessed with AZ's lyrics and delivery, you'll likely be aggravated by his presence.