When making a sequel to an album that’s over 25 years old, you may expect a quick cash grab that’s only strengths are built off nostalgia, but for legendary Queens rapper AZ’s Doe or Die II, he’s managed to put together one of the best albums of his nearly 30-year career. While remaining true to its classic predecessor’s heart and feel, the New York mc is able to reinvent himself through his maturity as a person over the years and pen game which has remained just as strong if not even stronger than it was in 1995. While these traits alone would make the record feel like a call back to the mid-90s, both the modern boom-bap production and features from 21st-century spitters like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Griselda’s Conway The Machine, and Dave East, keep the album feeling fresh and evolved from the era the 49-year-old resided in. Overall, the growth and development yet hunger and desire AZ displays throughout this 42-minute experience is what makes Doe or Die II like no other sequel album an mc from this age group has ever made.
Rating: 7.5/10
Top 5 Songs:
- Time To Answer
- Different
- Ritual
- Found My Niche
- Just 4 U
Written By: Mr. Fantastic
