AZ prepares New Album, "Doe or Die 2"

Fifteen years ago, AZ came into the game with his critically-acclaimed album, Doe or Die. That album was the closest that he ever came to achieving mainstream success. The albums that AZ has released since have been commercial failures and received mixed critical reviews. But, he is hoping that all of that will soon come to an end.

Recently, a wave has hit New York rappers. Jay-Z was the first rapper to create this trend. Being away from the game for two years, Jay released The Blueprint 3. Just like that, he regained his entire fan base and then some. Similarly, Raekwon released the sequel to his critically-acclaimed debut album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.

AZ is now joining this party. While he has long given up on becoming a rap star, he is looking to regain his prominence. For the sequel to his 1995 debut album, AZ is teaming up with the current big names. Still, he will retain his style from his first album. AZ hopes that will provide an incredible mixture that could lead to success.

Expected to be released this summer, AZ will also be reuniting with Nas, his former collaborator from earlier in his career.