{"id":437926,"date":"2026-05-12T13:28:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T13:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/437926\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T13:28:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T13:28:12","slug":"doe-or-die-iii-rapreviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/437926\/","title":{"rendered":"Doe or Die III \u2013 RapReviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anthony \u201cAZ\u201d Cruz\u2019s claim-to-fame was being the sole guest appearance on Nas\u2019 1994 debut \u201cIllmatic\u201d, having a verse on the song \u201cLife\u2019s a Bitch\u201d. Gaining a record deal off the strength of that appearance, he released his 1995 debut \u201cDoe or Die\u201d to critical acclaim. Taking up with the New York mafioso themes at the time, his subsequent albums followed a similar trend, with his eleventh album \u201cDoe or Die III\u201d being no different. Released 30-plus years after his debut, the third installment of the series looks and sounds more like a proper sequel than its 2021 predecessor<\/a> did, with several track titles being direct nods to those on the inaugural \u201cDoD\u201d album. And to once again invoke Nas\u2019 name, \u201cDoe or Die III\u201d has been released under Mr. Jones\u2019 own Mass Appeal label, kind of making this album\u2019s issuance something of a full circle for Nas and AZ.<\/p>\n

The album intro produced by K-Def begins with AZ looking back at his career now that he\u2019s passed the 50 year-mark, viewing it with a hindsight that\u2019s far from being wizened. To that end, he drops a single verse laced with back-to-back multis detailing his mob-influenced high-stakes hustler aesthetic. The piano-driven \u201cNo Need for Lactose\u201d is a Ron Browz production and sufficient for AZ to lay down street tales from his perspective. \u201cGimme the World\u201d is misleading, not because of the lush production courtesy of Large Professor, but because Jadakiss is featured\u2026only on the hook. The track would\u2019ve been hotter had Jada spat a verse. Los Angeles-based production duo Mike & Keys make their first album appearance on \u201cUniqueness\u201d, a crooning soulful number with young Sosa boasting about his experience from East New York in Brooklyn to now, delivered with his trademark slightly nasal flow and affinity for literate rhymes. Despite the title, the Mumu Fresh-assisted \u201cSo High\u201d is not a weed song. The album\u2019s first single is an ode to the luxurious fruits of young Sosa\u2019s illicit labors. Over a slightly funk-tinged production courtesy of Bink!, AZ showers his lyrics with brand-name fashion and upscale references specifically designed to make it rain:<\/p>\n

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The classic \u201cHo Happy Jackie\u201c also gets a sequel, first in the form of a spoken word skit with production by Mike & Keys and second with the Statik Selektah-produced \u201cStill Jackie\u201d. AZ\u2019s storytelling ties this back to the original, especially with last bar: \u201cFrom acne, no hair and gear that was tacky\u2026\u201d The requisite Nas appearance doesn\u2019t really come as much of a \u201cSurprise\u201d on the Mike & Keys track of the same name. Esco and Sosa haven\u2019t lost their chemistry as the poet laureate of Queensbridge handles the hook and holds down the second verse. \u201cFresh Water\u201d has a bouncy production from Bink! and has AZ showing off his rap skills outside of mob motifs, providing autobiographical rhymes about his own come-up as a rapper in several neighborhoods in NYC\u2019s boroughs.<\/p>\n

Buckwild of D.I.T.C. laces \u201cWinners Win\u201d with some R&B boom-bap, enough for AZ to spit alongside his own son, Amar Noir. He has his father\u2019s nasal flow and while not on AZ\u2019s level, he can still hold his own as far as the bars go. The jazzy \u201cI Was Once There Too\u201d, produced by Statik Selektah, is nostalgic as AZ pays homage to his rap influences. The N.O. Joe-produced \u201cLove My Life\u201d is a certified head-nodder, lampshading AZ\u2019s longevity (\u201cThe sequel, hope it lead to no evil \/ It\u2019s caution amongst the feeble \/ the softest ones\u2019ll leave you\u201d). The \u201cWe Made It\u201d outro produced By Ron Browz ends in contrast to the album intro, particularly with how AZ raps with his voice cracking as though he\u2019s on the verge of breaking down in tears. Even though it\u2019s roughly 34 minutes, \u201cDoe or Die III\u201d is the rightful heir to the original, balancing lush and gritty productions with AZ\u2019s cinematic narratives.<\/p>\n

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AZ :: Doe or Die III<\/p>\n

7.5Overall Score<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anthony \u201cAZ\u201d Cruz\u2019s claim-to-fame was being the sole guest appearance on Nas\u2019 1994 debut \u201cIllmatic\u201d, having a verse…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-437926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}