“Nobody can outline you,” AZ says solemnly within the introduction to Fact Be Informed, his tenth studio album, over a scant drum monitor and angelic vocals that throb like a heartbeat. “The second you enable them to outline you, you enable them to change into your God.” It’s a becoming proclamation for the Brooklyn rapper who, after spitting an iconic visitor verse at the beginning of Nas’ 1994 single “Life’s a Bitch,” has spent the final three a long time reaffirming why he was provided the spot within the first place. His distinct nasal tone, vivid storytelling, and golden circulation have impressed rappers from Joey Bada$$ and Rome Streetz to Rae Sremmurd’s Slim Jxmmi; to not point out he’s one among a handful of former major-label stalwarts who efficiently went impartial years earlier than Roc Marciano and Griselda popularized the strategy. Doe or Die II—the 2021 sequel to his 1995 solo debut—doubled as each a victory lap after its 12-year gestation interval and a strong meat-and-potatoes rap album from an emcee who, on the time, was pushing 50. Now approaching 52, AZ nonetheless brings that cognac-in-an-easy-chair memory to Fact Be Informed, solely this time, the ice has barely melted and the tales are starting to run collectively.
Doe or Die II was thrilling as a showcase of AZ’s spectacular talent and perspective. The down-on-his-luck capo from the unique had not solely come up from squalor however outlived his demons, and the best way that story dovetailed with AZ’s personal journey by rap helped the celebratory air really feel earned. However whereas Fact Be Informed has some thrilling moments, there’s much less significant reflection than its title implies and extra spinning of the wheels. These are both tales we’ve heard earlier than or concepts he’s executed with extra aptitude elsewhere. That isn’t to say AZ has fallen off totally. At its greatest, that Brooklyn slur of his remains to be gripping, using by the contours of beats like a bucket with 150,000 miles on it. “Nonetheless Received It” and “The GOAT” are the sharpest examples: AZ totally locks in with the drums to speak about arising from nights on the park bench and discovering his place in rap historical past between Huge Daddy Kane and Lil Wayne. However extra typically than regular, his circulation will get somewhat slippery, derailing the momentum of some songs. And when that’s mixed with weaker storytelling and retreaded subject material, like the tasteless paeans to Black capitalism on “Don’t Go Astray” or the profession SparkNotes that’s “One of many Biggest,” the phantasm is damaged.