Anthony Cruz (born March 9, 1972), better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper. Best known for his affiliation with hometown native and fellow East Coast rapper Nas, they formed the New York City-based hip hop group the Firm with Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature in 1996. Cruz first saw recognition for his guest appearance on Nas' 1994 single "Life's a Bitch" from his album Illmatic (1994). Cruz was then signed by EMI to release his debut studio album, Doe or Die (1995), which was met with critical acclaim. Its lead single, "Sugar Hill" (featuring Miss Jones) peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Moreover, The Firm's sole album (1997) peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart despite unfavorable critical response; the group disbanded two years later. Upon EMI's dissolution, he was transferred to its sister labels, Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records, through which he released his second album, Pieces of a Man (1998) to continued acclaim. Afterward, Cruz signed with Motown and Universal Records to release his third and fourth albums, 9 Lives (2001) and Aziatic (2002). The latter earned a nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for its song "The Essence" (featuring Nas) at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards. Online magazine About.com listed AZ as the "Most Underrated [Rapper] of All Time". AZ also made it onto the site's "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", where he was reiterated as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever".