Record Rack

** AZ, “9 Lives,” Motown. This overlooked New York rapper, who was first introduced by Nas, injects vivid imagery into his detailed street parables. But on his third major-label release, AZ’s mostly uninspiring production from Chop D.I.E.S.E.L. and others can’t keep up with his advanced language. The stuttering, percolating beat for “AZ’s Back” sounds like imitation Timbaland, while the amateurish track for “How Many Wanna” derails the song.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.