Doe or Die

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Doe or Die
The cover depicts a funeral. In the center of it is a portrait of AZ, surrounded with flowers. In front of the portrait is an opened coffin, with money inside of it. At the top of the cover is the text "Doe or Die" in a blocky green font. On the right side, next to the coffin lid, is the dark red text "AZ", placed at an angle to the viewer.
Studio album by
AZ
ReleasedOctober 10, 1995 (1995-10-10)
Recorded1994–1995
Genre
Length45:24
LabelEMI
Producer
AZ chronology
Doe or Die
(1995) 		The Album
(1997)
Singles from Doe or Die
  1. "Sugar Hill"
    Released: June 27, 1995

Doe or Die is the debut

L.E.S., and Buckwild
, among others. The album spawned the single "Sugar Hill" - which was certified gold by the RIAA in 1995.

Upon release, Doe or Die achieved notable critical and commercial success. The album peaked at #15 on the

RIAA in 1995.[3] The album went on to sell over a million copies[4] A sequel, Doe or Die II
, was released on September 10, 2021.

Content

The album incorporates fictitious tales chronicling the underworld lifestyle of

cigars.[citation needed
]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Richmond Times
[10]
The Source[11]
Spin7/10[12]

Upon its release, Doe or Die received generally favorable reviews from most music critics. Stanton Swihart from AllMusic compared certain aspects of it to Nas' debut album Illmatic, stating "The two albums are very much the twin sides of the same double-headed coin. They are so closely connected, in fact, that it's difficult to pinpoint where Doe or Die's points of departure are located." He viewed it as "one of the strongest, most promising debut efforts of 1995" and one of the strongest rap albums of the year.[6] Christian Hoard from Rolling Stone called it a "literate, sensitive look at street life that sits comfortably, as a companion, next to Nas' masterpiece (Illmatic)."[8] Selwyn Seyfu Hinds from Spin noted the well-defined structure of the album, comparing AZ's delivery to Kool G Rap's.[12]

Although praising the album's lyricism, Los Angeles Times writer Cheo H. Coker criticized the album's production, describing some of it as "lackluster beats".[7] In a retrospective review, a critic for RapReviews labeled Doe or Die as "AZ's best album to date", with the "most replay value". The reviewer believed it deserves to be mentioned alongside albums such as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., It Was Written, and Reasonable Doubt for popularizing the Mafioso style rap, highlighting the fact that Doe or Die preceded two of them. Simultaneously, he criticized some of the album's production and its lack of consistency. He ended the review, saying "All in all, this album is slept on and should be viewed as a gem that must be in every true head's collection".[9]

Track listing

# Title Performer(s) Producer(s) Time
1 "Intro" AZ,
Lunatic Mind 		1:18
2 "Uncut Raw"
  • AZ
 Loose 2:59
3 "Gimme Yours"
  • Intro/chorus: Nas
  • Verses: AZ
 Pete Rock 3:07
4 "Ho Happy Jackie"
  • AZ
 Buckwild 3:34
5 "Rather Unique"
  • AZ
 Pete Rock 4:49
6 "I Feel for You"
  • Verses: AZ
  • Backing vocals: Erica Scott
 Amar Pep 3:03
7 "Sugar Hill"
L.E.S.
 4:09
8 "Mo Money, Mo Murder"
  • AZ, Nas
 DR Period 6:32
9 "Doe or Die"
  • AZ
 N.O. Joe 4:39
10 "We Can't Win"
  • Intro/first verse/outro: Amar Pep
  • Second verse/hook: Barsham
  • Third verse: AZ
 Amar Pep 3:23
11 "Your World Don't Stop"
  • AZ
 Spunk Biggs,
Ski
 3:33
12 "Sugar Hill (Remix)"
  • AZ
 L.E.S. 4:18

Personnel

Album singles

  • "Sugar Hill"
    • Released: June 27, 1995
    • B-side: "Rather Unique"
  • "Gimme Yours (Remix)" [Non-album single]
    • Released: December 5, 1995
    • B-side: "Uncut Raw"
  • "Doe or Die"
    • Released: April 2, 1996
    • B-side: "Mo Money, Mo Murder (Homicide)"

Charts

Chart (1995) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 15
US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 1

Singles

Year Song Chart positions
US
Hot 100 		US
R&B 		US
Rap 		US
Rhythm
US Dance
Sales
1995 "Gimme Yours" 115 51 30 — 21
"Sugar Hill" 25 12 3 28 4
"Doe or Die" — 69 24 — 28

Doe or Die: 15th Anniversary

A 15th anniversary edition of Doe or Die was released on November 30, 2010, by AZ's own Quiet Money Records.

R&B singer June Summers.[14] All the songs from the original Doe or Die are remixed with a new beat.[15]

See also

  • List of number-one R&B albums of 1995 (U.S.)

References

  1. ^ "Top 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  2. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  3. ^ "Riaa - Gold & Platinum - Riaa.com". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01.
  4. ^ "AZ Interview". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  5. ^ Cruz, Anthony (October 10, 2015). "AZ Remembers the History & Impact of 'Doe or Die' on Its 20th Anniversary". Billboard (Interview). Interviewed by Diep, Eric. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  6. ^
    AllMusic
    . Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Coker, Cheo H. (November 5, 1995). "Calendar: Record Rack – AZ, 'Doe or Die'". Los Angeles Times. p. 68. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8
    .
  9. ^ a b Mr. S (March 23, 2002). "AZ :: Doe or Die :: EMI Records". RapReviews. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  10. Newspapers.com
    .
  11. ^ Poluhoff, Nicholas (November 1995). "Record Report: AZ – Doe or Die". The Source. No. 74. New York. p. 91. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Hinds, Selwyn Seyfu (December 1995). "Records: AZ – Doe or Die". Spin. pp. 123–124. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  13. ^ "Producer Baby Paul Talks AZ's "Doe or die 2", New Projects | Get the Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHopDX". Archived from the original on 2010-08-26. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
  14. ^ "AZ- Doe or die 15th Anniversary Album Track Listing!!!!! - DOD2 - Lets go!". Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  15. ^ "AZ Reveals Details of "Doe or die: 15th Anniversary Edition" | Get the Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHop DX". Archived from the original on 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2011-09-10.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doe_or_Die&oldid=1205825080"