Legacy of AZ
Artists and genres AZ directly influenced — one hop forward on the family tree of music.
JAY-ZartistShawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked him as the greatest rapper of all time. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest music artist in history, worth an estimated US$2.8 billion as of 2026.
Ghostface Killahartist
Eminemartist
Nasartist
Illmaticartist
The Slim Shady EPartistSlim Shady EP is the only extended play by the American rapper Eminem, released on December 10, 1997, through WEB Entertainment. Unlike his debut album Infinite (1996), the Slim Shady EP helped Eminem gain the interest of CEO Jimmy Iovine and the West Coast rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who subsequently signed Eminem to his Aftermath Entertainment record label, and served as executive producer on his first major-label album, The Slim Shady LP (1999).