Moscow by way of Spain rapper AZ’s new album Third Rome features tracks of the best blend of trap and new school hip-hop production that we’ve seen in a long time. The album follow’s AZ’s debut full-length, 2112, both of which came out on Calibre 357. Along with AZ’s unique style of rapping in which he seamlessly combines Russian and English lyrics about life on the street and hip-hop culture, Third Rome also features a huge variety of hot up and coming hip-hop stars such as Fudge, singer Mani Strings, June B, Jamillions, Z-Hard, Kid Nuevo and more.Kicking off Third Rome is “I Told You” featuring Fudge, in which AZ raps “I told you I’m going to get to the money. I told you as soon as I get it N**** going to start acting different. Hate to say I told you so…” The song “Pole” follows, a sexy downtempo trap tune that knocks it out of the park with both production and AZ’s rapping. Featuring vocals by Mani Strings, “Champagne” is about as hard as trap music gets. Strings adds a little Rhianna-esque R&B chorus to AZ’s rapping in both English and Russian. Producers on the album include Valentine on “I Told You”, Abuin Beatz on “Pole”, Trap Team Beats on “Chapagne”, Shawn West on the title track, and many more – all of which blows clouds in the face of the likes of Swiss Beats, DJ Mustard and Timaland.AZ’s style of rapping on Third Rome is dripping with culture reminiscent of a Moscow lost. The near flawless trap-hop driven production is a breath of fresh air for a genre that is mostly EDM influenced. Whether you’re a fan of new school trap-hop beats or tired on the same old hip-hop albums and are craving something new, check out AZ’s Third Rome and keep an eye out for this rising multicultural hip-hop star.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
AZ: I was born in Moscow in 1992 and I lived there for 12 years. Then later on, I moved to Spain with my family in 2005. At first, I lived in Marbella, down the south on Costa-Del-Sol. I started going to school there and after graduating school and IB, I moved to Madrid to attend European University of Madrid. I been living in Madrid for the past 4 years and I started writing my lyrics and recording them on the phone to make my demos. Eventually I recorded over 40 demos and one day I met my friend and colleague Jorge Porter who owns a recordng studion and label in Madrid. Our label is called Calibre 357 Records and I have been recording there for the past 2 years. To be honest, I never planned to be an artist but my first experience was mixing tracks on Virtual DJ when I was at school and I always loved Rap/Hip-Hop. Besides I am really good at writing lyrics and that allowed me to release 3 projects in 1 year. My first relase was Mixtape 2112 that came out in August, 2015. Then in November I started working on EP INFINITY and it was released on December, 2015. My last release was my album “Third Rome” that has 6 collaborations and 6 solo tracks. It is the best music release I have so far. Mostly I focus on Trap and new sound, trying to be ahead of others since I rap in English and Russian. At the moment I am working on my free release “Project X” that is coming out really son! Word Up!
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
AZ: It is really easy. Before I used to call myself “AlphaBet” and when I was 17, I made my first tattoo which were the initials of my name : Anton Zhukov( AZ). After I did the tattoo, I thought that AlphaBet and AZ is the same thing and decided to change it to AZ. Basically, my artist name is just 2 first letters of my name. Some people say it´s weird but who cares.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
AZ: I think that without online music sharing, Industry would have not been able to give us so many talented artists that emerged from the Internet exposure so I consider it to be essential part of music distribution. Everyone downloads and finds songs through Internet these days and I would not be where I am today, if it was not for Internet. It really helped me to get out there and show the world that I can make interesting and good music. On the other hand, I think some music should be given away for free to show that it is not just about the money. My next release “Project X” will be free for download.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
AZ: I been doing it for a while but I am also new at this game so I would recommend to believe in yourself no matter what and if you really want to make it out there, you gotta invest some money into your music. It does not have to be a lot of money, you can find promotion deals for $ 20-40 and in my opinion, if you not willing to invest in yourself, you will find it much harder to find exposure or recognition among your listeners. It does not come easy, but who said it should be? I love the challenge. Besides, I always loved music so for me it is not just a hobby or a thing I do. I actually love it and that is a key to success. If you do not love what you do, then you will end up wasting your time.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
AZ: Sometimes I can forget a phrase or a sentence but people barely notice since I can freestyle and improvise with rhymes right on the spot. That makes it easier to avoid embarrasment of not knowing your own lyrics. Sometimes I would also get shy but it already ended since my music is my music and if people don´t like what I do, I cannot help them.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
AZ: I have not been on tour yet as my music just slowly started getting recognition and giving me results. I already organized my first 2 concerts in Madrid and Marbella but they were not that huge. Some people showed up and both times it was fun and a great party so I cannot say I do not have experience but we all learn. Tours will be later, once I am famous enough to get 1000 people to come to each performance. I got many stories and if you wanna know, after the last concert in Madrid, I ended up getting drunk with a friend and 5 girls at his place. Was a proper trap house. Madrid has its dark moments and I love the whole party mode theme.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
AZ: Mostly I get inspiration from the things I live and see on a daily basis but also from my past experiences and from my social life. Usually I come to the studio with a few grams of good weed and we good to go. Weed does not inspire me but it eases the process of writing lyrics and recording since it makes me relaxed. Sometimes I randomly start writing a text and leave for weeks or days until I feel like I have to keep writing. It all depends on the mood and the desire to record. I record frequently so I have over 80 tracks and I lost so many tracks that were never recorded in good quality. I keep all my lyrics though haha! I do not use Iphone 6 to type and use paper instead. Keep it classic.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
AZ: I do, here is the link. It is the website of our label and studio. You can find most of my releases there but I upload my music to many places at once. I use many platforms like iTunes, Spotify, Google Plus, Deezer, Amazon and so on. My music i also on Datpiff, Coast2Coast Mixtapes and many other places. I got a Facebook fan page where all posts are added.
Link for the website: http://calibre357.es/es/az
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/AZ-436768619708769/?fref=ts
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mc-az/sets/album-third-rome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/az_crazy_/
Coast2Coast: http://coast2coastmixtapes.com/mixtape/az-third-rome
Datpiff: http://www.datpiff.com/AZ-Third-Rome-mixtape.770142.html
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
AZ: I love all the music I download and I am not one of those who gets ashamed of what he listens to. If you laugh at some dude for listening Justin Bieber and think he might be gay, you have problems. I am not embarrassed at all. On the contrary, you should be open about what kind of music you listen to. If someone judges you personally by seeing what music you listen, then tell that person to fuck off straight away, They are sad haha.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
AZ: I would spend it part on my music and invest in my own label, I would also invest some money into stocks like Apple or whatever to make sure that my passive income stays good and constantly brings me money without constant working or re-investing. I would make money work for me and not the other way around. I would also buy my mum some designer clothes and give her around 100000 to buy the Jaguar she always wanted.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
AZ: I am working with Logic Pro and Cubase mostly but I am sure we are getting more instruments and stuff soon. We always upgrading the studio. My homie Jorge Porter loves what he does and he is my producer, friend and main audio director. Without him, my 3 releases would not be what they are today! 357 4 Life baby!
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
AZ: Most of the time I just use the internet and all my social platforms like VK,Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I also use promotional services so that other people with right contacts can push my music to the right places. I love the whole creating and releasing process but marketing can be a b***h sometimes. But as I said previously, I like the challenge. Best would be having my own marketing manager but I am not Fetty Wap or Young Thug yet so let´s see where it takes me.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
AZ: I wanna work with Young Thug, Fetty Wap, Lil Wayne, Tyga, Snoop Dogg and Eminem. I listen to many artists but I would love to record with these especially. They have influenced me and my music so I am definitely aiming high. I also would love to record with 2Pac or Biggie but as you all know they are not with us anymore. R.I.P. Legends.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
AZ: As I said before, my next release is called “Project X” and it will be free for public use and download. It will have 9 tracks or so. I took like 7 free beats from russian beatmaker Lex Marvel and this guy makes the dopest beats in Russia There are many good beatmakers like Breezey, Hustla Beats, Lil Smooky and others. Suprisingly, Russian Trap industry is booming right now. My release will change the game forever!
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
AZ: Probably being a drugdealer or work in Export Import Business but I do not see myself without music anymore. It makes me who I am, even though people confuse me with the Brooklyn rapper AZ who worked with Nas, Jay-Z and others. I had problems because of that when I had to upload my music to iTunes and other platforms. Eventually I proved that I have a right to use AZ as my artist name since they are my initials and music is everything for me.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
AZ: First rap album that I bought was “Get Rich or Die Trying” by 50 cent. His album just blew my mind. After I started to listen to Candy Shop and “In Da Club”, I realized that I will end up making my own relases. Basically, my head was filled with party vibe and relaxing sexual atmosphere created by this album! It was pure fire! Best release 50 has ever made.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
AZ: Since I am not going back to Russia and I am planning to move to US next year when I finish my university degree. My music is my key to success and I want to see myself going on tours with other famous artists and fly everywhere. It is hard to balance the life of music and studies but to be honest if you really love something, you will always have time for it. I try to be the best in Spain and I know I am. In Spain, my Trap music is the most new and fresh. I am making history here.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
AZ: Just live your life and never regret anything if you were truly happy. 2016 has already started. Fans should expect more music and more crazy collaborations. I am working on my next video “Jacuzzi Blunts” right now. Fans will be suprised. I promise!