AZ was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn^[4]to an African-American mother and an Afro-Dominican father. He grew up in East New York, Brooklyn, with his mother and sister.^[4][5]

AZ started writing rap lyrics when he was 12 years old.^[5] He attended Eli Whitney High School, with fellow Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z, until the vocational school closed down in the late 1980s.^[6] In the early 1990s, he became friends with Nas, a young rapper from Queens.^[4] Nas started working on his debut album Illmatic and invited AZ to work with him in the studio. AZ appeared on the album intro and had a verse on "Life's a Bitch". After Illmaticwas released in 1994, EMI Records offered AZ a record deal.^[4]

AZ's debut album Doe or Die was released by EMI Records on October 10, 1995. It features guest appearances by Nas and production from N.O. Joe, Pete Rock, L.E.S., and Buckwild, among others. Upon its release, Doe or Die received notable commercial success, peaking at #15 on the Billboard 200, and #1 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.^{[citation needed]} Doe or Die was known for popularizing the theme of mafioso rap, alongside several albums, namely Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt and Nas's It Was Written. Doe or Die produced several singles, including "Mo Money, Mo Murder", "Gimme Yours", "Doe or Die" and "Sugar Hill", the last of which became his highest-charting single domestically and his sole Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, being certified Gold by the RIAA in September 1995.^[7]

In 1998, Pieces of a Man, AZ's second album, was released via Noo Trybe Records.^{[citation needed]} His third album, 2001's 9 Lives, was released via Motown, peaking at #23 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Top Hip Hop / R&B Albums.^{[citation needed]} The leading single, "Problems", with its accompanying music video, reached #34 on the Hot Rap Singles.^{[citation needed]}

AZ's fourth album Aziatic features a duet between AZ and long-time friend and collaborator, Nas, "The Essence", which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.^[8] The album was mostly well received by critics, one such positive review from Brad Mills at Allmusic, states: "AZ has been looked upon to do amazing things with his music. Has he lived up to those high expectations on this album he has from start to finish. The beats on this album are complex, inventive, and almost perfectly suited for AZ's style of rhyming. He's carefully crafted this album rather than slapped it together overnight to meet his quota, and it shows. It helps immensely that he's brought along people like DR Period, Az Izz, Nas, and Buckwild, but they don't outshine the younger AZ as he holds his own well. AZ has come up with his best work in a long time on this album."^{[citation needed]}

On September 6, 2005, A.W.O.L., his fifth album, was released, becoming the first AZ album to be released on his own imprint, Quiet Money Records.^{[citation needed]}

AZ's sixth studio album The Format features production from Lil' Fame of M.O.P., Face Defeat, Emile, J. Cardim, Phonte, Statik Selektah and DJ Premier.^{[citation needed]} The album's lead single is its title track "The Format", which was produced by DJ Premier, with "Vendetta" as its B-Side. The Format also features the bonus track "Royal Salute", a retaliation to 50 Cent's song "What If" which included a line aimed at AZ.^{[citation needed]}On October 7, 2007, Quiet Money released The Format (Special Edition), adding six bonus tracks including "Royal Salute".^{[citation needed]}

Undeniable, his seventh studio album, was released on April 1, 2008, through Quiet Money and Koch Records. The album debuted at number 141 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling over 25,000 copies in its first week. In October 2009, AZ confirmed he was working on a sequel to his debut studio album, titled Doe or Die 2. He hoped to enlist the original production team from Doe or Die such as L.E.S., Pete Rock, DR Period, and Buckwild. AZ also had ambitions on trying to acquire beats from DJ Toomp, Dr. Dre and Kanye West for the album, as well as reaching out to his old rhyme partner Nas.^[9] The first single from the album "Feel My Pain" was produced by Frank Dukes.^[10]

In 2010, former member of Da Beatminerz, Baby Paul confirmed he would be producing for the album and serving as executive producer.^[11] On November 30, 2010, he released a 15th anniversary edition of Doe or Die titled Doe or Die: 15th Anniversary. In 2010, Dr. Dre and Kanye West were said to be too busy to produce for the album, but AZ said he was patiently waiting for them to complete their next solo records so they could join the production team. He was also seeking production from DJ Premier.^[12] During a 2011 interview with XXLMag, AZ confirmed that Nas would be featured on the album.^[13]

On March 27, 2012, AZ released the first street single from Doe or Die 2, "My Niggas", which features production from longtime collaborator Buckwild.^[14] The album's production includes tracks from Statik Selektah, Baby Paul and the original Doe or Die team of beatsmiths L.E.S., DR Period, Pete Rock, and Buckwild.^[15]

In 2014, AZ was heavily featured on Ghostface Killah's album 36 Seasons.^[16]