In 1994, AZ made one of Hip-Hop’s greatest debut performances thanks to Nas’ single, “Life’s A B*tch.” Like Nas, who had spent years under the tutelage of Large Professor, Kool G Rap, Rakim, and others, his East New York, Brooklyn MC had also been mentored by a decorated veteran. Stetsasonic front-man Daddy-O helped AZ Tha Visualiza hone his skills, as discussed in a recent BET documentary celebrating The Firm co-founder.

In 2018, the two MCs come together on Daddy-O’s just released No Tablecloths album. It’s a BK affair on the song “Ballas.” It is one of 17 songs on the new LP.

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Besides AZ, Daddy-O helped guide the careers of numerous acts including Freestyle Fellowship and Junior M.A.F.I.A.

“Ballas” starts with a little patois flavor before “The Odad” flexes his vocal chops on the harmonized hook. The Stetsa vet spits the first verse and sets the tone with lines like: “Low-key, we shun fame / Like guns with no name / We wild, we untamed  /  Alike but not the same.” Then AZ follows with his laidback flow and next level bars like: “A Mogul, mathematician / Acquisitions / Vintage dialogue, I’m the last edition / Driftin’, meditatin’ on Mediterranean reservations / Exchanging with vegans on vegetation.” The self-produced beat consists of an echoed out guitar coupled with a bouncing organ and thumping snares. As you might expect, this collab is a must-listen for Heads of any era.

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Listen to and buy the entire No Tablecloths album here.

#BonusBeat: Daddy-O’s “Shootin’ Like A Beatbox” video, also from No Tablecloths:

The LP released on Daddy-O’s Trueschool Entertainment.