AZ (born Anthony Cruz on March 9, 1972) is an influential American rapper from Brooklyn, New York, widely regarded as one of the most technically skilled and underrated lyricists in hip-hop history. Known for his smooth, multi-syllabic flow and complex internal rhymes, he first gained major recognition with a standout guest verse on the track "Life's a Bitch" from Nas’s landmark 1994 album Illmatic. The Firm: In 1997, he joined the hip-hop supergroup The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, and Nature (replacing Cormega), releasing a self-titled album executive produced by Dr. Dre. Legacy Projects: After a long hiatus, he released the critically acclaimed sequel Doe or Die II in 2021. 30th Anniversary: As of 2025, AZ is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album with the upcoming release of Doe or Die III. New Music: He remains active in 2025, recently releasing a 30th-anniversary edition of Doe or Die and continuing to drop new freestyles for his fan base.

Symphony Taylor (born August 1, 1976) is an American hip hop producer, radio personality, and official DJ for GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. Symphony has worked with artists such as Digital Underground, Tony Touch, DJ Boogie Blind, DJ Scratch from EPMD, The Beatnuts,[ Sean Price, P. Diddy, Nas, MF Doom, Alchemists, Mobb Deep, Portia Dee, Rick Ross, KRS-One, 2 Chainz, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Yelawolf, Onyx, 9th Wonder, B2K's Raz-B and B-Nasty  DJ Symphony has evolved from being a hip-hop practitioner to becoming a music teacher. His passion for education and hip-hop led him to create the Symphony DJ Academy Archived 2019-08-22 at the Wayback Machine at the Solano Town Center in 2013 in Fairfield, California where he teaches deejaying, audio production, podcasting and radio arts. In 2017 he opened Scratch Course, an online DJ program.