YZ (rapper)

thumbnail|YZ

'''Anthony Hill''', known by his stage name '''YZ''', and alias '''Ali Sa'id Nur al-Din''', is an American rapper from Trenton, New Jersey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blackgrooves.org/?p=65|title=Best of YZ - blackgrooves.org|work=blackgrooves.org|date=7 July 2006|access-date=15 March 2015|archive-date=12 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712053844/http://blackgrooves.org/?p=65|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Career == At age 17, YZ and DJ Tony D opened a company called Two Tone Productions in Trenton, New Jersey. YZ and group members G-Rock and DJ Tink released the single "I Am Who I Am/I'm Bad" (1989) on Trenton independent label Rockin' Hard Records. After acquiring half of the company Diversity Records, YZ released the maxi single, "In Control of Things"/"Thinking of a Master Plan", in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.discogs.com/label/32337-Diversity-Records|title=Diversity Records |author= |date= 2015|website=Discogs.com |publisher= Discogs|access-date=7 May 2015}}</ref>

Diversity Records later signed the hip hop group Poor Righteous Teachers (PRT), but because of conflicts with Tony D (the man responsible for producing PRT), Diversity and PRT severed ties before the release of their first single.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

YZ signed a deal with Tuff City Records in 1990, then released his first LP, ''Sons of The Father'' (1990),<ref name = "disco" /> and another project, ''YZ EP'' (1991.) Subsequently, YZ signed with Livin' Large/Tommy Boy/Warner Bros, and released the single "Return of the Holy One" (1992.) In 1993, YZ released his second full-length LP, ''The Ghetto's Been Good to Me''.<ref name = "disco" /> After 1994, YZ released numerous projects independently, including the LPs ''The Legend of Floyd Jones'' (2002) and ''Muad'ib'' (2009.) In 1999, YZ performed vocals on two tracks on Aim's album ''Cold Water Music''.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/cold-water-music-mw0000070601|title=Cold Water Music Review |last1=Bush |first1= John |date=2015 |website= allmusic.com|publisher=All Music Network, LLC |access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref>

== Discography == * 1990: ''Sons of the Father'' (Tuff City Records)<ref name = "disco">

{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/yz-mn0000683652/discography |title=Discography |author= |date= 2015|website= allmusic.com|publisher= All Media Network, LLC|access-date=6 May 2015}} </ref> * 1993: ''The Ghetto's Been Good to Me'' (Livin' Large/Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records)<ref name = "disco" /> * 1999: '' "Ain't Got Time to Waste" (featuring YZ)'' Cold_Water_Music * 2002: ''YZ Presents the Legend of Floyd Jones'' (Reservoir Records)<ref name = "disco" /> * 2009: ''Muad'Dib'' (Blackworld Entertainment)<ref name = "disco" /> * 2025: ''Moorganic''

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yz (Rapper)}} Category:20th-century births Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:African-American male rappers Category:Rappers from New Jersey Category:American businesspeople in the entertainment industry Category:Cold Chillin' Records artists Category:American hip-hop record producers Category:21st-century American rappers Category:21st-century African-American rappers Category:20th-century African-American musicians Category:21st-century African-American male rappers Category:21st-century American male rappers