| The Firm | |
|---|---|
 AZ, Foxy Brown and Nas | |
|
Origin |
New York City, New York, U.S. |
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Genres |
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|
Years active |
1996-1998 |
|
Labels |
Aftermath, Interscope |
|
Associated acts |
Canibus, Dr. Dre, Half a Mill, L.E.S., Noreaga, Trackmasters |
|
Past members |
|
The Firm was an American hip hop supergroup from New York City, New York. The group was created by rapper Nas, his manager Steve Stoute, producer Dr. Dre and production team Trackmasters. The group was composed of East Coast-based rappers Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature, who served as a replacement for Cormega after he was ousted from the group. The group made their debut on the song "Affirmative Action" from Nas' 1996 album It Was Written.
Although the group received initial hype and high expectations from fans upon their formation and collective signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath label, The Firm's debut album, The Album, received disappointing sales and generally negative criticism. The album, which featured predominant mafioso rap-themes and production from Dr. Dre and Trackmasters, was criticized for its mainstream, pop orientation. Their debut album was the group's only release and they disbanded in 1998 with each member continuing their solo careers. The album was certified platinum on February 19, 2000 for shipping 1,000,000 units to stores.
Nas' and Dr. Dre's participation in the group furthered speculation from fans and critics that the two artists were losing their creativity and appeal, with their work from this period considered the weakest and least successful of their careers. The replacing of Cormega with Nature strained his friendship with Nas, and the two had a beef that carried on throughout the early 2000s.
Discography[]
- 1997: The Album 984,000 (platinum)