''Big Ups To All the French's and A$APs..''
6:00AM ET February 19th, 2013
Contributor : Martin James
A Rocky Williform Company

While some of hip hop's elder statesmen are voicing criticism of today's hottest artists, veteran emcee AZ doesn't share their perspective. Speaking to SOHH, AZ explained why he believes hip hop, in general, and New York hip hop in particular, is in good standing.

"The game's constantly changing," AZ told SOHH. "It started in the East Coast and then it grew, which is good. Hip-hop is just a culture of communication and it's the culture that we live in. I'm glad it grew and for it to just come back on this end [in New York], it needs to come back on this end, actually, just because we all have things to say. Big ups to all the French's and A$AP's because they're doing what they do and they're doing it well. They're bringing the attention to the table which has allowed everybody to do their thing."