The Firm was an American hip hop

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

that formed in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1996. It was created by rapper

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

, his manager Steve Stoute, producer

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

and production team

Trackmasters The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier) and Tone (Samuel Barnes), best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joi ...

. The group is composed of

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

-based rappers Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and

Cormega Cory McKay (born December 3, 1970), better known by his stage name Cormega, is an American rapper who attained notice when he was shouted out by Nas on his song "One Love", from the critically acclaimed 1994 album ''Illmatic''. The album was re ...

. Rapper

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

is a former member: he served as a replacement for Cormega after he was ousted from the group. Although the group received initial hype and high expectations from fans upon their formation after collectively signing to Dr. Dre's

Aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an America ...

label, The Firm's debut album, '' The Album'' (1997), generated disappointing sales and generally negative criticism. The album, which featured predominant

mafioso rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

-themes and production from Dr. Dre and the Trackmasters, was criticized for its pop-orientation. Their debut album was the group's only release and they disbanded in 1999 with each member continuing their solo careers. The members (including Cormega, who had made up with Nas after their falling-out, and excluding Nature) reunited on Nas' 2020 album '' King's Disease'' on the track "Full Circle". Dr. Dre has outro vocals on the song.

Background

The Firm's origins lie in the recording of

' studio album ''

It Was Written ''It Was Written'' is the second studio album by American rapper Nas, released on July 2, 1996, by Columbia Records. After the modest commercial success of his debut album ''Illmatic'' (1994), Nas pursued a more polished, mainstream sound for ''It ...

'' (1996), which included a collaboration on the song "Affirmative Action" with

-based rappers AZ,

, and Foxy Brown.Nas: Battle Ready
. ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. The supergroup was a project created by rapper Nas, his manager Steve Stoute,

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

-based rapper and producer

, and production team the

. The Firm: Biography

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. The resulting line-up included Nas, Brown, AZ and rapper

. Cormega had been ousted from the group and was replaced by Nature prior to recording The Firm's debut, due to artistic differences between him and Nas, as well as contract disagreements with Nas's manager Steve Stoute. According to

Poke & Tone The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier) and Tone (Samuel Barnes), best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joi ...

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

were tentatively considered for the group. Prior to their formation, the members were at transitional stages of their careers, as Nas had commercialized his musical style with his second album, Foxy Brown had earned her first recording contract,ill-nana.net: Foxy Brown
. IllNa-Na.net. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. AZ had gained critical acclaim for his 1995 debut album ''

Doe or Die ''Doe or Die'' is the debut studio album by rapper AZ, released October 10, 1995 by EMI Records. The album features guest appearances by artists such as Nas and Miss Jones, and production from N.O. Joe, Pete Rock, L.E.S., and Buckwild, among o ...

'' (1995), and Cormega had chosen to continue his rapping career after his release from prison in 1995. The project also served as an attempt by Dr. Dre to focus on producing other artists work rather than his solo work, following his departure from

Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ('' ...

and the formation of his

label, which the group was collectively signed to.Rollins (1999), p. 26. After the announcement of the group's formation by Dr. Dre, all involved with the project hyped it heavily, creating considerable buzz.

''The Album''

The group's only studio album, '' The Album'' (1997) was a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

that revolved around

-themes, and featured production work from Dr. Dre and the Trackmasters. While anticipated with much hype, ''The Album'' received generally negative reviews and generated disappointing sales upon its release. Despite the group's excessive hype and its mainstream musical approach, ''The Firm'' did not meet the expectations of fans who were introduced to the group via ''It Was Written'', and ''The Album'' was criticized by music writers for abandoning hip hop for R&B and pop style.Boyd (2004), p. 92. Nas appeared to be seeking pop stardom.

Aftermath

The Firm disbanded the following year and its members continued their solo careers.Hess (2007), p. 347. Nas' and Dr. Dre's participation in the group furthered speculation by fans and critics that the two artists were losing their creativity and appeal.Lang (2006), p. 117.Brown (2006), p. 59. Their work during this period has since been considered the weakest and least successful of their careers. The replacing of Cormega with rapper Nature strained his friendship with Nas. Cormega, who continued to resent being ousted from the group, released the

white label A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels. Test pressings Test pressings, usua ...

"Fuck Nas & Nature", circulating it through the

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

market. Nature retaliated through a verse contribution on a

DJ Clue Ernesto Shaw (born January 8, 1975), better known as DJ Clue, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record producer, radio personality and record executive. Early life DJ Clue was born in Queens, New York City to Panamanian and Jamaican immigran ...

mixtape. The two have since ended their

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

and have recorded and performed together. After a short-lived truce, Nas attacked Cormega on the

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...

"Destroy & Rebuild" from his fifth studio album ''

Stillmatic ''Stillmatic'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on December 18, 2001, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. In contrast to his previous work's gangsta rap themes, the album contains socially conscious and philosophical theme ...

'' (2001). In December 2006, Cormega, Foxy Brown and Nas reunited to perform "Affirmative Action" live on-stage, Cormega: Biography Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. ending the beef between Cormega and Nas. A reunion was unconfirmed. In an August 2010 interview with

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, Foxy Brown explained there have been recent discussions on a Firm reformation, dependent on the remaining four agreeing to it.

Reunion

In August 2020, the group reunited for the song "Full Circle" from

' album '' King's Disease''.

Discography

Studio albums

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

*
The Firm
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Firm Aftermath Entertainment artists African-American musical groups Hip hop groups from New York City Interscope Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups reestablished in 2020 Hip hop supergroups Nas Foxy Brown (rapper) Hardcore hip hop groups 1996 establishments in New York City