Azie Faison

Azie Faison Jr. (born November 11, 1964), sometimes known by the nickname "AZ", is an American former drug dealer and businessman who attained notoriety during the War on Drugs era as an individual drug dealer in New York. His five-year reign as crime boss ended when he was 26. Faison was born in New York City, and turned to selling drugs his early twenties, quickly becoming the wholesaler in the Harlem neighborhood. He expanded the drug-dealing business across the city, and involved both childhood friend Rich Porter, and associate Alpo Martinez, with the duo being instrumental in Faison's rise and fall.

Azie Faison
Born	Aziel Faison Jr. November 11, 1964 New York City, New York, U.S.
Other names	AZ Ace
Occupation	drug dealer rapper entrepreneur

After retiring in 1990, Faison transitioned into a conscious rapper and entrepreneur, advising youth in impoverished neighborhoods to avoid the lures of drug trafficking. He formed the hip-hop group MobStyle, where he released an album as a member in the 1990s, as well as a solo release. He has also been subject to various dramatic portrayals, with his legacy serving as inspiration for rap songs, documentaries, books, and movies, notably the 2002 film, Paid in Full.

Biography

Early life

Faison was born in New York City on November 11, 1964. He lived with his single mother and older sister in the neighborhood until 1970, where, at age 6, a fire destroyed his tenement. The family were then forced to relocate to the Sugar Hill neighborhood in Harlem, New York. Faison, who struggled academically, dropped out of high school following the ninth-grade, and worked at several odd jobs around Harlem, including a two-year stint at a local dry cleaners.

Career

After attending a screening of the 1983 film Scarface, Faison was influenced to enter the drug trade, and later that year, established a working relationship with a local Dominican supplier, who would frequently go to the dry cleaners. Faison would then become introduced to cocaine, and would become one of the first distributors of the drug within New York in 1984.

By the time he turned 21, Faison would transition into becoming the cocaine wholesaler in Harlem, reportedly earning $40,000 a week or more. He would eventually expand operations until 1990, and became one of the most notable distributors during the War on Drugs era in the United States. During this, he would become re-introduced to Rich Porter, a childhood friend who lived in the neighborhood prior to serving a sentence in prison. After his release, Porter would introduce Alpo Martinez to Faison, and the trio worked to expand operations in order to rise and become the largest distributors of cocaine in the state of New York.

However, Faison's downfall began in 1987, after he was the victim of attempted murder in August, after a robbery went awry, which left three people dead and three others seriously injured.[1] Faison was shot nine times in the robbery attempt, and caused the drug network to falter as he aimed to recover from his injuries. This caused severe strains in the relationship between Faison, Porter, and Martinez, with the latter eventually murdering Porter in 1990, and while later being arrested and convicted for a plethora of charges in 1991.

Retirement and later life/career

After Porter's death, Faison effectively retired from drug dealing, and adopted a mission to steer youth away from the lure of drugs. In 1989, he formed a rap group called MobStyle, which then transitioned into a conscious hip-hop group. They released an album in 1991, while Faison also released a solo album. Faison also aimed to extend his outreach through television and media, eventually working on an autobiographical movie. The movie, titled Paid in Full, was released in 2002, with Faison being portrayed by Wood Harris.

Faison also collaborated with street documentarian Troy Reed, in order to produce documentary about his life called Game Over,[2] while also working with Agyei Tyehimba in order to write Game Over: The Rise and Transformation of a Harlem Hustler.[3]

The documentary and book were both released in 2007, and the latter was discussed at the Harlem Book Fair later that year, on a panel which featured co-author Tyehimba, and Congressman Charles Rangel.[4] The discussion was broadcast live by C-SPAN's Book TV.[5]

Notes

1. "3 Slain, 3 Hurt in Drug-Tied Robbery". New York Times. August 22, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
2. Game Over
3. Game Over - Simon & Schuster
4. Agyei Tyehimba bio Archived October 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
5. "Memoirs and Remembrances". C-SPAN. 21 July 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2015.