New Jersey rapper most famous for his ‘Thinkin’ Of A Masterplan’ cut. Bedecked in paisley shirts and dreads, YZ seemed to offer a neat distillation of Native Tongues philosophy with more street-orientated themes. Despite the good impression this made, it would be four years before a follow-up would be offered, by which time his DJ Tony D had been replaced by the Trackmasters and God Squad, among others. As a member of the Five Per Cent Nation, a less disciplined than usual Muslim order, he produces a number of ‘conscious’ rhymes, but his main targets remain opposing MCs, holding Naughty By Nature in particular contempt.