Alchemist 1st Infantry CD

Personnel includes: Alchemist, Lloyd Banks, Cypress Hill, Havoc & Prodigy, Dilated Peoples, Jadakiss, Sheek & J-Hood, Devin The Dude, Nappy Roots, Stat Quo, Game.
Personnel: The Alchemist (rap vocals); Chinky, Devin, Dilated Peoples, Havoc, J-Hood, Jadakiss, Lloyd Banks, M.O.P., Mobb Deep, Nas, Prodigy , Sheek, T.I., The Game, The LOX, Twin, Stat Quo (rap vocals).
Audio Mixers: Richard "Segal" Herredia; Kevin Crouse; Steve Sola; Rob Hill.
Recording information: Baseclef Studios, Queens, NY; D Block Studiios, Yonkers, NY; Infamous Studios, Queens, NY; MGS Soundlab, Los Angeles, CA; Sound Proof Studios, Venice, CA; The Lab Studios, New York, NY.
Photographers: Gerard Rechnitzer; FUBZ; Ola Kudu.
Although 2004's 1ST INFANTRY was his first solo album, even the most casual follower of hardcore rap is familiar with the Alchemist. He supplies some of the strongest, hardest beats for everyone from Nas to Cypress Hill, and has years of experience on the underground hip-hop scene. There's a reason that the best in the rap game seek the Alchemist out--few can match him when it comes to providing immediately captivating, instantly identifiable tracks.
On 1st INFANTRY, the Alchemist's MC friends turn the favor around on an all-star gathering, which features a collection of previously unreleased cuts. Mobb Deep provided some of the Alchemist's best moments (and vice versa) as both were rising to glory, and here the duo of Havoc & Prodigy contribute to another classic with the menacing beauty of "It's a Craze." Prodigy teams with rap's premier lyricist, Nas, on another standout track, "Tick Tock." The Alchemist was doing amazing work with the West Coast crew Dilated Peoples long before they broke out, so it's no surprise they provide a powerful moment on the quirky, funky "For the Record." A bold debut, 1st INFANTRY stands as a piece of hip-hop art by one of its best craftsmen.
Although 2004's 1ST INFANTRY was his first solo album, even the most casual follower of hardcore rap is familiar with the Alchemist. He supplies some of the strongest, hardest beats for everyone from Nas to Cypress Hill, and has years of experience on the underground hip-hop scene. There's a reason that the best in the rap game seek the Alchemist out--few can match him when it comes to providing immediately captivating, instantly tantalizing tracks, and this release of 1st INFANTRY's instrumental tracks proves the point. Even without the guest vocals of friends and associates like Prodigy, The Game, and Dilated Peoples, this powerful collection carries a momentum all its own.
If you're well versed in East Coast hardcore rap of the late '90s and early 2000s (Nas, Mobb Deep, the LOX, etc.), chances are you're familiar with the Alchemist, even if you've never heard of him until now. Know first, if you don't already, he's no rapper. He's a fairly quiet guy, in fact, a hard-working producer who lets his beat-making speak for him -- dark, forceful productions for some of the best dark, forceful rappers in New York and beyond. Roughly ten years after he broke into the game big time with Queensbridge rappers Infamous Mobb and, in turn, Mobb Deep, he unleashed his debut album, 1st Infantry. It's a godsend for fans of his productions. Up until this point, you've had to gather up his work one production at a time -- for instance, a track or two from the latest Nas album, a couple from the recent Mobb Deep album, and so on. No more need to scavenge, however, as 1st Infantry is somewhat of an Alchemist mixtape, rounding up 19 different productions, all of them exclusive to this album and each boasting a brand-name rapper. Some of the featured rappers here include Nas (the top active rapper in New York circa late 2004); Prodigy and Havoc (of Mobb Deep); Styles, Sheek, and J-Hood (of the LOX); the Game and Lloyd Banks (of G-Unit); Dilated Peoples (a top Left Coast hip-hop group that is a bit of a wonderful surprise here); and others including M.O.P., Devin the