The Alchemist
1st Infantry
Landspeed/Koch Records
For hip-hop compilation albums, the debut of a budding producer is like walking a tightrope: Come with decent beats, but a slew of no-name and average rappers and your project will sit on the shelves. Round up a team of top-notch emcees and mire their vocals in dull tracks, and consider yourself confined to the underground's basement.
However, when you combine a gifted beat-crafter with a crop of talented artists, what you have is a gem; a delightful hip-hop albumthat outshines any other compilation or played-out commercial gimmick by far. The Alchemist's 1st Infantry is such an album; a voyage through the eyes of the California native, who has earned his stripes as the go- to-guy for a unique street sound unlike any other.As a young teenager, the Alchemist started rhyming, but put that career plan on hold to focus on his first love, making beats; beats that are as raw as the concrete jungle itself. Being involved with Cypress Hill and the Soul Assassins, one track led to another and Alchemist now stands firmly juxtaposed on that thin line between the underground and mainstream hip-hop that revolutionizes the sound of the music. Just take a look at some of the bangers he's generated for notable artists: Mobb Deep's "Got it Twisted", Capone-N-Noreaga's "Phonetime", State Property's "Can't Stop, Won't Stop", Fat Joe's "Bring it On", Prodigy's "Keep It Thoro", Dilated Peoples' "Worst Comes to Worst", Ghostface Killah's "Never Be The Same Again", High & Mighty's "Open Mic Night", and Jadakiss' "We Gon' Make It."
1st Infantry also has its share of "Bangers", most notably a track from G-Unit's Lloyd Banks of the same name - better than most tracks on Banks' own album - and "Hold You Down" featuring Mobb Deep, Nina Sky, and Illa Ghee that stays in heavy rotation in many headphones and bass - heavy whips. And, while you can always do without any interludes, the few that do appear on the album don't detract from the quality soundscapes that ebb and flow like the daily grind. On the bass-heavy "The Essence," the Lox take you to Yonkers and deliver a thorough beat down on the track, while the ATL-BK connection of Stat Quo and M.O.P. on "Stop the Show" gets the adrenaline pumping full throttle. Devin the Dude's appearance on "Where Can We Go" is a funky, laidback tune with strong horns from Alchemist, whereas "Boost the Crime Rate" featuring Sheek and J-Hood is an off-the-meat-racket beat that is sure to leave more than a few heads with whiplash pressing rewind.
Other highlights of the album include Alchemist rhyming over his own beat on "Different Worlds," a blazing track that paints a vivid picture of how far-reaching hip-hop extends, and the reunion of Queensbridge neighbors Nas and Prodigy on "Tick Tock," another mellow, thumping groove. 1st Infantry claimed the top spot on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart in its first week out and also features Dilated Peoples, Big Noyd, Cypress Hill's B-Real, and T.I.
Check For These:
Mobb Deep - Amerikaz Nightmare
Jadakiss - Kiss of Death
Cormega - Legal Hustle
Royce Da 5'9" - Death is Certain
Jin - Rest is History
Mos Def - New Danger
Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Shaheedullah and Stereotypes