1st Infantry (album)

1st Infantry
Studio album by
The Alchemist
ReleasedJune 29, 2004 (2004-06-29)
Recorded2003–04
Studio
GenreHip hop
Length1:05:07
LabelKoch Records
ProducerThe Alchemist
The Alchemist chronology
1st Infantry
(2004) 		Chemical Warfare
(2009)
Singles from 1st Infantry
  1. "Hold You Down"
    Released: May 18, 2004
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
HipHopDX4/5[2]
IGN8.4/10[3]
Now4/5[4]
PopMatters7/10[5]
RapReviews7.5/10[6]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[7]
Stylus MagazineB−[8]
Tiny Mix Tapes[9]

1st Infantry is the debut solo studio album by American hip hop producer and rapper The Alchemist. It was released on June 29th, 2004, through Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at The Lab, Baseclef Studios and Infamous Studios in New York City, at Soundproof and MGS Sound Lab in Los Angeles, and at D-Block Studios in Yonkers. Production was handled entirely by the Alchemist, who also served as executive producer together with his brother Neil Maman, with Prodigy serving as co-executive producer. It features guest appearances from The Lox, Mobb Deep, Big Noyd, Big Twins, B-Real, Chinky, Devin the Dude, Dilated Peoples, Illa Ghee, Lloyd Banks, M.O.P., Nas, Nina Sky, P$C, Stat Quo and The Game.

The album peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200, number 11 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, number 6 on the Top Rap Albums, number 8 on the Independent Albums, and topped the Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States. It also reached number 43 on the UK Independent Albums chart. The album's instrumental version and deluxe edition with a bonus DVD were released on October 4, 2005.

One single from the album, "Hold You Down", peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 47 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the US. The song "Bangers" appeared in 2006 video game Saints Row.

Track listing

All tracks are produced by The Alchemist.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro" 0:56
2."Dead Bodies" (featuring The Game and Prodigy)
4:20
3."Your Boy Al" (Interlude) 0:47
4."The Essence" (featuring The Lox)
4:43
5."Hold You Down" (featuring Prodigy, Nina Sky and Illa Ghee)
3:57
6."Industry Rule 4080 (Interlude)" (featuring Riggs) 1:57
7."Stop the Show" (featuring Stat Quo and M.O.P.)
2:45
8."D Block to QB" (featuring Havoc, Big Noyd, Styles P and J-Hood)
4:03
9."Bangers" (featuring Lloyd Banks)
3:44
10."Where Can We Go" (featuring Devin the Dude)
4:31
11."It's a Craze" (featuring Mobb Deep)
  • Maman
  • Johnson
  • Muchita
4:03
12."For the Record" (featuring Dilated Peoples)
3:47
13."Boost the Crime Rate" (featuring J-Hood and Sheek Louch)
  • Maman
  • Hood
  • Jacobs
5:24
14."Strength of Pain" (featuring Chinky)
4:02
15."A Soul Assassin's Tale (Interlude)" (featuring DJ Muggs) 1:35
16."Bang Out" (featuring B-Real)
3:30
17."Tick Tock" (featuring Nas and Prodigy)
3:57
18."Pimp Squad" (featuring P$C)
3:05
19."Different Worlds" (featuring Twin Gambino)
  • Maman
  • Jamal Abdul Raheem
3:57
Total length:1:05:07

Personnel

  • Alan "The Alchemist" Maman – producer, executive producer, sleeve notes
  • Albert "Prodigy" Johnson – performer (tracks: 2, 5, 11, 17), co-executive producer
  • Jayceon "The Game" Taylor – performer (track 2)
  • David "Styles P" Styles – performer (tracks: 4, 8)
  • Sean "Sheek Louch" Jacobs – performer (tracks: 4, 13)
  • Jason "Jadakiss" Phillips – performer (track 4)
  • Gregory "Illa Ghee" Jackson – performer (track 5)
  • Natalie Albino – performer (track 5)
  • Nicole Albino – performer (track 5)
  • Rigo "Riggs" Morales – performer (track 6), A&R direction
  • Stanley "Stat Quo" Benton – performer (track 7)
  • Eric "Billy Danze" Murray – performer (track 7)
  • Jamal "Lil' Fame" Grinnage – performer (track 7)
  • Kejuan "Havoc" Muchita – performer (tracks: 8, 11)
  • Joshua "J Hood" Hood – performer (tracks: 8, 13)
  • Terance "Big Noyd" Perry – performer (track 8)
  • Christopher "Lloyd Banks" Lloyd – performer (track 9)
  • Devin "Devin the Dude" Copeland – performer (track 10)
  • Michael "Evidence" Perretta – performer & recording (track 12), mastering
  • Rakaa "Iriscience" Taylor – performer (track 12)
  • Chris "DJ Babu" Oroc – performer (track 12)
  • Shalene "Chinky" Evans – performer (track 14)
  • Louis "B-Real" Freese – performer (track 16)
  • Nasir "Nas" Jones – performer (track 17)
  • Clifford "T.I." Harris – performer (track 18)
  • Nathaniel "Mac Boney" Josey – performer (track 18)
  • Sean "Big Kuntry King" Merrett – performer (track 18)
  • Akeem "AK Tha Razor Man" Lawal – performer (track 18)
  • Jamal "Big Twins"/"Twin Gambino" Abdulraheem – performer (track 19)
  • Richard "Segal" Huredia – mixing (tracks: 2, 10, 11)
  • Kevin Crouse – mixing (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 17–19)
  • Jeff White – recording (tracks: 5, 7–11, 14, 18, 19), A&R administrator, product manager
  • Steve Sola – mixing (tracks: 8, 14)
  • Ken "Duro" Ifill – mixing (track 13)
  • Rob Hill – recording & mixing (track 16)
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Neil Maman – executive producer, A&R administrator, management
  • Ronald "Gotti" Odum – production coordinator
  • Damian Davis – production assistant
  • Ola Kudu – art direction, design, additional photography
  • Fubz – photography
  • Gerard Rechnitzer – additional photography
  • Paul Rosenberg – management
  • Tracy McNew – management
  • Theo Sedlmayr – legal
  • Lena Kasambalides – legal
  • Bonsu Thompson – marketing
  • Amanda Silverman – publicist
  • Bianca Bianconi – publicist

Charts

Chart (2004) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[10] 159
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[11] 43
US Billboard 200[12] 101
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 11
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[14] 6
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[15] 8
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[16] 1

References

  1. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "The Alchemist - 1st Infantry Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. ^ Tindal, Kennith B. (October 4, 2004). "The Alchemist - 1st Infantry". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. ^ Durig, Jim (November 18, 2004). "1st Infantry - Music Review at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Flanagan, Nick (October 21, 2004). "NOW: Alchemist, Oct 21 - 27, 2004". NOW. Archived from the original on October 31, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "The Alchemist: 1st Infantry, PopMatters". PopMatters. January 13, 2005. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Corne, James (September 28, 2004). "The Alchemist :: 1st Infantry – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Alchemist - 1st Infantry (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. December 30, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Alchemist - 1st Infantry (Deluxe CD/DVD Edition) / The Chemistry Files - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  9. ^ "Music Review: The Alchemist - 1st Infantry". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "Lescharts.com – The Alchemist – 1st Infantry". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  12. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  13. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  14. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  15. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  16. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2023.