Chemical Warfare (The Alchemist album)

Chemical Warfare
Studio album by
Alchemist
ReleasedJuly 7, 2009 (2009-07-07)
Recorded2006–2009
GenreHip hop
Length55:29
Label
ProducerAlchemist
Alchemist chronology
1st Infantry
(2004) 		Chemical Warfare
(2009) 		Russian Roulette
(2012)
Singles from Chemical Warfare
  1. "Smile"
    Released: May 5, 2009

Chemical Warfare is the second solo studio album by American hip hop producer and recording artist the Alchemist. It was released on July 7, 2009 via ALC Records and E1 Music. Produced entirely by the Alchemist himself, it features guest appearances from Blu, Eminem, Evidence, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Juvenile, Kid Cudi, Kool G Rap, KRS-One, Kxng Crooked, Lil' Fame, Maxwell, Oh No, Prodigy, Pusha T, Roc C, Snoop Dogg, Talib Kweli, Tha Dogg Pound, The Lady of Rage, Three 6 Mafia and Twista.

The album debuted at number 63 on the Billboard 200, number 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, number 4 on the Top Rap Albums, number 6 on the Independent Albums charts in the United States. Its lead single "Smile" was released on May 5, 2009 with an accompanying music video was directed by Jason Goldwatch.[1] Songs "Lose Your Life" and "Therapy" previously appeared on The Alchemist's Cookbook EP.

Background

The back cover of the Alchemist's promotional single "Keys to the City", released in 2007, mentioned a new album, expected to be in-stores in early 2008. On his 2008 mixtape The Cutting Room Floor 2, the Alchemist revealed that the album titled Chemical Warfare is scheduled to be released in Summer 2008. In the closing credits of the animated music video for the song "Lose Your Life" it was stated that the album would be released in February 2009.[2] In May 2009, the full track listing was revealed with the release set for July 7, 2009.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
HipHopDX3.5/5[6]
laut.de[7]
Pitchfork7.8/10[8]
RapReviews8.5/10[9]
XXL3/5 (L)[10]

Chemical Warfare was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 83 based on four reviews.[4]

Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews praised the work, saying "it may be that the only constant on Chemical Warfare IS Alchemist's beats, but that's enough to make it work--and like the futuristic battle it implies the album is filled with hits you'll never see coming".[9] AllMusic's Jeffries found the album "keeps this capo's reputation in tact. Recommended for aspiring dons and more open-minded thugs".[5] David Drake of Pitchfork stated: "Chemical Warfare is a rap version of Speilberg's Minority Report; it draws upon a gritty underground past while embracing more modern craftsmanship, where new smooth edges are balanced by the felt-authenticity of its caliginous vision".[8]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"Alan Maman0:58
2."ALC Theme" (with Kool G Rap)
3:49
3."Lose Your Life" (with Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss and Pusha T)
4:28
4."Chemical Warfare" (with Eminem)
1:33
5."Grand Concourse Benches" (with KRS-One)
5:22
6."Therapy" (with Evidence, Blu, Talib Kweli and KiD CuDi)
5:22
7."That'll Work" (with Three 6 Mafia and Juvenile)
5:00
8."Smile" (with Maxwell and Twista)
4:43
9."Keep the Heels On" (with Prodigy)
3:45
10."Acts of Violence" (Gangrene with Roc 'C' and Crooked I)
5:22
11."Lights, Cameras, Action" (with Lil' Fame)
1:39
12."Some Gangster Shit" (with Fabolous)
2:00
13."On Sight" (with Tha Dogg Pound and The Lady of Rage)
3:46
14."Take a Look Back"Maman5:29
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Under Siege" (performed by Gangrene)
  • Maman
  • M. Jackson
Oh No2:13
Total length:55:29
Digital bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
16."Lose Your Life" (Instrumental)3:26
17."Chemical Warfare" (Instrumental)1:26
18."That'll Work" (Instrumental)4:19

Personnel

  • Daniel Alan "The Alchemist" Maman – vocals, producer (tracks: 1-14), recording (tracks: 1-3, 5-15), mixing (track 6), sleeve notes
  • Nathaniel "Kool G Rap" Wilson – vocals (track 2)
  • Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus – vocals (track 3)
  • Jason "Jadakiss" Phillips – vocals (track 3)
  • Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton – vocals (track 3)
  • Marshall "Eminem" Mathers – vocals (track 4)
  • Lawrence "KRS-One" Parker – vocals (track 5)
  • Michael "Evidence" Perretta – vocals (track 6)
  • Johnson "Blu" Barnes III – vocals (track 6)
  • Talib Kweli – vocals (track 6)
  • Scott "KiD CuDi" Mescudi – vocals (track 6)
  • Paul "DJ Paul" Beauregard – vocals (track 7)
  • Jordan "Juicy J" Houston – vocals (track 7)
  • Terius "Juvenile" Gray – vocals (track 7)
  • Gerald Maxwell Rivera – vocals (track 8)
  • Carl "Twista" Mitchell – vocals (track 8)
  • Eric Johnson – bass (track 8)
  • Albert "Prodigy" Johnson – vocals (track 9)
  • Michael "Oh No" Jackson – vocals (tracks: 10, 15), producer (track 15)
  • Damien "Roc C" Smith – vocals (track 10)
  • Dominic "Crooked I" Wickliffe – vocals (track 10)
  • Jamal "Lil' Fame" Grinnage – vocals (track 11)
  • John "Fabolous" Jackson – vocals (track 12)
  • Delmar "Daz Dillinger" Arnaud – vocals (track 13)
  • Ricardo "Kurupt" Brown – vocals (track 13)
  • Robin "The Lady of Rage" Allen – vocals (track 13)
  • Ming – additional vocals (track 13)
  • Mike Strange – recording (track 4)
  • Eddie Sancho – mixing (tracks: 2, 13)
  • Kevin Crouse – mixing (tracks: 3-5, 7-12, 14)
  • Romeo "DJ Romes" Jimenez – scratches & mixing (track 15)
  • Arnold Mischkulnig – mastering
  • Neil Maman – executive producer, management
  • Paul Grosso – design, creative director
  • Chad Griffith – photography
  • Michael Greene – A&R
  • Stephen Hacker – A&R
  • Tiffany R. Almy – legal

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[11] 63
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] 13
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[13] 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[14] 6

References

  1. ^ "The Alchemist - Smile ft. Twista & Maxwell (Official Music Video)". YouTube. June 11, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "The Alchemist "Lose Your Life" official video". YouTube. November 18, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  3. ^ Mancini, Elan (May 21, 2009). "The Alchemist Snags Eminem For New Album, Full Track Listing Revealed - XXL". XXL. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Chemical Warfare - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Chemical Warfare - The Alchemist | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  6. ^ Ketchum III, William (July 10, 2009). "Alchemist - Chemical Warfare". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Engelen, Alexander. "Feature-Bombardement eines drittklassigen MCs". laut.de (in German). Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Drake, David (July 17, 2009). "The Alchemist: Chemical Warfare". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash' (July 7, 2009). "The Alchemist :: Chemical Warfare :: ALC/E1 Entertainment". RapReviews. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  10. ^ Gissen, Jesse (July 9, 2009). "Alchemist: Chemical Warfare - XXL". XXL. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  13. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Alchemist Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2024.