While he has over ten years invested in the game, The Alchemist still remains a virtual unknown name to the average hip-hop fan. However, ask the same fan if they’ve heard Mobb Deep’s “Got It Twisted”, Jadakiss “We Gonna Make It”, or Dilated Peoples “Worst Comes To Worst”, and they’ll nod, probably adding in a “yeah that song is dope”, not knowing Al was the production force behind it. Al got an early start in his teenage years, as an emcee in the Soul Assassins offshoot group, The Whooligans. But while Al’s crew didn’t garner the attention that Cypress Hill, House of Pain, and Funkdoobiest got, this didn’t keep him away from the game, as he became an understudy to DJ Muggs, soon landing co-production gigs for Cypress Hill and Soul Assassins. As his popularity grew in the underground, producing for backpack favorites such as Dilated Peoples and Swollen Members, Al soon found himself in NYC, under the wing of DJ Premier, introducing his beats to a whole new dynamic of artists, such as Mobb Deep and The Lox. So whether you’ve heard of him or not, Alchemist has definitely made his mark thus far. With 1st Infantry, Al wants to make sure the whole world knows his name. 

      Originally, 1st Infantry was set to be a collaborative album between Al and IM3′s Twin Gambino, however as time went on, it slowly evolved into a compilation album spotlighting the production of the almighty Alchemist. Over 19 tracks, Al enlists a whole host of soldiers to make up his infantry, ranging from the old favorites (Mobb Deep, Dilated, D-Block) to the next generation (The Game, Stat Quo, T.I.). As the first ever LP produced by Alchemist top-to-bottom, the results pleasing for the most part, with plenty of fire for heads to argue which track is best. The opener, “Dead Bodies” teams up The Game with Prodigy of Mobb Deep, as the duo let their minds spray over hard hitting pianos that would make even Dr. Dre take a second listen.  On a lighter note, the lead single, “Hold You Down” once again employs Prodigy, this time joined by Nina Sky for an early evening party starter that refreaks the Al Kooper sample last heard on Jay-Z’s “Soon You’ll Understand” (but you’d never know it). “Tick Tock” is another stand out, where (once again) Prodigy teams up with a soft-spoken Nas who create a soulful, mellow vibe, perfect for late night chill sessions (on the couch or in the whip). A similar feat is pulled on the Devin The Dude assisted “Where Can We Go”, where Al refries some old soul, for Devin to marinate with his own southern flavor. 

      Granted, while the fire is thick on 1st Infantry, and the guest list is heavy, unfortunately Al doesn’t extend the invitation to quite enough people. Mobb Deep’s involvement spans a whopping five tracks, and various members of the mighty D-Block are on three tracks (although thug “Scenario” is fun on “D Block To QB”), making it easy for monotony to set in. And in all truthfulness, when Al has carved classic cuts for some of the biggest names in rap, it’s hard to top what’s been done before, as we’ve heard him produce better stuff than what is found here for each Mobb Deep, Dilated Peoples, D-Block, and others. Strangely enough, with Al’s own mic presence found on both “Hold You Down” and the conceptual “Big Twins”, it almost would have been nice to see more involvement from Al inside the booth – instead of just outside of it – considering it his solo album. 

      All minor gripes aside, there’s still plenty of heat to be reckoned with on this LP. M.O.P. and Stat Quo set “Stop The Show” ablaze, Dilated Peoples hold it down as usual on “For The Record”, Lloyd Banks works out on “Bangers”, and D-Block “Boost The Crime Rate”, with nutzoid backdrops all provided by one Al Maman. While 1st Infantry once again proves that Al is one of the most consistent producers behind the boards today, it’s compilation-style approach may make it hard to please all of the people all of the time, but nevertheless doesn’t disappoint.