The Choco-Boy Wonder: The Best Pete Rock Produced albums Of All Time

 In the nineties, few producers were on the level of Mount Vernon, NY native, Pete Phillips, aka Pete Rock.  The self-professed "Chocolate Boy Wonder" used his signature mix of bumping drums underneath mostly soul, fuck, and jazz samples to deliver more times than not, magnificent results.  The producer/DJ helped cultivate the NY boom-bap sound, along with the likes of DJ Premier and Da Beatminerz, but also implemented jazz sounds with the likes of Q-Tip and... well...Preemo as well.  He's best known for being half of the short-lived, yet dynamic, duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth and their ageless classic, "They Reminisce Over You", along with their albums, Mecca & the Soul Brother and The Main Ingredient.  Since their unfortunate break-up, Pete has continued to evolve into one of the game's most influential and revered producers, and a true all-timer.  An architect of the nineties NY sound, Pete Rock worked with the likes of Nas, AZ, Slum Village, Wu-Tang, and Rah Digga to some of today's artists such as Griselda, Torae, Skyzoo, and Smoke DZA.  Not to mention he found a career resurgence with another nineties legend, Common, to deliver a seminal moment in hip-hop with The Auditorium Vol. 1 earlier this year.  In this list, we give the one and only "Soul Brother #1 his flowers and salute him for his sonic (and occasionally lyrical) contributions.  Here are fifteen of his best SOLELY produced albums that helped establish his dazzling legacy.  Let's go, shall we?

15. Ed O.G. & Pete Rock

My Own Worst Enemy

Guests: Krumbsnatcha, Masta Ace, Diamond D, Jaysaun

We start this countdown with one of the early nineties underappreciated emcees, Boston's own Ed O.G.  Known for his albums with Da Bulldogs, his dope debut Life of A Kid in The Ghetto and Roxbury 02119 are still very much considered very enjoyable albums and truthfully don't get as much love as they should.  The creator of such gems as "Be A Father to Your Child", the infectious "Skinny Dip" and the touching eulogy to his father, "Love Comes & Goes" split from his crew, and went out fully on his own and dropped The Truth Hurts in 2000.  However, it was in 2004 that he collaborated with Pete Rock to deliver the project, My Own Worst Enemy, and the results were quite pleasing.  The first single was the Masta Ace-assisted "Wishing", and these two golden era emcees put on impressive performances over a rather dope instrumental.  Pete's bouncy boom-bap is the focal point here in terms of sounds on the album.  One good example is the collaboration with fellow Bostonites, Jaysaun and Krumbsnatcha, "Stop Dat", as the moderate neck-mover provides a nice bumper, as does the horn-heavy "Just Call My Name".  On "Boston", Ed breaks down the pride and struggles of his native city over sick strings and knocking percussion, while on the Jaysaun-assisted "Pay The price", it gets darker, both in imagery and musically, with a brooding bassline and defining keys.  While DJ Revolution and Diamond D contribute sonically on "Streets Is Calling" and Revolution" respectively, My Own Worst Enemy was primarily and mostly done by Pete and what he and Ed O.G. put together was a very satisfactory project that demonstrated a chemistry a lot of us never even knew they had, but they definitely sound damn good together.

14. Flee Lord & Pete Rock

The People's Champion

Guests: N/A

Far Rockaway, Queens' own, Flee Lord has been an in-demand emcee within NY's underground for almost a decade.  The emcee co-signed by the late, great Prodigy has been known to hold his own with some of the best in the game and his signature rough NY delivery has put numbers on the board collaborating with the likes of Roc Marciano, Conway, Benny, and others.  While he has amassed a fairly dope discography, one of his best works came in the form of his Pete Rock-crafted, The People's Champ.  Pete's residential boom-bap mixed with the occasional jazzy tempos makes for quite the enjoyable cut on here such as "24 Hollows", "Surfin' with A K", and "Job Done".  There's no doubt he keeps the streets with him, and cuts like "Mini Mac on The Fridge" and "Stuck on A Grip" are reflective of this with his gritty narratives and lyrics that would make P smile in his grave.  Pete is far from a stranger conducting scores for the streets, and The People's Champ was a damn dope example of hitting the hood with that bumping thump that meshed well with the caliber of emcee Flee is.

13. Deda

The Original Baby Pa

Guests: Vinia Mojica

Fellow Mount Vernon native, Deda, was poised to be a credible and worthy name within the underground around the mid-nineties.  His no-nonsense, New York gruff delivery was as classic, traditional New York as it got in those days.  Pete Rock was setting up to release Deda's album, The Original Baby Pa when it met the same fate as INI did with their highly anticipated album, Center Of Attention.  Label woes got the album shelved and we were never able to hear the album in its full creation until Pete released the double-sided album, Lost & Found: Hip-Hop Underground Soul Classics, which consisted of both the aforementioned albums.  While Center Of Attention got mote acclaim value (and rightfully so), Deda's album wasn't shabby either. Nowhere near it.  The funky soul samples Pete present on this album were enough for Deda to catch wreck on every track.  Cuts such as "Everyman", "Blah Uno", and "I Originate" are dope examples of the magic of Pete, as Deda comes off decent to average for the majority of these cuts, but Pete makes him sound better than average for the most part.  Pete provides more audio delight with the thick stylings of "Nothing More" and the neck-cramping "Baby Pa", not to mention the organ-heavy posse cut with his crew, The Ex-Cons, "Marked4death".  While not every cut here is a animal, The Original Baby Pa is still a very suitable album for those that love that nineties Pete Rock sound. It just so happens that Deda is the man on the mic, and Pete Rock made him sound at ease over some of the overall best Pete Rock could deliver at that time.

12. Pete Rock

NY's Finest

Guests: Styles P, Sheek Louch, Jim Jones, Max B, Roc Marciano, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Redman, Royal Flush, others

With two critically acclaimed compilation albums under his belt in the form of Soul Survivor and Soul Survivor II, he returned to the format in '08 with NY's Finest.  Living up to the ridiculousness of the Soul Survivor and the almost as dope Soul Survivor II is not easy, but could PR do it? Was he able to live up to the prior victories? We get bits of the answer in the form of the two singles from the album early on, with "The PJs" featuring Wu-soldiers, Raekwon and Ghostface, and "914" featuring The Lox's Sheek & Styles P, and we already are starting to get a clear answer, and it's a positive one.  With Pete supplying this album with his signature thumping drum kicks, horns, keys, and samplings of jazz, funk, and soul.  This formula rides well with cuts like the Papoose-featured "Comprehend", the Little Brother/Joe Scudda track, "Bring Y'all Back", and the Redman-guested, "Best Believe".  Although we get more into the rugged nature of things with Royal Flush's "Questions", we get more into the funky side of things with the Kool & The Gang-sampled, Jim Jones and Max B-featured "We Roll".  He even spit on the mic solo-wise on "Til I Retire", and Rell's "That's What I'm Talkin' Bout" throws some R&B in there, as he has done on both priors.  Therefore, did NY Finest live up to the prior efforts that put Pete Rock among the hottest around with their compilations? Definitely.  This was another sizzling effort from an all-time great behind the boards, and much like fellow legends such as DJ Premier and Dre, he brings the best out of the talent he worked with.  Soul Brother #1 delivered once again.

11. Smoke DZA & Pete Rock

Don't Smoke Rock

Guests: Dave East, Jadakiss, Styles P, Royce Da 5'9", Big K.R.I.T., Wale, Rick Ross, Cam'ron, BJ The Chicago Kid, others

Harlem, NYC native, Smoke DZA, has been a fixture in the underground since 2011, with rather dope projects such as Dream.Zone.Achieve, Rolling Stoned, and the Harry Fraud-produced, Rugby Thompson.  Collaborating with the likes of Ab-Soul, Joey Bada$$, Bun B, Benny the Butcher, the late, great Sean price, and even Kendrick Lamar, DZA's pedigree is none too shabby, and his collab with "Soul Brother Number One" was certainly no exception.  Their album, the conveniently titled Don't Smoke Rock, was a smorgasbord of funky and soulful, occasionally gritty and consistently bumping, production.  A very New York entrenched album, this effort brings an aura of nostalgia for its day without having to sound elderly.  In fact, cuts like the Dave East-assisted opener, "Limitless", the Royce Da 5'9"-assisted hypnotic keys of "Hold the Drums" (can we POSSIBLY get a Royce/Pete Rock collab effort at some point in the future), and "1 Of 1" exemplify this excellently.  DZA's delivery being one of a monotone, slightly stoned with clarity, brings a certain distinction over these PR tracks.  He keeps he momentum with the Cam'ron-assisted "Movin' Weight Pt. 1" and the frequently repeatable cut with The Lox's Jadakiss & Styles P and smooth, yet extremely soulful, Grammy nominated R&B crooner, BJ The Chicago Kid "Milestone", while his collabs with Rick Ross ("Black Superhero Car") and the late, great Mac Miller ("Until Then") are also quite impressive, even more so are the searing PR tracks they all rhyme over.  DZA and Pete Rock hit a home run with Don't Smoke Rock, and it can certainly be argued that the album is DZA's best project to date overall.  We would hear these two later in the decade get up with Griselda/B$F kingpin, Benny The Butcher, for Statue Of Limitations, but this was a great introduction to their chemistry.

10. Smif-N-Wessun & Pete Rock

Monumental

Guests: Buckshot, Sean Price, Top Dog, Bun B, Raekwon, Memphis Bleek, Black Rob, Rockness Monstah, Styles P, others

You do not ever mention nineties NY hip-hop and not mention the legendary Boot Camp Clik. You don't mention the BCC and not mention Tek & Steele, aka Smif-N-Wessun.  First being highlighted on Black Moon's disrespectfully rugged, Enta Da Stage, they emerged with one of the prized jewels of '94 (one of a HOST of classics and legendary outings), Dah Shinin'.  This Beatminerz powerhouse was responsible for some of the most gritty and grainy cuts BCC ever delivered such as "Wontime", "Wrekonize", "Let's Git It On", and especially the staple known as "Bucktown".  While following efforts such as The Rude Awakening (under their pseudonym Cocoa Brovaz), Smif N Wessun Reloaded, and Smif-N-Wessun: The Album didn't hit the acclaimed high as Dah Shinin', it never wavered their impact on NYC hip-hop.  Not to mention solo efforts both men delivered as well.  In 2011, Tek & Steele got up with the mighty PR to deliver Monumental, a fourteen-track tour de force that brought acclaim and flowers to Bucktown's "original gun clappers" (not to be confused with OGC of course).  SMW may not have had Beatminerz production here, but trust and believe Pete Rock provided more than his share of thump and boom-bap just like Mr. Walt & Evil D.  His signature sounds of jazz, soul, and funk-sampled influence is littered all over this effort and with sizzling results.  The album starts decently with the title track but raises the bar with the following cuts of the Raekwon-assisted, "Prevail", the Sean P/Styles P-assisted, "That's Hard", and the Jeep-accessible, Memphis Bleek-guested, "Top of The World".  Obviously, the other big story here is the fact that there are only three cuts SMW do by themselves.  The rest of the album is flooded with numerous guest spots to the point where it can be excessive.  Those three cuts of "Fire", "Go Off", and "Time To Say" are great cuts that remind us of that tag team chemistry Tek and Steele effectively possess and had been possessing for nearly twenty years at this point.  The Rockness/Bun B-assisted, "Feel Me" have both emcees outshining SMW on many levels, but in fairness, Rock and Bun have tendencies to do that with most they work with.  While not necessarily a spotless album, as cuts like the reggae-tinged "That One" and the shockingly bland Hurricane Gee-assisted, "Do It" don't fare up as well as most of the rest of the album.  Given these flaws, Monumental is a dope addition to both artists' catalogs and shows that these nineties NY legends still deserve their spotlight and flowers in more than one capacity.

9. Camp Lo & Pete Rock

80 Blocks From Tiffany's II

Guests: Talib Kweli, M.O.P., Mac Miller, Ab-Soul, Tyler Woods, Uncle Murda

One of the single most underappreciated albums of the entire nineties was Uptown Saturday Night by Bronx duo, Camp Lo.  Seen as unique innovators based upon their styles and deliveries, Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba presented an album in '97 that has been considered a gem of an album and one that keeps aging like fine wine with unforgettable tracks like the singles "Luchini (This Is It)" and the ever-soulful "Cooley High".  From there, subsequent albums such as Black Hollywood, Another Heist, and Let's Do It Again would be modest received but not to the level of Uptown Saturday Night.  When it was announced that they would collab with Pete Rock for a project entitled 80 Blocks From Tiffany's, the intrigue grew.  Pete Rock is consistently known for his jazz/soul/funk fusion over neck-snapping drums, and Camp Lo's fascination with the Blaxploitation era would appear to be a match made in hip-hop heaven.  This was evident on the first version of this project, which was a mixtape that got people buzzing, but they later brought it into a full-length album for its sequel, and the results were very dope.  Pete's style of this funk/soul/jazz fusion works especially well on cuts like the opener featuring Talib Kweli, "Ladies & Gentlemen", "Let's Toast", and the ugly face-provoking dopeness of the Ab-Soul-assisted "Don't You Just Love It".  Their vocal stylings that almost walk the lines of a lot of jazz rap artists are effectively blended and meshed well with the production of PR.  Much like Ski did with Uptown, Pete Rock catered to their style while utilizing his natural talents to create fitting soundscapes for certain tracks, especially the likes of "Glitter & Gold", the title track, and "Pot O Gold".  Perhaps the most peculiar pairing happens on here between them Brownsvillains themselves, M.O.P. on the otherwise dumb dope, "No Uniform" and again on the Uncle Murda-assisted "Clean Getaway".  While just short of the magic Uptown Saturday Night captured in the mid to late nineties, 80 Blocks From Tiffany's II was a fun album to peep and presented a lot of the same elements that made Uptown a cult classic.  Pete Rock is a master craftsman that knows how to present sonic imagery to fit the type of artist he's working with and did another sweet ass job here.

8. Pete Rock

Soul Survivor II

Guests: Krumbsnatcha, RZA, GZA, Pharoahe Monch, Little Brother, Talib Kweli, dead prez, CL Smooth, J Dilla, Slum Village, others

After a sizzling debut in '98 with Soul Survivor, Pete Rock wanted to duplicate the success of the project with his '04 sequel, Soul Survivor II.  With this edition, he delivers more of the same, only a few more tracks that contains bits of ruggedness to them, and he is only rapping once on this project.  Plus, as an added bonus, CL smooth is on three tracks on this album, and he brings his distinctive flair on the tracks "Appreciate", "Fly Til I die" with Talib Kweli (he does the hook but still...), and "It's a Love Thing".  Going back to more of a ruggedness feel, this gets exemplified by tracks like the RZA & GZA cut, "Headrush", which could easily double for a Wu-Tang-sounding track if not for those signature Pete Rock drums, the gritty, piano-laced Krumbsnatcha cut, "Beef", and the Dilla rhymed, "Niggaz Know".  It wouldn't be a Pete Rock album without some funk and jazz elements thrown in with the good vibe atmosphere, and we hear these on cuts like the Little Brother cut "Give It To Ya", the Kardinall Offishall cut, "We Good", and the Pharoahe Monch heater "Just Do it".  It doesn't need to be further explained as to why Pete is mentioned among the greatest ever behind the boards, and truthfully behind the wheels as well.  The sounds of Soul Survivor II are quintessential Pete Rock, and everybody shined in their own great way and of course Pete can bring some of the best out of any emcee.

7. Smoke DZA & Benny The Butcher

Statue Of Limitations EP

Guests: Westside Gunn, Styles P, Conway The Machine

Griselda was hitting on all cylinders in 2019.  One-third of the Griselda three headed monster was Benny The Butcher.  Aside from his own projects, especially the simply stellar WWCD with the other two faces of the click, he got up with fellow NY native, Smoke DZA, to deliver the excellent mixtape, Statue Of Limitations, with Mr. Phillips handling the production, and as usual, he commands the listener's attention with his boom-bap centered production that walks between funky and rugged often.  They handle business on tracks like the Conway The Machine-assisted, "Bullets", the haunting "Drug Rap", and "Toast". They hit their collective shine the most on the piano-covered collab with Westside Gunn, "730", as Benny and DZA cover the cut with tons of shit talk and street talk over one of Pete's most infectious beats in recent years.  Throughout the six track EP, Smoke DZA, Benny, and Pete Rock demonstrate a connection that deserves another project amongst the three of them.  No question Statue Of Limitations is a beast of an EP and both DZA and Benny delivered hard.

6. INI

Center Of Attention

Guests: Q-Tip, Large Professor, Denise Weeks, Pete Rock

One of the late nineties' lost gems was INI's debut album, Center Of Attention.  INI were a group from Mount Vernon, NY and consisted of Grap Luva, I Love H.I.M., Ras G, Marco Polo (not the producer), and DJ Budakhan, and founded by Pete Rock.  Their hit, "Fakin' Jax", was an underground smash and put them on the radar of all backpackers waiting for their eventual release.  Cue to label issues, the album, at the time called The Life I Live, shelved the album and the group disbanded.  Pete eventually put the album on his Soul brother imprint and put the album on a double album that also hosted another album Pete was working on from fellow Mount Vernon emcee, Deda, and his debut, The Original Baby Pa.  Despite not being released at the time formally, the bootleggers had a field day, as it was a massive hit in the streets.  Pete delivered INI some of the most stellar production of his career at the time, coming through with knockers such as "Grown Man Sport", the especially crazy "Step Up", and the title track.  Supplying them with mostly jazzy boom-bap production, the fellas sounded as lovely over the production as former Pete Rock partner, CL Smooth.  While the group definitely make valiant attempts to be lyrical swordsmen, they pale in comparison to the thick, juicy, neck-snapping production of Mr. Rock.  With horns, piano keys, strings, and mostly headache-like percussion, Pete Rock gave some of the most melodic beats to this group and with other highlights such as "The Life I Live", the Q-Tip/Large Professor-assisted "To Each His Own", and "Square One", Center Of Attention was a treasure of an album.  One could only imagine how impactful the album would've been at the time if it would've been released in the mid to late nineties like it was supposed to be.  Better late than never, INI may not be together anymore, but the album they, and Pete, delivered was quite the memorable one, and one that stands out among the very best Pete Rock albums ever.

5. Pete Rock

Soul Survivor

Guests: Prodigy, Inspectah Deck, Big Pun, Kurupt, CL Smooth, Kool G. Rap, Tragedy Khadafi, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, O.C., Heavy D, others

Heads in hip-hop had been waiting with high anticipation for Pete Rock to finally drop a compilation album, and in '98, the Mount Vernon-native delivered Soul Survivor to tremendous acclaim, and rightfully so.  With as much respect as Pete had earned and garnered throughout the game, it was no surprise that several legit heavyweights came through to bless the Pete-produced gems and served them wonderfully.  From the first single alone, "Tru Master" with Kurupt and Inspectah Deck, we knew this would be dumb dope, and boy, were we ever right.  More Wu-Tang reps got on as well, as we heard Method Man (the neck-cramping "Half Man, Half Amazing"), Raekwon, Ghostface ("The Game", which also features a sick verse from the late, great Prodigy), and Cappadonna ("Strange Fruit", which also features Sticky Fingaz and QB legend, Tragedy Khadafi).  While he also went the R&B route with Loose Ends on the sultry-sounding "Take Your Time" and the reggae/dancehall route with Beanie Man and cousin, another late, great legend in Heavy D on "Massive", it was his long awaited reunion with former partner-in-rhyme, CL Smooth that was the true MVP for the incredible, "Da Two", which reminded us once again that CL is truly "the best do ever do it on a Pete Rock track".  Other guests such as the late Big Pun, Black Thought, Kool G. Rap, INI member Rob-O, and O.C. do such great work on tracks that are instantly enjoyable and worth pressing the repeat button several times.  With Soul Survivor, Pete Rock officially proved his ability to hang with the true greats in hip-hop, as if he already wasn't strongly considered as one already.  The year of '98 had true classics like Black Star's debut self-titled album, Aquemini, and Pun's debut, Capital Punishment, but one would be foolish not to put this album up right there with them.

4. Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Mecca & The Soul Brother

Guests: Heavy D, INI, Grand Puba

After a pretty impressive showing with their '91 EP, All Souled Out, little did we know this was just the appetizer for a much bigger meal that Pete Rock & CL Smooth had for us.  They came back the very next year, and dropped what would be heralded as one of hip-hop's all-time amazing cuts, the somber yet touching, "T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You)".  Dedicated to former Heavy D & The Boyz member, Trouble T-Roy, who died tragically from an accident after a show in Indianapolis, the song became arguably hip-hop's signature eulogy song and became a staple in hip-hop.  The song was the first single from their album, Mecca & The Soul Brother, and this was quite the funky, neck-moving album.  Once you've wiped your tears away thinking of that fallen loved from "T.R.O.Y.", we turn the vibes up. The second single, for example, "Straighten It Out", is a horn-heavy cut that has CL spitting about industry BS and bootlegging.  Other cuts such as the soulfully thick "For Pete's Sake", "Act Like Ya Know", and "It's Like That" are worthy of bumping heavy in the whip. They occasionally get conscious on the cuts "Anger in The Nation" and "Ghettos of The Mind", and also bring elements of love and romance on "Lots of Lovin'", and sexual innuendos on the Grand Puba-assisted "Skinz".  They get back to just plain old fashioned hip-hop with the Heavy D/Rob-O-assisted "the Basement", in which this could easily be among the impressive showings from Heavy D at this time over a track you typically wouldn't hear Heav represent over.  This first full-length effort from PR & CL, Mecca & The Soul Brother, established them as a seminal MC/producer duo within the early nineties, competing with the likes of Gangstarr, and much like them, their second album put them on the map, as if "T.R.O.Y." didn't do that already.

3. Skyzoo & Pete Rock

Retropolitan

Guests: Elzhi, Griselda, Styles P, Raheem Devaughn

It was only a matter of time before we got something between Pete and Brooklyn wunderkind, Skyzoo.  Skyzoo has made a name for himself for nearly two decades and has one of the best and most consistent discographies in all of hip-hop.  Albums such as The Salvation, Music For My Friends, In Celebration of Us, the exceptional All the Brilliant Things and the fantastic offering of 2023, The Mind of A Saint, all certify this.  Greatly contributing to this was his album with Pete in 2019, Retropolitan, which was as New York of a sounding album as you'd come to hear in this time.  To no surprise, Pete brings lots of thump with his signature elements of jazz, funk, and soul for Sky to eloquently spit over.  Cuts like "Homegrown", "Penny Jerseys", and "Glorious" all have a vintage feel to them without sounding dated.  That's mostly the point of this album: bringing a nostalgia feel without sounding hokey or too old-school.  Instead, Pete reminds us of why NY was the Mecca for so many years.  The Styles P-assisted, "Carry On Tradition" and "It's All Good" literally sound like mid-90s Pete Rock just updated to today's times, which regardless is excellent.  The peak standouts come in the form of the final two cuts on this effort.  The Griselda/Elzhi-assisted, "Eastern Conference All-Stars" is one of the dopest posse cuts you'll hear in today's NY hip-hop.  To no shock, Conway, Benny, Elzhi, and Sky rip this outstanding Pete Rock track up, with Westside Gunn not doing too shabby either.  To close the album out, "The Audacity Of Dope" shows Sky exhibiting his niche of ambition mixed with confidence yet humility over a searing PR track.  The beauty of Retropolitan is that Sky and PR are New Yorkers to the soul, and Retropolitan is a wonderful throwback to the sound of NY the standard bearer for at least two decades.  

2. Pete Rock & CL Smooth

The Main Ingredient

Rob-O, Grap Luva, Vinia Mojica

It was a tall task trying to follow up such a fantastic debut full-length like Mecca and the Soul Brother, and Pete Rock & CL Smooth were aware of this.  Therefore, they returned in '94 (arguably hip-hop's best overall year) with The Main Ingredient. Did it live up to the expectations set by Mecca and the Soul Brother? BOY did it.  This effort from them is seen as perhaps the duo's most fluid and cohesive album, and rightfully so.  Pete Rock's production was stepped up even more than Mecca and CL brought more confidence and certified himself as one of the true emcees of their time.  While the first single, "I Got A Love" was a great way to introduce the album, it was the forever sampled cut of Keep Rising to The Top"-flavored, "I'll Take U there" that really got heads open, with Pete Rock's tough percussion over the timeless Kenny Burke cut.  This very infectious cut was only followed by the Roy Ayers-sampled "Searching", and we knew this would be an album that would highly compete with the other legendary albums of that year such as Illmatic, Ready To Die, The Diary, Word...Life, and Stress: The Extinction Agenda.  Once you hit the play button, you were either frequently hitting the repeat button or letting the entire album play with zero skips or fast forwards. The first track alone was enough to get you moving with "In the House", a neck-snapping cut that's as fun to listen to as it is dope to hear how good CL is over Pete Rock production.  They keep the electricity coming with cuts like "Sun Won't Come Out", "Carmel City", and the excellent title track.  While this album doesn't contain a centerpiece smash like "T.R.O.Y.", it doesn't deter from how infectious PR's production choices are here and how each song is as dope of a cut as the prior.  One can't deny the sounds of the tremendous posse cut, "In the Flesh" with INI member Rob-O and Deda, while the ever soulful "All the Places" keeps the momentum going in such glorious fashion.  It's not hard to see why many have called The Main Ingredient a classic, which considering the year '94 was, says a mouthful.  What Pete Rock & Cl Smooth assembled with The Main Ingredient was Pete Rock's most exceptional song for song produced album for a few decades, and while this was sadly the final album from these two together, they can be assured that The Main Ingredient cemented them as one of the nineties best duos with two albums that people still regard as highly memorable efforts. 

1. Common & Pete Rock

The Auditorium Vol. 1

Guests: Posdnous, Bilal, Jenifer Hudson, PJ

It was late in 2023 when two of nineties hip-hop's most impactful talents, Common and Pete Rock, stated that they were collaborating for an upcoming album, and immediately heads were anticipating it.  After some months of posting studio sessions online, the announcement came that their first ever collab album was coming in the summer and the title was The Auditorium Vol. 1.  There was a teaser single that dropped called "Tryin'", and it was enough to send shivers up the collective spine of many a hip-hop enthusiast with the thick drums and vocal sample.  Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be a p-art of the album, but that was okay because based off the instant favorite, Common's love letter to "H.E.R.", "Dreamin'", we were going to be in great hands.  Folks, this album is arguably the most bananas album in many years from both artists.  The last album we got from Common was the two-part series, A Beautiful Revolution, which was an overall great album that showed his afro-centric nature, as well his social commentary and the important of family and culture.  On the other hand, Pete Rock's last efforts were his aforementioned project with Skyzoo, Retropolitan, and AMXXR's 21 Grams: Worth Its Weight In Soul in 2019 and 2021 respectively.  Both of these legends came together to deliver an unforgettable project.  From the official first single, "Wise Up", Common displayed a reborn ferocity we haven't seen in over a decade and a half when to comes to just lyricism over a MC Shan-scratched sample.  He continues this youthful hunger on other cuts like "Fortunate", "All Kind of Ideas" (this is the only cut that actually has Pete, himself, rapping on it), and especially the incredible, and highly appropriately titled, "Stellar", which could easily stand among one of the finest album cuts Pete has produced in several years.  In terms of overall themes, it's nothing breakthrough for Common, nor does he necessarily have to stray from what he's passionate about: Black culture, hip-hop culture, spirituality, and just general grown man rap.  These are evident on other excellent cuts like the soulfully jazzy Posdnous of De La Soul-assisted "When the Sun Shines Again" (which also features the hook sung by frequent collaborator, the exquisite Bilal), the blissful Jennifer Hudson-assisted "A God (There Is)", the Lauryn Hill-scratched sampled "Chi-Town Do It". and the simply fantastic vocal sampled, "Lonesome".  Nothing too head heavy, just good old fashioned hip-hop for the soul and the speakers. What Common and Pete Rock did with The Auditorium Vol. 1 was special.  This is as fundamental hip-hop as it gets from two of the most revered and esteemed artists of their crafts in all of hip-hop.  From top to bottom, this flows as smooth as a river and Pete's style of jazzy, soulful boom-bap doesn't sound dated, in fact it sounds as fresh as ever, not sounding this outstanding consistently since he and Cl's The Main Ingredient. Along with Common's reinvigorated delivery and focus, this is easily Common's best effort since '05's timeless classic, Be, and for very good reason. When you mention Common classics, you're buggin' if this isn't in your top three of all-time, and the same with Mr. Pete Phillips.

As you can see, Pete Rock delivered some of the game's most phenomenal music, and he's not done either. Never dumbing down his sound or catering to any current sonic trend, he has remained true to the sound that got him his acclaim in the first place and is steadfastly devoted to it.  Coming off the exceptional instant classic that is The Auditorium Vol. 1, one would hopefully expect a Vol. 2 at some point. As rumors swirl about a Soul Survivor III in 2025, one can hope that, and other dumb dope music will follow. Also, don't be surprised to hear more from him in the coming months as well, and you best believe we will be eagerly awaiting anything new from the Soul Brother #1.  Until next time!

Here are some the very best from Soul brother #1

Pete Rock & Large Professor "The Rap World"

Pete Rock & Cl Smooth "In The House"

All City "Priceless"

Lost Boyz feat. Pete Rock "The Yearn"

Pete Rock & CL Smooth "What's Next On the Menu"

Rakim "The Saga Begins"

K-Solo "Letterman"

AZ "Gimme Yours"

Pete Rock & CL Smooth "They Reminisce Over You"

Common & Pete Rock "Stellar"

INI feat. Pete Rock "Fakin' Jax"

Pete Rock feat. CL Smooth "Da Two"

Bumpy Knuckles "Bumpy Knuckles Baby"

Screwball feat. MC Shan "You Love to Hear the Story"

AZ "Rather Unique"

Heavy D & The Boyz feat. Big Daddy Kane, Grand Puba, Kool G. Rap, Q-Tip, Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Don't Curse"

Pete Rock & CL Smooth "The Creator"

Raekwon "Sneakers"

Skyzoo & Pete Rock fat. Styles P "Carry On Tradition"

Pete Rock feat. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Prodigy "The Game"

Run-DMC feat. Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Down With The King"

Pete Rock feat. Krumbsnatcha "Beef"

Rah Digga "What they Call Me"

INI "Grown Man Sport"

Ed O.G. & Pete Rock "Boston"

Skyzoo & Pete Rock "Homegrown"

Rob-O "Mention Me"

The Lox "Filthy America"

Common & Pete Rock "Dreamin"

Nas "The World Is Yours"

Killah Sha "Iron Hand"

Smoke DZA & Benny The Butcher "Drug Rap"

Pete Rock feat. Raekwon, Masta Killa "The PJs"

Rakim "When I'm Flowin"

Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Act Like Ya Know"

Smoke DZA & Benny The Butcher feat. Westside Gunn "730"

Camp Lo & Pete Rock "Let's Toast"

Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Straighten It Out"

Nas "Queensbridge Politics"

Conway The Machine "Piper"

Common & Pete Rock "All Kind Of Ideas"

MC Lyte, Bahamadia, Yo-Yo, & Nonchalent "Keep On Pushin"

Inspectah Deck "Trouble Man"

Smif-N-Wessun & Pete Rock feat. Sean Price, Styles P "That's Hard"

Smoke DZA & Pete Rock feat. Royce Da 5'9" "Hold The Drums"

The UN "Avenue"

Westside Gunn feat. Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine "Brutus"

Ghostface Killah feat. Raekwon, Sun God, Cappadonna, Trife Da God "Dogs Of War"

Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Take You There"

Chemistry In The Laboratory: The Best Alchemist Produced Albums Of All-Time

Within the past 25 years, one of the most prolific and acclaimed producers has been Cali native-turned New York resident, Alan Maman aka The Alchemist.  Originally an emcee known as Mudfoot as half of The Hooliganz in the mid to late nineties, he was a student of another legend, DJ Muggs.  After doing work with the likes of Dilated Peoples, The High & Mighty, Defari, and Call O' Da Wild, he got on more radars with his work on Mobb Deep's Murda Muzik, in which he did "Thug Muzik" and one of the album's true highlights, "The Realest" with Kool G. Rap.  From there, he started doing more and more work with the likes of Swollen Members, Nas,  Terror Squad, Ghostface Killah, Jadakiss, and Capone-N-Noreaga through the next few years.  The more quality product he was delivering to the masses, the more his stature was rising.  As the thousands went along, he started to put himself more out there as he delivered his debut compilation album, 1st Infantry, and also reminded people he was a spitter as well.  As he started to become among the most in demand producers in hip-hop, he was building a strong legacy for himself that even the likes of Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, RZA, and Pete Rock were acknowledging as one of the best around.  However, many would sate that his peak years were still in front of him, and once the mid-tens came through, Alchemist hit new levels of sounds that became just incredible and game-changing.  The quality of work he was producing for the likes of Blu, Evidence, Boldy James, Curren$y, Roc Marciano, and the Griselda crew was arguably the most top notched production of any producer in hip-hop on a consistent level.  His sounds vary from trap 808s to melodic, sampled boom bap to atmospheric and drum-less, and his success record is as legendary as the genre-shifting producers previously mentioned.  Today, he's in fact mentioned on many fans and colleagues Mount Rushmore of producers for modern day hip-hop.  With that being said, let's dive into twenty of the best Alchemist-produced albums in hip-hop.  Let's go!

20. Boldy James & The Alchemist

Bo Jackson

Guests: Freddie Gibbs, Curren$y, Stove God Cook$, Benny The Butcher, Earl Sweatshirt, Roc Marciano

We start off this unbelievable list in the D.  Boldy James has collaborated with Uncle Al very frequently since Boldy's first effort, My 1st Chemistry Set, in 2013.  Although the project was definitely worth the rotation, they reached even higher ground seven years later with the follow-up, The Price Of Tea In China, which was even better and more polished, as Boldy sounded more focused and more confident.  However, it was that next year when he would arguably hear the best version of the celebrated MC/producer duo with Bo Jackson.  After a surprise video of the ominous-sounding, yet highly bumping, "First 48 Freestyle", the album would drop the next week, and this was an entire bumper.  From the opener alone, the haunting "Double Hockey Sticks", this had the makings of a memorable album by the two, and neither emcee nor producer let their collective foots off the gas.  The sounds Alchemist provides Boldy with were more obtuse, yet melodic and even psychedelic at times, but Boldy glides over each production choice with distinction and confidence.  Take the soulful samplings of "Turpentine", where Al brings forth light snares with a repeated vocal sample that doesn't take up a ton of room against Boldy's narrative lyrics.  Also, the dark, menacing keys of "E.P.M.D." have Boldy spitting verses about revenge and, as the title indicates, enemies plotting his demise, while "Speed Trap" has Boldy has him in his coke rap bag over thick marching drums and psychedelic strings.  Other cuts like the eerie and methodical "Flight Risk", the bumping "Steel Wool", the Benny The Butcher-assisted "Brickmille To Montana", and the vocal samplings of "Illegal Search & Seizure" make Boldy in a special lane with Al that only a few can consistently keep going in. Anytime you hear Boldy and Al together, you know that the project is going to be an instant heater, and Bo Jackson solidified their connection as one of the finest duos in hip-hop period.

19. Curren$y & The Alchemist

Covert Coup

Guests: Prodigy, Smoke DZA, Freddie Gibbs, Fiend

This is the first of two big collabs on this list between The Alchemist and New Orleans' own, Curren$y.There's arguably nobody in southern hip-hop that works harder at putting out efforts per year than Curren$y.  His discography spans over ONE HUNDRED projects since the early two thousands, and still has no signs of slowing down a whole bunch.  One of his most acclaimed projects was with Uncle Al, as they presented Covert Coup in 2011.  His laid-back, New Orleans drawl and delivery matched perfectly with Al's slinky and smoothed-out production.  Cuts like "Smoke Break", "Ventilation", and the witty titled, "Success Is My Cologne" all exemplify the (ahem) chemistry the artist and producer have over this cloudy, yet soulful, production.  The most surprising collab on here goes to him and the late, great Prodigy on the ridiculous "The Type", while he and past and future collaborators, Freddie Gibbs and Smoke DZA show up nicely on the respective tracks, the crazy "Scottie Pippen" and "Life Instructions".  This EP-turned-mixtape was fire from the word 'go', and Covert Coup stands to this day as one of Curren$y's meanest projects.  This would not be the last time we would see Curren$y and Uncle Al together for a project, as you'll see a few others on this list, and this rocks as hard any other effort Spitta would release.

18. The Alchemist

Chemical Warfare

Guests: Prodigy, Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss, Pusha T, Evidence, Kool G. Rap, KXNG Crooked, Gangrene, Kid Cudi, Three 6 Mafia, Juvenile, Tha Dogg Pound, others

This is the first of a few Alchemist-centered compilation albums on this list, but don't think this is "weak" by any stretch of the imagination.  Seen as a sequel of sorts to his debut compilation album, 1st Infantry, Chemical Warfare is a bit more brooding and darker in texture, but is every bit as bumping as 1st Infantry.  His production talents are fully exhibited on standouts such as his assistance verbally with legend, Kool G. Rap, "ALC Theme", Eminem's haunting title track, and KRS-one's flammable "Grand Concourd Benches".  He goes the drumless route on the guitar-laced posse cut, "Therapy", which has Talib Kweli, Blu, and Step brother teammate, Evidence, delivering tremendous bars, while Kid Cudi presents the hook, in what could be the best overall cut on the album.  Meanwhile, what's an Alchemist album without some Mobb on it? Banadana P shows up on the surprisingly quite sexual, yet sonically ferocious, "Keep Your Heels On", while Al gives us some southern influenced bounce on the Three 6 Mafia & Juvenile cut, "That'll Work", and throws some soulful workings in there on the Twista and Maxwell collab, "Smile". Al does come through on his own solo cut, "Take A Look Back", and shows why, even then, he was among the best producers that could spit.  Along with cuts like the Snoop/Pusha T/Jadakiss cut "Lose Your Life", "Lights, Camera, Action" by M.O.P.'s Lil Fame, and the cold "On Sight" with Tha Dogg Pound and the underappreciated Lady Of Rage, Chemical Warfare is one of Chemist's dopest compilation efforts, and certainly ranked among the best albums of '08 as a whole.

17. Larry June & The Alchemist

The Great Escape

Guests: Slum Village, Boldy James, Evidence, Wiz Khalifa, Jay Worthy, Joey Bada$$, Curren$y, Big Sean, Action Bronson, Ty Dolla $ign

Bay Area rapper, Larry June, has carved out a name for himself over the past several years going back to through mid tens.  He and spitter-in-crime, Jay Worthy, often collaborate and have put out efforts with each other.  His style of K-Dee's laid-back spitting meeting up with E-40s entrepreneurial wisdom on wax is what has helped give LJ a steady following.  In 2023, he got help from The Alchemist to do an entire album, entitled, The Great Escape, which was the follow-up to the enjoyable, eighties-styled, Spaceships On the Blade.  Arguably the biggest album he's had up to that point, simply by having an entire album with Uncle Al on boards, and in a couple of cases sharing the mic with him, meant a bigger audience.  Al's production, much like his work with Armand Hammer, matched up damn near perfectly with LJ's style of delivery. The production here was breezy, airy, and mostly contain the type of sounds that make you wanna get in your Cadillac and just cruise on a Sunday afternoon.  June shines on cuts such as the soulful "Ocean Sounds" and "60 Days", but the guests here help him out on this project, and in some cases, tend to outshine him.  Big Sean drops a pretty good verse on the slick "Palisades, CA", whole frequent Al collaborator, Boldy James, stops by on the dumb dope "Art Talk".  Boldy isn't the only Detroit representative on this album, as Slum Village slide through on the mellow sounding, "Orange Village", complete with brisk production and sounds perfect for a coffee shop or a Sunday morning house clean.  Al picks up the mic for "'89 Earthquake", and does his own track a ton of justice, however, it's LJ getting assistance from his co-conspirator, Jay Worthy, that is the best partnership on "Exito".  It's clear The Great Escape is just that: an escape from the violent, sexual, and drug-glorifying material in a lot of hip-hop today.  Instead, Larry June lays a blueprint for the common man and woman on how to hustle, be successful, and make time to smell your own roses and reap your own benefits.  He just has Alchemist to provide him with arguably the most smooth and fluid soundtrack he could ask for.

16. The Alchemist

Russian Roulette

Guests: Roc Marciano, Evidence, Big Twins, Meyhem Lauren, Boldy James, Schoolboy Q, Danny Brown, Guilty Simpson, others

Continuing with his compilations, Alchemist came through in 2012 with the somewhat ambitious, Russian Roulette.  This album had more of an emphasis on samples and elements from Russian music and scores.  This made for some quite intriguing and interesting sounds throughout the album.  Several instrumentals were crafted with excerpts from Russian movies, songs, or any other forms of media and/or entertainment.  While there are definitely rap cuts that are featured, this was less of a rapper compilation and more of a musical exhibition that blends each track into the next seamlessly and creatively like one long audio cinematic piece. Out of thirty tracks, half the album are just instrumentals inserted with performance or spoken samples in Russian.  This flows just excellently after and in between cuts like Action Bronson's "Decisions Over Veal Orloff", Roc Marciano's "Turning Point", and Durag Dynasty's "Fighting Junkyard Scene".  In its own way, the album is telling a cohesive musical story, with it serving as more of a score than a compilation.  While other cuts like Big Twins' "Moon Probe", Evidence's "Never Grow Up", and Danny Brown & Schoolboy Q's "Flight Confirmation" are definitely added bonuses and are welcomed greatly, Russian Roulette's biggest strength lies within its musical storytelling as a whole. Each track on here in between one and two and a half minutes, thus making this project flow consistently like water.  The Alchemist cooked up a damn excellent concept here and showed that he knew how to craft outside out his realms of musical endeavors.

15. Curren$y & The Alchemist

Continuance

Guests: Havoc, Styles P, Wiz Khalifa, Larry June, Boldy James, Babyface Ray

Earlier, we covered Curren$y and Alchemist's first collab offering together, Covert Coup. It was a lean and slick sounding effort that showed an energy between them that screamed for another project from them.  Thirteen years after Covert Coup, and six years after the fantastic follow-up, The Carrollton Heist, they dropped Continuance.  Very much on sync and in tune with the previous collab albums between the two artists, this album further advances the notion that not a single thing changed between them and their creative process, and that's a great thing.  The production is even more sleek, even more layered and sampled, and the results are outstanding.  Cuts like the Boldy James-assisted, "No Yeast", "The Tonight Show", and the opening "Half Moon Mornings" are cuts that are custom made for Spitta and his laid-back, weed-toking delivery.  What often gets overlooked and underestimated is his penmanship.  His open game and his lyricism is the type that makes his usual references of money, weed, hos, and more money sound enjoyable with his wordplay and witty bars.  This is evident on tracks like the fantastic, adult lounge-sounding "Kool & The Gang" and the moody "Signature Move", but then he remembers his N'awlins roots with the street-wise gun bucking, "Obsession" and the highly braggadocious "The Final Board".  As was said earlier, Continuance falls right in line with their previous works of The Carrollton Heist and Covert Coup, only a level higher with its minimalistic, yet very highly effective, sounds of Uncle Al.  Curren$y and Alchemist are one of the best MC/producer duos out there and whenever they get together, it's almost promised there will be magic and a show that will keep the audience coming back for more and more.

14. The Alchemist

1st Infantry

Guests: Mobb Deep, The Lox, The Game, Nas, Dilated Peoples, M.O.P., Big Twins, Big Noyd, P$C, B-Real, Lloyd Banks, Devin The Dude, others

There weren't too many producers in '04 that were on the level of Alan "The Alchemist" Maman.  With production credits under the umbrellas of Mobb Deep, Royce Da 5'9", Infamous Mobb, Big Noyd, Dilated Peoples, Fat Joe, and others, the time had come for Uncle Al to present his own compilation entitled, 1st Infantry.  This album was everything you would expect from him at this time, and this turned out very damn dope.  From the first single, "Hold U Down" with Prodigy, Illa Ghee, and Latina singing sisters, Nina Sky, heads were ready to hear how dope the rest of the album would be, and it met expectations head on.  The album starts thumping and dark on the cut "Dead Bodies" with Prodigy and The Game.  The sinister sounds continue on cuts like "D Block To QB" by Havoc, Big Noyd, Styles P, and former D-Block affiliate, J-Hood, and "Boost the Crime Rate" by Sheek Louch and J-Hood.  However, he also gets the streets and clubs alike thumping with cuts like Mobb Deep's neck-cramping "It's A Craze", T.I. and his P$C click on "Pimp Squad", and the knocking "Bangers" by Lloyd Banks.  We were also treated to a rare collab between P and Nas for "Tic Toc".  It should come as no surprise that Alchemist's first attempt at a compilation album was a success.  Listening to 1st Infantry showcased how ready Alchemist was to be amongst the elite of producers (not to mention Al can of course be an effective emcee as well).  This was the first of many tremendous examples of the talent Alchemist possessed.

13. Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, & The Alchemist

Fetti

Guests: N/A

When Freddie Gibbs and Curren$y first got together on the outstanding cut from Covert Coup, "Scottie Pippen" and then again on the track "Tell A Friend," from Gibbs' dumb dope Baby Face Killa album, there was something there that had the Gary, In and New Orleans further collaborate and pout out more music.  There was certainly a booth connection.  When it was announced that, not only would these two put out an EP together, but that The Alchemist would be manning the boards, the heads were fiending.  We knew this would be an excellent piece of music with two of the most talented emcees in the game coming together.  The EP, entitled Fetti, had a lure of a mafioso, drugs, and riches type of vibe throughout the project.  Along with the minimalistic eighties-esque production provided by Uncle Al, this was a hell of a project.  All one has to do is peep "Saturday Night Special" and "Bundy & Sincere" to hear the Scarface-like aura of the project, as these tracks could easily fit in with the aforementioned movie, as well as Superfly or Truck Turner.  Noth emcees also have solo cuts on the effort as well. Gibbs rips apart the laid-back sounds of "Willie Lloyd" and the vintage-sounding "Now & Later Gators", while Curren$y handles his business on "No Window Tents", which could easily belong on any of the previous Curren$y/Alchemist projects.  With "Location Remote", "The Blow", and "New Thangs", these two show that same chemistry that made "Scottie Pippen" such a hit for these two.  Easily among the top efforts of 2018, Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, and The Alchemist presented us with an effort in Fetti that could've slid right in with the seventies era.

12. Action Bronson & The Alchemist

Rare Chandeliers

Guests: Sean Price, Big Twins, Meyhem Lauren, Schoolboy Q, Roc Marciano, Evidence, Styles P, others

Queens' Bam Bam himself, Action Bronson, got up with the almighty Alchemist in 2012 to present the super dope mixtape, Rare Chandeliers.  Fresh off the underground acclaim of 2011's dual projects, Dr. Lecter, and the Statik Selektah-collaborated, Well Done, he and Alan the Chemist presented a very formidable effort that had Chemist go in his bag to bring out a variety of sounds that range from dark, drumless, and murky to raw boom-bap with ridiculously crafted samples.  Action sounds completely comfortable and in his good space over some Chemistry production.  Peep tracks such as the Big Twins and the late, great Sean Price-assisted, "Blood of The Lamb", "Eggs on the Third Floor", and the Evidence-assisted "Bitch I Deserve You" for examples of how great he flows over Al's varied styles of piano keys, chords, horn samples, and steady percussion.  Bronson's witty bars and straight up comic relief themes make him just as much of a funny emcee as he is a great writer and spitter.  When he's with the likes of the aforementioned, as well as Roc Marci ("Modern Day Revelations"), Meyhem Lauren ("Sylvester Lundgren"), Schoolboy Q ("Demolition man"), and Styles P (the very highly impressive beat split crime score of "Gateway to Wizardry"), he steps his game up and goes more for the jugular more consistently.  Bronson and Uncle Al seem to have a connection that is quite notable, as we would see with later cuts they would do together, but Rare Chandeliers was where we really saw how excellent they could be doing a whole project together, and this is certainly a fire one.

11. Conway The Machine & The Alchemist

LULU

Guests: Schoolboy Q, Cormega

Throughout the past decade, Griselda Records has been arguably the biggest success story as an underground label going more into the mainstream.  The core crew of Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, and Conway The Machine are the heart and soul of Griselda, and these Buffalo natives made the game sit up and take notice with numerous monsters underneath their umbrella.  One of the more fantastic outings came from Conway's collaborative effort with Uncle Al, LULU.  Conway's discography is already among the most impressive and consistent, and coming off the heels of the success and acclaim of Griselda's debut full length album under Shady Records, WWCD, and his own Everybody Is F.O.O.D. 3 mixtape, Conway enlisted Alchemist, who had worked with him on Look What I Became and G.O.A.T.  What Alchemist cooked up for him was a smorgasbord of menacing, yet highly engaging, board work starting off with the knocking "14 KIs", and from there it only gets better with "The Contract" and the Schoolboy Q-assisted "Shooting Sideways".  The Machine has never shied away from his brutal street talk and gritty narratives, in fact it's what got him his acclaim.  He keeps this up on the vivid "Calvin" and the Paid In Full (movie) ode, Cormega-assisted "They Got Sonny". As we come to the closer, the murky "Gold BBSs", it's clear Conway is dumb nice over Alchemist production.  He fits in just as comfortable as he does over Griselda's residential go-to, Daringer, and over the span of these seven tracks, LULU is a thrilling EP displays Conway's no BS approach to his style and lyricism, and Uncle Al provided quite the fantastic score for this effort.

10. Prodigy & The Alchemist

Return Of the Mac

Guests: Un Pachino, Majesty

It wouldn't be an Alchemist list of his best without the Mobb attached to it somewhere.  Frequent collaborators since Mobb Deep's outstanding effort of '99, Murda Muzik, in which Al did "Thug Muzik" and the searing collab with Kool G. Rap, "The Realest".  Since that time, there had been numerous cuts Al and the Mobb have had together, including the likes of "Backwards", "Havoc's Theme", "When You Hear The", "Win or Lose", and of course the bananas "Keep It Thoro".  After Mobb Deep left G-Unit Records in '07, the late, great Prodigy decided to work on the sequel to his gold-selling burner, H.N.I.C.  However, before he was to drop that, he decided to work on a project before then, and he enlisted the help of Uncle Al, and it was entitled, Return of the Mac.  Relying mostly on seventies blaxploitation samples, the vibe of the album is certainly Mobb-like only based in an era where Superfly, Truck Turner, Huggy Bear, and Shaft would be the ones running the scene.  This is evident on cuts like "Mac 10 Handles", the guitar-laced "Rotten Apple", and "Take It to The Top", in which Bandana P is in his full gangsta shit.  One of the most vivid emcees to ever touch a microphone, Banana Clip P was in a league very few emcees could stand up with, and his gun talk was second to none.  He continues the momentum on cuts like the Scarface-sounding "7th Heaven", the simply excellent "Legends", and "Bang On 'Em", and P sounds focused but also very matter of fact in his delivery.  While he may be the best to ever do it over a Havoc beat, it's possible he may be the best to do it over some Uncle Al production too and Return of The Mac is one very prime example of this.  We would hear this combo again six years later on Albert Einstein, but this project was among the start of the discussion of the best new MC/producer duos in the game.  Alchemist's soulful seventies production was the perfect companion to P's Bumpy Johnson appeal, and the result was outstanding.

9. Havoc & The Alchemist

The Silent Partner

Guests: Cormega, Method Man, Prodigy

Meanwhile, the other half of the Infamous ones, Havoc, did his own thing with Alchemist as well with The Silent Partner.  The sad irony about this album is that this album was released a year before the shocking and unfortunate passing of his longtime partner-in-rhyme.  Besides this tragic stat, Hav was out to show everybody he was just as much Mobb music as P, and definitely showed and proved.  Al provided Hav (a legendary producer in his own right) with sinister, occasionally atmospheric, production that matches the whole aura of the Mobb.  Cuts like the eerie "Seize Power", the Mobb Deep reunion, "The Gun Holds a Drum", and the murky split-beat "Just Being Me" are as exemplary of Al's production as you could get, while Havoc was spitting with an understated ferocity on these cuts.  Many had said Hav was the more underrated of the two, and for good reason as P was among the most lethal emcees with a pen in all of hip-hop, but on here, he showed he had a wicked pen game of his own.  The ominous piano chords of "Throw in The Towel" has Hav going full Murda Muzik on this one, while the atmospheric collaboration with Method Man, "Buck 50s & Bullet Wounds" sound like it would fit perfectly on Mobb's Hell On Earth with its vocal wailing sample and the lo-fi sounding bassline.  It's typically hard to not have Mr. M-E-F outshine you on your record, but Hav doesn't do a bad job next to another legendary emcee.  The album closes with the Cormega-assisted "Hear Me Now", which has the two QB emcees handling their business over a very sinister piano and flute sample.  Aside from Havoc doing a damn good job on the mic, Alchemist presented him with some of Al's best overall work since probably Infamous Mobb's CRAZY Special Edition album of '02.  From drumless to very effective sampling, Al brought dark and unsettling production to The Silent Partner, and with Hav, that's arguably what it's supposed to be, as he wouldn't have it any other way.

8. MIKE, Wiki, & The Alchemist

Faith Is a Rock

Guests: N/A

Two of Brooklyn most notable within the underground, MIKE and Wiki (formerly of ratking), got together for the first time for a three-track EP with The Alchemist near the end of 2022 entitled One More.  The three track EP showed the two very talented emcees gelling together nicely, even with their styles being quite different from each other.  Wiki has a flow and delivery very similar to a slightly higher pitched Evidence, while MIKE's is closer to the likes of Earl Sweatshirt or MAVI in which he has a lethargic, almost high as hell, delivery, yet clear enough to understand what he's spitting.  Picture these two together for a whole project.  The EP was dope enough, as the cuts "Odd Ways", "Be Realistic" and the title track were damn good cuts that were worthy of a more full-length project between the three.  Heads wanted it, they got it.  Just after the beginning of 2023, Al stated that the three of them were doing an entire album together entitled, Faith Is a Rock, and the results were as scintillating as you'd imagine the effort to be.  One thing that MIKE and Wiki have in common is the fact that they're both very honest and provide lots of introspection.  This is evident on cuts like the eerie "Stargate", "Odd Ways", and "Be Realistic".  If Uncle Al has a talent within his production, it's that he knows how to set a mood based upon either the story that's trying to get told or based upon the style, imagery, and candidness within the emcee(s) delivery/deliveries.  Albums like HARAM, Return of The Mac, and VOIR DIRE are stellar examples of this.  He does the same here with Faith Is a Rock, as MIKE is known to be comfortable over certain types of sounds based on mood, as does Wiki.  The production, for the most part, is sample-heavy with percussion that ranges from minimal to thick, and cuts like "Thug Anthem" and the aforementioned "Stargate" are incredible standouts due to this from Mr. Maman.  The themes and material of the cuts are in perfect balance with Alchemist's musical selections.  The sublime "Scribble Jam" is a track where MIKE and Wiki handle business reminiscing about growing up struggling and the vulnerabilities that resulted, while the understated vocal sample of "Pray For Him" has these two reminiscing on their upward journey in the hip-hop game and how their ambitions are being displayed.  All three are pronounced weedheads, therefore a weed cut is needed here, and it appears with the sax-heavy "Memory Loss", only this cut shows its highs and lows, and the lows aren't fun.  They keep being autobiographical on cuts like "Mayor's A Cop" and "Bledsoe", and with their willingness to be open and mind-bearing, Faith Is a Rock is a dazzling sonic collection of some of Al's ambitious, yet also highly familiar, musical endeavors.  These three artists are special, and if we get another collab with all three, it'll be as big of a treat as this, or bigger.  Hard to get bigger than this though.

7. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Alfredo

Guests: Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, Rick Ross, Tyler The Creator

Earlier, we reviewed Gangsta Gibbs' collab with Curren$y, Fetti, as one of the best projects Alchemist has done behind the boards.  However, that album would not be the last time we would hear Freddie over some Uncle Al for a whole project.  Seemingly out of the blue, Gibbs and Alchemist would drop their collaborative effort, Alfredo, right during the rise of COVID in 2020.  Gibbs' non-stop, occasionally breathless, delivery, was right on time over Alchemist's varied slick production.  Seen as one of the most talented emcees of the past decade and a half, the Gary, IN native brought arguably his finest mic performance to date, which especially shines on sick cuts like "God Is Perfect", the incredibly soulful "Look At Me", and the bumping "Baby Shit", in which he just effortlessly glides his ass off over ominous, cold production.  On "Something To Rap About", he meets up with Tyler The Creator in which Al splits the beat between a minimalist percussion beat with a warm acoustic loop and more jazzed up, pitch-adjusted version of the prior and both emcees deliver quality lyricism.  Meanwhile, two-thirds of the Griselda three headed monster, Benny The Butcher and Conway The Machine, come through in standout fashion on the haunting "Frank Lucas" and the soulful, smooth "Fools & Babies".  The album's closer, "All Glass", has him a little more aggressive in his delivery over Al's sinister, yet highly engaging, production, but make no mistake about it, Freddie gave a career-shifting performance on this album.  While it can be argued that his work with Madlib for Pinata and Bandana are his measuring sticks, Alfredo is certainly a high benchmark in itself, as this was so cold, both men earned a Grammy nomination for this epic.

6. Prodigy & The Alchemist

Albert Einstein

Guests: Roc Marciano, Action Bronson, Havoc, Raekwon, Domo Genesis

Earlier, we reviewed P & Al's Return of The Mac and how there was a theme of the seventies' gangers mixed with the blaxploitation era.  They reunited for '13's Albert Einstein, and this was more along the lines of what one would expect from the two by this time.  Sounding damn near as hungry as he did in the late nineties-early thousands, P delivered his signature vivid street narratives and chilling threats while over more varied Al production. Cuts like the murky, piano-sampled, "Stay Dope", the raw-sounding "Curb Ya Dog", and the gritty storytelling of "Confessions" are reminders of just what can happen when P and Al get together and create murda music glory.  One thing that made H.N.I.C. a prominent album was how we saw glimpses of vulnerability and personal insights.  None of that here. This is that gangsta, Mobb shit you came to know and love about P, and he provides in abundance.  He keeps his momentum in the forward direction with the split beat of "Raw Forever", in which he's more about legacy than anything else.  Likewise, on other tracks like the super dope Roc Marciano-assisted, "Death Sentence", "Dough Pildin'", and the old school breakbeat sounding Mobb Deep reunion with Raekwon, "R.I.P.", are Banana Clip P at his most focused.  With other cuts like the haunting "Bear Meet" and "Breeze", P & Al are as undefeated of an MC/producer combo as there ever was.  Al seems to bring out the animal in P much like he was zoned in around the late nineties with Hav, and Albert Einstein was another reason why, with the right the person behind him on the boards, Prodigy would deliver all-star performances that people would never forget. 

5. Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, & The Alchemist

Hall & Nash 2: The OG Version

Guests: Schoolboy Q

Back in 2016, Griselda OGs, Westside Gunn and his half-brother, Conway The Machine, delivered a Griselda classic in Hall & Nash, named after the WWE Hall Of Famers, Kevin Nash and the late Scott Hall.  With Griselda's in-house production monster, Daringer, providing them the appropriate soundscape, it was an underground favorite.  Fast forwarding to 2023, Alchemist stated on social media that there was a sequel to Hall & Nash that he had done and that there was a third one coming with him and Daringer exclusively behind the boards.  Heads were clamoring to find anything they could on H&N2, but little to no luck.  However, just after Christmas, the "original version" of Hall & Nash 2 dropped as a post-Christmas treat and dear God were we treated.  Recorded not long before the signing to Shady Records in 2019, it got shelved upon their signing with various cuts being released on other projects, with a few cuts never being heard to the general public.  The nine-track album was an animal from the opening intro cut, as we hear Conway at the hungriest we've heard him in some years.  Meanwhile, Uncle Al delivered epic production that ranged from drumless and ethereal to murky, atmospheric, and haunting boom-bap.  Case in point is the unbelievably sinister, "94 Ghost Shit", in which Conway pulls off an MVP performance that took him back to his Reject days, while "Michaelangelo" has these two spitting over an elegant drumless beat.  Although the cuts of the aforementioned "94 Ghost Shit", "Rey Mysterio", the Schoolboy Q-assisted, "Fork in The Pot", "Judas", and "Fuck & Get High" had all been previously released, they still sound nuts on this album as a collective on here.  The guitar-sampled and looped "Pete vs. Andre" is an epic beat with no percussion, just West and Con tagging in and tagging out to do damage to the listener in Hall & Nash fashion, while on the title track, these two are coming through over another stellar beat from Alan Maman that caps off a musical massacre called Hall & Nash 2: The OG Edition.  If this was an indication of what the rest of the album was slated to be, it gives one chills.  This was the best West and Con had sounded together in a long time and being that it was recorded around 2018 or so, it's no reason Conway was in his bag here, and West was still sounding hungry himself.  The redone version (which supposedly is being called Hall & Nash 3) has a hell of a high benchmark to measure up to, as this could very easily be among the true Griselda classics to ever be presented for our ears.

4. Curren$y & The Alchemist

The Carrollton Heist

Guests: Lil Wayne, Styles P, Action Bronson

You've by now seen two efforts by Curren$y on here with Alchemist behind the boards bringing him some of his best work in the forms of Covert Coup and Continuance.  A few years before Continuance, Spitta had a mixtape for our asses with Uncle Al called The Carrollton Heist, and this was arguably a level above at least Covert Coup, and that's a high bar in itself.  Conceptually, this plays out like the real-life armored truck holdup in which three masked men got away with nearly three hundred thousand dollars.  The moment the mixtape starts, Curren$y is heard saying "Let me out the car", thus having Curren$y enjoying the spoils of the successful heist.  With Alchemist providing him with the very appropriate soundscape, this mixtape goes in and has Spitta enjoying the high life at this time. Metaphorically, he saw himself as someone who "held up" the game, being an underground southern emcee that got seemingly forgotten about when he was released from Cash Money in the early two thousands and got his notoriety and has yet to get "caught".  Curren$y is fully up on his status of being that dude with self-glorifying cuts like the horn-laced sampled "Vibrations", "Black Rally Stripes", and "The Mack Book".  He's never ashamed to promote his lavish lifestyle and hustling mind set, but sometimes he goes into mob boss mode, and this is prevalent on "500 Pounds Of Gas", in which it's less about Tony Montana in a violent mode, but more so having the aura of high caliber respect that walks along the line of some healthy fear.  Of course, the greenery is never out of reach, and cuts like the dazzling "Cartridge" and "Smoking in The Rain", in which the ultra-smoothness of this cut is perfect for the beach or even just for 4/20 day.  He goes cinematic for the somewhat psychedelic-sounding collab with Action Bronson, "Inspiration", while showing his he's never far from bringing that drama on the Lil' Wayne-assisted, "Fat Albert".  It's hard not to put The Carrollton Heist at the top of the Curren$y & Alchemist collaborations, as this comes off more as an audio movie with Alchemist providing the perfect score for this "movie", in which Curren$y is the lead actor.  Although not nearly as violent as the movie, Scarface, The Carrollton Heist has glimpses of it in terms of the never-ending quest for the riches, the power, and the respect that comes with both, even if it comes at the price of someone's life.  Basically, there's no such thing as a Curren$y/Alchemist loss.

3. Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist

VOIR DIRE

Guests: MIKE

In 2023, Alchemist, being the ever witty and trolling social media user that he is, stated to a follower that there was a "hidden album" that could be found online with enough searching.  The hip-hop online community was up in arms trying to find this mysterious project that would've caused fire alarms to go off in the game. The thought of an entire project by Earl and Al made the rumor go nuts. However, all of the sudden we see cryptic messages on Earl's website, which redirected the user to Gala Music's site, showing a new puzzle per day, with one stating Alchemist was a snitch.  After enough cryptic messages and tweets, Alchemist posted a tracklist next to a title called "Speak The Truth" (which is the English translation for the Latin statement, "voir dire").  That evening, a video for the MIKE-assisted "Sentry" premiered. Three days later, VOIR DIRE was released through Gala Music and the response was TREMENDOUS.  We weren't completely sure if this was in fact THE album Alchemist stated was hidden, but in any case, we were ecstatic that we got music from Earl & Al together.  The streaming tracklist was different from the actual album's tracklist, as there were two cuts that were left off the streaming version and a couple that were renamed, but regardless, we had an effort, and it was outstanding.  The video for the knocking, yet musically haunting, Vince Staples-assisted, "The Caliphate" debuted and we were off and running.  Not a single track from this thirteen-track opus was wasted. Not a single one.  The album begins with the hypnotic strings of "100 High Street" and Earl goes in early.  One thing you'll notice is how tremendously fitting Earl sounds over this incredible Alchemist production. Past collaborative cuts they've had such as Sick!'s "Old Friend" and his excellent guest verse on Armand Hammer's "Falling Out The Sky" show how great Earl is over his production, and as is the case with cuts such as the eighties-synths and drums of "Heat Check", "the gospel choir-sampled "Mancala", and the psychedelic feel of "27 Braids".  The airy feel of "Sirius Black" lays the foundation for Earl to poetically go off, while Earl goes in on the excellent sounding, beautifully sampled, "Mac Deuce", as he uses both boxing and gun references within this cut while highlighting the plights of trying to become big in the game yet trying to overcome personal issues and setbacks. The most somber track on the album may be "Free The Ruler", as this was an ode to fallen fellow west coast underground notable, Drakeo The Ruler, but also on "Dead Zone", his meticulous flow is matched with the methodical pace of Al's organ-looped sample as Earl is an unorthodox method of self-awareness.  Clearly, Earl has struggled with his depression and his other mental health issues openly, and this album is no exception, but only someone like Earl can makes dark things sound so artistic and abstract that he walks the lines of genius each time we hear him.  Earl's knack for emotive-filled, left-brained rhymes mixed with Al's ability to provide the appropriate soundscape based upon the emotion and gravitas of the moment makes VOIR DIRE among the most exceptional albums either artist has ever delivered.  Have we heard better from both? Yes, however, when you have an emcee as complex yet brilliant as Earl, it takes a mad scientist to concoct the right music and atmosphere for such a talent.  They push the boundaries of what the other is capable of in several moments of VOIR DIRE, and there's no getting around it: these two are geniuses.

2. Roc Marciano & The Alchemist

The Elephant Man's Bones

Guests: Boldy James, Ice-T, Action Bronson, Knowledge The Pirate

Many give credit to Hempstead, Long Island native, Roc Marciano, for bringing back the raw, uncut grimy sound of New York's underground when he dropped his scorching solo debut of 2010, Marcberg, and followed that up with an even better effort in Reloaded.  Since then, Marci has crafted one of hip-hop's most incomparable discographies, as efforts such as the DJ Muggs-collaborative album, KAOS, Marci Beaucoup, Rosebudd's Revenge, RR2: The Bitter Dose, and Mt. Marci have all achieved massive critical acclaim over the years.  However, it was in the summer of 2022 when it was announced that Roc Marci was collaborating with Uncle Al for an entire project and the streets went nuts.  Marci's conversational, yet straight-forward, delivery mixed with the sheer excellence of Alchemist's production was imagined to be one of the greatest albums of many years, and when The Elephant Man's Bones dropped, we got just that.  These two are far from strangers to each other, as Alchemist provided musical magic with Marci with outstanding cuts like Reloaded's "Flash Gordon", the stellar, yet very bleak-sounding EP with Gangrene, Greneberg, "Drink Up" from Gangrene's Vodka & Ayahuasca album, "Death Sentence" from Prodigy's Albert Einstein effort, "Harry O" from Alchemist's Yacht Rock 2, and "Photographic Memories" on Boldy James' Bo Jackson album, along with Earl Sweatshirt.  It was only right for these two to eventually made an effort together, and boy did they bring scorched Earth with them.  Alchemist provided the best form of production Marci could've gotten that didn't come from himself.  Marci's Superfly-meets-Nino Brown-and Huggy Bear style has a custom-made soundtrack from Mr. Maman.  This is evident in cuts like the slick keys and slim snares of "Quantum Leap", in which he states that "he makes murder look sexy", but also on the dark, piano-laced "Deja Vu", Marci pulls no punches letting the listener know how he sees he peers in the game, stating that they must be "off that Barbara Streisand."  The psychedelic strings and thin crusted snares of "Liquid Coke" is very similar in the tough thug talk with the imaginary cigar in the mouth.  The majority of this album has a vintage jazz lounge feel with moments of grim NYC noir, and Marci does such an illustrative job finessing these joints.  While cuts like "Zig Zag Zig", "Stigmata", and the murky opener, "Rubber Hand Grip" are fire examples of this, it's the wonderful title track that exemplifies the jazz sounds-meets-street hop appeal, in which Al's beautiful piano-loop, fitting vocal sample and minimal snare provides the perfect backdrop to Marci's shit talking narratives and his beyond confident lyrical swag.  It's rare that you find two artists that just have IT together, in terms of fluidity and cohesive chemistry, but Alchemist and Roc Marci do have IT.  A magical combo if there ever was one, Roc Marci and Alchemist provided us with a modern classic in The Elephant Man's Bones, and easily ranks as the top or second-best album in Marci's discography, which by no means is a small statement.

1. Armand Hammer & The Alchemist

HARAM

Guests: Earl Sweatshirt, Quelle Chris, Curly Castro, others

The NY duo of ELUCID and billy woods as Armand Hammer is among the true faces of modern abstract hip-hop with a purpose.  The Backwoodz Studioz figureheads are to 2020s hip-hop in the underground as Run The Jewels were seen in the 2010s: different, raw, sonically left field, yet impactful enough to bring out some of the game's mightiest efforts.  Killer Mike & El-P delivered four straight all-timers within the 2010s (five if you count KM's R.A.P. Music which was produced by El-P), but those have been more or less undisputed across the board. As for woods & ELUCID, although their discography has been fairly excellent, they haven't had a universal classic to their name.  Albums like Paraffin, Shrines, and Rome have been tremendously acclaimed and treasured amongst their following and fanbase, none of these have had the marks of hip-hop monuments and groundbreaking moments for them.  This likely changed in 2021, as The Alchemist collaborated with Armand Hammer to deliver, HARAM, a fourteen-cut masterclass in modern-day abstract, experimental hip-hop.  The cover alone with two decapitated heads of dead pigs was enough to garner controversy and notoriety for the album.  Once you pushed play, you were in for a crazy ride.  Per typical Al, he put together a soundtrack and score for these two brilliant writers, and the results were custom built for the style, aura, and imagery Armand Hammer has been known for: psychedelic, murky, experimental, and certainly an obtuse noir feel with appropriate samples and chords.  Armand Hammer are primarily known for their views on oppression, society's bleak outlook, governmental conspiracies, and the decaying of the world in general, mixed in with spiritual conflicts.  From the opening cut of "Sir Benni Miles", you can tell these emcees are going to present complex and heady lyrics that are both for the intelligent and the uninformed.  Over a voice sample and a grim, atmospheric beat, woods has a pessimistic view of life, while ELUCID has more of an intrinsic vision of the world.  On the horn-laced, "Black Sunlight", these two present themselves as commentators of opposite lenses. ELUCID's is more tongue-in-cheek, whole woods is more apprehensive and lacking faith.  We get a little darker in texture with the drum-less, flute -sampled title track, in which they go into their African descent history and paints morose pictures of taboos and self examinations.  Trust, this doesn't get happier or brighter. In fact, the more the album goes along, it gets even more moody and more vitriolic, This may be the most apparent on the Rapture-themed, "God's Feet", in which ELUCID sings that "The dead are coming home" over one of the darkest, and most psychedelic, piano keys we've ever heard from Alchemist, and it also serves as the most fitting.  This, on the other hand, is followed up by the equally grim "Peppertree", in which we hear warped horns and a reverse-played recording that serves as an acid trip on wax. ELUCID and woods are describing a funeral procession while likely zoned off the finest "trees" of their own. They challenge withered minds and the status quo on the methodically paced Quelle Chris-assisted "Chicharonnes", while on "Squeegee", woods delivers a somewhat disturbing, yet no less intriguing story of a young man who's weed was seemingly laced with PCP which led to an unfortunate end over the type of production we would likely hear on any of Ka's projects only a little more cinematic in undertone, but certainly the haunting aura of it is astounding.  Perhaps the most surprising sounding cut is the Earl Sweatshirt-featured, "Falling Out The Sky", which features a hypnotic Jamaican reggae rhythm. Don't get it twisted. This summertime feel is actually a mask for the serious tone of Earl reminiscing and reflecting over his father's death, while woods talks about his residency in LA and ELUCID's time at a camp when he was a little boy.  Other stellar cuts such as "Wishing Bad", the thoroughly hypnotic, "Indian Summer", the tremendous "Robert Moses", and the left-field closer, "Stonefruit", complete with ELUCID's husky crooning, are more examples of the level of exceptional imagery through lyrics and the mood-fitting production that Alchemist conjures up for them.  They may not be Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po, but Armand Hammer frequently delivers their own brand of organized confusion, and Alchemist put the elements all in place for HARAM. As evidenced with the cover of the severed heads of the pigs, along with guns and cigarettes, they wanted to touch on societal taboos in their own darkly poetic ways.  One thing is for sure: HARAM is Armand Hammer's magnum opus and is the best introduction anyone could have that has never peeped Armand Hammer before.  Sonically, Alchemist has never been more brilliant and abstract, as the production is reflective of some of their aforementioned efforts, only a little more accessible.  Accessible isn't a dirty word here. It's more of a polished look into instability and chaos, which Armand Hammer demonstrated incredibly well here.

Honorable Mentions

The Alchemist- Insomnia

The Alchemist- Cutting Room Floor Vol. 1

The Alchemist- Cutting Room Floor Vol. 2

Domo Genesis & The Alchemist- No Idols

Fashawn & The Alchemist- The Antidote

Fashawn- Fashionably Late EP

Action Bronson & The Alchemist- Lamb Over Rice EP

The Alchemist- The Chemistry Files

Willie The Kid & The Alchemist- Masterpiece Theater

The Alchemist- Flying High

The Alchemist- Flying High 2

The Alchemist- This Thing Of Ours

The Alchemist- This Thing Of Ours 2

Durag Dynasty- 360 Waves

Boldy James & The Alchemist- The Price Of Tea In China

Boldy James & The Alchemist- Super Techmo Bo

Boldy James & The Alchemist- My 1st Chemistry Set

Boldy james & The Alchemist- BoFace EP

After seeing this list, it's clear that the producer affectionately known as "Uncle Al" is among the true giants in the game much like the ones that help influence him such as Dre, Preemo, Marley, RZA, and Pete Rock.  Arguably in the peak of his production career, he delivers an average of four to five exclusively produced projects per year, and all are stellar.  He still has projects coming in 2024 that he's either exclusively doing or assisting with such as the 3rd edition of his collaborative effort with fellow producer, Budgie, with The Good Book Vol. 3, the final Mobb Deep album, a new Boldy album, and rumored albums with Kid Cudi, Quelle Chris, Yasiin Bey, Rome Streetz, and another Larry June project. As CRAZY as his schedule has been with all these projects, one would best believe that he's not stopping no time soon. Alan Maman stays in the lab, and the game is all the better for it.  Until next time!

Check out this list of tracks that display his level of greatness:

Infamous Mobb (Big Twins) "B.I.G.T.W.I.N.S."

Mobb Deep feat. Kool G. Rap "The Realest"

Armand Hammer "God's Feet"

DJ Muggs feat. Evidence & Sick Jacken "Classical"

Roc Marciano & The Alchemist "The Elephant Man's Bones"

Gangrene feat. Planet Asia "Get Into Some Gangsta Shit"

Raekwon "Wallys & Pringles"

Rakaa Iriscience feat. Fashawn, Evidence, Defari "Aces High"

Armand Hammer "Indian Summer"

Nas "Book Of Rhymes"

Curren$y & The Alchemist feat. Action Bronson "Inspiration"

Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist feat. Vince Staples "The Caliphate"

Boldy James & The Alchemist "Summer Nights"

Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist "Mack Deuce"

Benny The Butcher "TMVTL"

Ghostface Killah feat. Raekwon "The Forest"

Boldy James & The Alchemist "First 48 Freestyle"

Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist "100 High Street"

MIKE, Wiki, & The Alchemist "Stargate"

Benny The Butcher "Billy Joe"

MIKE, Wiki, & The Alchemist "Pray For Him"

Roc Marciano "Flash Gordon"

The Alchemist feat. Prodigy "P Broke The Switch"

Prodigy & The Alchemist feat. Roc Marciano "Death Sentence"

Curren$y & The Alchemist "Black Rally Stripes"

Conway The Machine & The Alchemist "14 KIs"

Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist "Baby Shit"

Havoc & The Alchemist feat. Cormega "Hear Me Now"

Conway The Machine "22 May Block"

Havoc & The Alchemist "Seize Power"

Prodigy & The Alchemist "Rotten Apple"

Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, & The Alchemist "Michaelangelo"

Prodigy & The Alchemist "Legends"

The Alchemist feat. Big Twins "Live at The Ampitheater"

Prodigy "Keep It Thoro"

Action Bronson & The Alchemist feat. Evidence "Bitch I Deserve You"

The Alchemist feat. Nas, Prodigy "Tic Toc"

Westside Gunn & MF DOOM "2Stings"

Blu feat. Durag Dynasty "d o o w h o p"

The Alchemist feat. Mobb Deep "It's A Craze"

The Alchemist feat. Mobb Deep "Carved In Stone"

Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, & The Alchemist "Bundy & Sincere"

Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, & The Alchemist "94 Ghost Shit"

Curren$y & The Alchemist feat. Freddie Gibbs "Scottie Pippen"

Evidence feat. Rapsody, Styles P, Khrysis "Love Is a Funny Thing"

The Alchemist feat. Mobb Deep "Tight"

Curren$y & The Alchemist "Kool & The Gang"

Ras Kass "Home Sweet Home"/Jadakiss feat. Styles P "We Gonna Make It"

Step Brothers feat. Roc Marciano "See the Rich Man Play"

Curren$y & The Alchemist "Half Moon Mornings"

The Alchemist feat. Evidence, Blu, Talib Kweli, Kid Cudi "Therapy"

The Alchemist feat. Evidence "Never Grow Up"

Dilated Peoples "The Platform"

Defari feat. Evidence "Focused Daily"

Mobb Deep "Win Or Lose"

Kendrick Lamar "FEAR"

Mobb Deep "When You Hear The"

Greneberg "Papercuts"

Conway the Machine "Piano Love"

Roc Marciano "Fabio"

Greneberg "Hoard 90"

Big Shug feat. Fat Joe, M.O.P. "Hardbody"

Dilated Peoples "Worst Comes to Worst"

Domo Genesis & The Alchemist feat. Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples "Elimination Chamber"

Larry June & The Alchemist "Ocean Sounds"

Roc Marciano feat. Larry June "Bad Juju"

Larry June & The Alchemist feat. Slum Village "Orange Village"

Durang Dynasty "Funyons"

Evidence "Chase the Clouds Away"

Sean Price "Genesis of The Omega"

Gangrene "Muffler Lung"

The Alchemist feat. Styles P, Benny The Butcher "Massacre"

Sean Price "STFU Pt. 2"

Benny The Butcher "Broken Bottles"

Big Shug feat. Gangstarr "Counter Punch"

Conway The Machine "God Don't Make Mistakes"

Westside Gunn "Elizabeth"

Boldy James & The Alchemist "Moochie"

Prodigy "Mystic"

Kendrick Lamar "Meet The Grahams"