The Alchemist is rightly regarded as one of the greatest Hip Hop producers of the last 15 years. He has made dominating mainstream hits like Prodigy’s “Keep It Thoro,” Cam’ron’s “Wet Wipes” and Nas’ “No Idea’s Original,” all the while simultaneously supplying esteemed artists rarely heard on radio, such as Defari or Infamous Mobb with production just as potent. With nearly 20 years in the game, the one thing Alchemist appears to be missing is an album under his name that lives up to his for-hire catalog. Previous solo releases were largely perceived as minor compilations for the hardcore fan, while other work was either under the guise of collaboration or dismissed for the fact that it was free. With Russian Roulette, Alchemist joins Dr. Dre and Kanye West by having an ensemble project that properly shows the producer’s cohesive vision and dynamic evolution. For liner note illiterates, this is an album that sums up Alc’s range and understated ability.
The revolving chamber of Russian Roulette never stops spinning, which is one of the album’s greatest attributes. Like J Dilla’s Donuts and Madlib’s Beat Konducta series, Alchemist disregards the conventions of major label producer-albums, and piles on 30 tracks, a linear mosaic of instrumentals and vocal impressions. There are several movements, adding to a journey that feels very imaginative, both to Alchemist and to the listener. The man who notably deejayed for Eminem for years seamlessly blends his tracks, making Prince Among Thieves-like stops with rappers (though not in character) stealing the moments as their own. Highlights include Roc Marciano’s stamping out the aptly-titled “Turning Point” with his signature nonchalance and laid-back lyrical coolness. Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire calls back to Biggie’s famous “Warning” cell phone conversation on “The Explanation” in a way that feels smart and sophisticated, and exceptionally clean for the Brooklyn sensation. Fresno represents beautifully as Planet Asia and Durag Dynasty slide “Junkyard Fight Scene” right into “Oleg’s Flight” with Fashawn in a masterful transition within the album that can feel like one song or two. The lyrical spots are interspersed with instrumental creations, some of the best moments on the album.
Coming under the mid-’90s tutelage of Havoc and DJ Muggs, The Alchemist’s record digging and sampling has always been apparent. However, on Russian Roulette, the producer unveils his mastery in the field. Foreign (presumably Russian) Psych and Jazz samples drive much of the album, a slight continuation of his work on Gangrene’s sophomore album earlier this year. “Russian Mornings – Sunrise” and “Russian Evenings – Sunset” are beautiful moments in the album, like breaks within an album built on samples. The project uses Rap wisely, but refuses to be simply labeled as a Rap album, as it contains moments that are especially Jazz and Rock-driven. Like the aforementioned Muggs or DJ Shadow, Alchemist really shows that he is beyond capable of dabbling in other genres, and the man who’s career has been rooted in Rap shows just how deep his crates go.
Russian Roulette is The Alchemist finding his latest pocket. Although it feels druggy and improvisational at times, the outcome is soberingly great. The California native built an ensemble that included a largely low profile list of both skillful veterans and unique newer voices in Hip Hop, and he made an album. Expectedly, aspiring producers can study it; hopeful emcees will try to rhyme over its parts from the “rapper’s best friend.” But for the first time in Al’s career, he solely has orchestrated a concoction that is just an outstanding listen for the audience. Al left the machines and boards this go-round as the man with the golden gun.
this has some real bangers
l
20 | Salaam Remi
19 | The Alchemist
18 | Just Blaze
17 | Diamond D
16 | Hi-Tek
15 | J Dilla
14 | DJ Quik
13 | Havoc
12 | Prince Paul
11 | The Neptunes
10 | Rick Rubin
09 | Timbaland
08 | Kanye West
07 | The Bomb Squad
06 | Marley Marl
05 | Large Professor
04 | RZA
02 | Dr. Dre
02 | Pete Rock
01 | DJ Premier
1. Dr. Dre
2. DJ Premier
3. J. Dilla
4. Marley Marl
5. RZA
6. Organized Noize
7. Kanye West
8. Rick Rubin
9. Pete Rock
10. The Neptunes
11. The Bomb Squad
12. Mannie Fresh
13. Easy Mo Bee
14. Pimp C
15. 9th Wonder
16. Erick Sermon
17. Shock G
18. Prince Paul
19. Larry Smith
20. Q-Tip/The Ummah
21. Danger Mouse
22. No I.D.
23. Just Blaze
24. Jermaine Dupri
25. Dan the Automator
26. Havoc
27. DJ Qwik
28. Swizz Beatz
29. DJ Scott La Rock
30. David Banner
31. The Dust Brothers
32. will.i.am
33. Earthtone III
34. Jim Jonsin
35. Juicy J
36. Polow Da Don
37. Large Professor
38. Wyclef Jean
39. Beats By the Pound
40. Mark the 45 King
41. Afrika Bambaataa
42. The Hitmen
43. Sir Jinx
44. Kay Gee
45. Johnny J.
46. Mr. Bangladesh
47. DJ U-Neek
48. Teddy Riley
49. Da Beatminerz
50. Herbie “Luv Bug” Azor
51. Mike Dean
52. The Alchemist
beats by the pound, Mr. Bangladesh., your an idiot
so Polow the Don is ranked higher than Alchemist?? Just Blaze isn’t in the top 3?
Man, what the fuck kinda list is that? you’re stupid.
Dope album, but rated higher than Lif Is Good?? Nah, I don’t think so.
That’s an absolutely amazing review.
what Angela answered I didn’t even know that a mother able to get paid $6334 in four weeks on the computer. did you read this site (Click on menu Home more information) http://goo.gl/3WPuu
so on most tracks he just loops a bunch of progressive rock samples and dosn’t even lay down some hard or dope drums over them or play any synth stuff on top.Not a lot of creativity. You can’t just loop every progressive rock record and then put it out like its a dope album, wheres the talent in that? dude has talent and has done much better. he is just resting on his laurals with this album having more of the same predictable guest emcee’s who are monotone and boring cause they rap so slow and layed back with basic content and rhyme schemes and low energy. Songs are short and i understand the concept but the point is even with super short tracks this album is still boring. Stop sampling too much alc and get those synths and hard drums back in!
This was a great album, but 4,5? Nas’ album Life is Good is a classic and it got 4 stars, ridiculous
album deserves a 3 max
lol @ 4 1/2 , album is mediocre, Alchemist is producing for everybody dropping 5 albums a year and his sound has gotten stale & redundant. He overdosed
a GENEROUS 3/5
no way this is better than the new nas.
c
I aint feelin dis as much as i had wit chemical warfare.
Wow y’all are Nas dickriders ! His album was good, but it ain’t a classic by any means necessary. I wasn’t feelin’ this shit neither, but then I listened to it again and I loved it. The russian samples are amazing, the way he put together the songs, it all connects throughout the album. I agree with this 4.5 and I agree with the 4 for Nas, y’all probably didn’t like it because it was more of an instrumental album, I don’t know, but y’all are underrating this.
fuck you nas dickraidahs
i luv thizz
i luv this
lol the Nas stans are depressed now. 4,5 stars.
This reminds me of Madvillainy
its a good album not great. Better than Life is Good? No way. so WTH it got a 4.5? DX is losing its credibility.
^Shut The F*ck Up^
Niggas Always Comparing One Album’s Rating To Another.
Tired Of That Shit.
hell yeah.need new people.
album is basic. only peopel that dont understand production think this shit is tight.
you sound mad bro
Previous solo releases were largely perceived as minor compilations for the hardcore fan, while other work was either under the guise of collaboration or dismissed for the fact that it was free.
1’st Infantry is a classic and Insomnia is ill as fuck.
Haven’t heard anything decent off this yet, though.
So have the people who have been downvoting actually listened to the album, or are they just being babies because this album was scored marginally better than Life is Good?
I like the album, but Alchemist totally ripped off Madlib’s style
thought i was the only one who noticed. madlibs medicine shows shat on this 13xs…then we have guilty simpson… SAS… alchemist is late to the party. sensing some lee bannon jacking too.
This is indeed a 3,5 Album. You give this 4,5 and NAS 4 !!!!!! You must be Crazy!!!!
I’m a huge NaS fan and to say his album was any more then a four is just being a stan….
i would agree with Nas’ album getting 4.5 because that’s essentially 90/100, or an A-. which is a pretty fair rating for it.
Nino Graye would have been PERFECT for this album.
Great album. Not sure why the Nas groupies are upset. This album isn’t even in the same category of rap as Life is Good. Both are good in their own ways.
Chillaxing Hip Hop.. Very refreshing album..
This is so Remarkable!! Nas fans, suck a dick, his Album wasn’t even close to a Classic. This is innovative and so pleasing to the ears. A real sonic tour de force. One of the Top 3 Hip-Hop Albums of the year, along with El P “C4C” and Ab-Soul “Control System.” Welcome to the Future. 5 Stars
“A real sonic tour de force.”
Jesus Lord Christ GTFO.
(see below) 5 stars
Totally agree with this review. Couldn’t stop listening to this album.. it flows so effortlessly and the features are great! Alchemist really shined on this one!
This audio collage is so great. It’s sooo creative and The Alchemist is the best producer. Some of the beats here are just amazing.
Best tracks: “Junkyard Fight Scene”, “Never Grow Up”, “Apollos Last Stand”, “Kalashnikov Guns” and if it counts “Spudnik Webb” is amazing too.
Alchemist, that’s my kind of producer.
naive
ALC is one of my favourite producers, but come on, half a star more than Nas’ shit? NO
YES
yes – great album, alchemist strikes again.
Great album, alchemist strikes again.
im gonna say it again. this album might be amazing to people who havent heard all the records he sampled for this and who dont understand production. if you think this album is super creative and dope its cause you dont realize how little talent and creativity went into this album which is a classic case of over sampling. its like a super orgy of over sampling (sometimes dude sampling like 4 bars + of a song without even flipping it or chopping it. big rip off of 70’s progressive and psychedelic rock cause he aint doin shit with the samples besides loopin em. talent is when you actually do something with the samples, more talent is adding dope drum programming and even more talent is adding in your own synth and keyboard sounds which he does basically none of on this album, and an entertaining dope album is one that isnt slow and blah the whole way through with a basic and repetative production style and a predictable line up of mediocre guest rappers.
you sound angry but your right. people dont know what there hearing and what went into making it. i heard most of those original records he sampled so this is boring to me. he slipped on this one and the last gangrene wasnt half as good as the first. half the reason people like this shit is because it has weird/cool song titles and a psychedelic image and sound.
Totally agree with gutter man
it still got a 4.5 it dont mattter how much hate you put into your essay
it just shows how much these rappers are thirsty for some alc shit. if they got these beats from a no name producer i guarantee the beats wouldve hit the trash can. but bc its alchemist theyll rap till they cant no more. alc did a terrible madlib impression on this one. @maskandcgloves i agree with you up until you think it takes more talent to throw synths with a sample…. i personally hate synths in sample based music. sounds forced and corny.. but i also cant stand this extreme minimalism that few can execute well
MADLIB >>>shits on>>> the “beverly hills” alchemist.
this album destroys the entire madlib medicine show series. all 38 of them. madlib releases a ton of music and MOST of it isnt very good. this is alch doing a madlib style joint and alc is better at it.
This shit is straight dope, fuckin’ haters keep quiet, haha.
this was dope
4.5 stars, DX?? really??? This album is trash!! Alchemist, come on son!! You have literally fallen the fuck off! These beats are pathetic knowing they came from ALC. Totally dissapointed this album is horrible.
alchemist what happened to you son? i guess i understand you’re trying to come with a different sound and stuff, but these beats just aren’t cutting it. You were amazing in the 90’s. How do you just keep getting worse and worse? It’s like the talent just goes away? that shit confuses me. How could you be so ill at one point then drop the most average shit ever after that? confusing shit.
This isn’t about making pure beats, it’s a cohesive project not to be mistaken for an instrumental project or just throwaway Alc tracks.
Man you’re dumb ? ‘am a big alc fan and you should know this album ain’t an album full of good beats, it’s a PROJECT. a solo project, where he wants to show how deep he can dig. He’s still doing good stuff for others so don’t be sad our boy al is never gone.
@awfull: a project? oh really? being a special ensemble project based on digging dosnt change the fact the album is boring, over samples, uncreative, weak guset rappers. you can show your digging knowledge without straight up jacking 4+ bars in a row and just looping it. no excuse people, the album is weak. and if they only gave it a 3.5 or less i wouldnt be saying anything- hate over-rated shit.promoting the hell out of his weak new album on this site, comparing him to dre and shit?? alc musta paid em.
J Dillas donuts album must be 6 starts then right, cause that ensemble project is way more talented and interesting.
Donuts is a 10/5… Best instrumental project ever put together, you can’t compare Dilla to anyone. Period.
Rapper’s BEst Friend 2 SHITS on this album!
Hipsters wont fuck with this album….dope
ALC is hit or miss for me…not really feelin his new stuff….i agree with the over-sampling…the combo of sampling and adding original piano play or any other instrument would have made this better….to me, it makes sampling better in general. i dont get the 4.5 stars for this album. ALC is not on that level to me…albums sounds lazy and boring.
Rating: 1.5/5
dis nigga is wack. he needs to learn from me. my album INFINITE SWAG UNIVERSE will e da album of year. swag
being a special ensemble project based on digging dosnt change the fact the album is boring, over samples, uncreative, weak guset rappers. you can show your digging knowledge without straight up jacking 4+ bars in a row and just looping it. no excuse people, the album is weak. and if they only gave it a 3.5 or less i wouldnt be saying anything- hate over-rated shit.promoting the hell out of his weak new album on this site, comparing him to dre and shit?? alc musta paid em.
J Dillas donuts album must be 6 starts then right, cause that ensemble project is way more talented and interesting.
Is it overrated because you don’t agree?
The albums does lack excitement
Look if yall aren’t gonna do objective reviews then stop reviewing, I love alchemist but this isn’t even his best piece of work & yall giving it 4.5,THIS ALBUM IS NOT BETTER THAN NAS’S, IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE! get the record reviews together
not even close to Life Is Good? Wtf are you talkin bout? This is better than LIG. I’d like to see your collection of hiphop albums in ur shelves at home. I probably gonna find all the albums of Nas, Biggie, 2 Pac and J-Z and nothing else. lol. And dont start to talk about Chemical Warfare, cause that album was a disaster. Kids…
sorry son, but the beats on life is good are trash…
I own physical copies of Alchemist” 1st Infatry & Chemistry Files, Prodigy & Alchemist’s- Return of the Mac,………….. I have one of the biggest collections of physical hip-hop album probably in Chicago, not that I’m bragging or anything. Honestly this album is not better than Nas’s nor is it better than covert coupe that he did with Curren$y last years(now thats an album that needs a physical release right there)!!!!!!! The alchemist is a great producer but trust alc’s album is prolly more between the 3.5-4 mic range.
all the real dude i know are bumpin the new kayslay-change of the gaurd and the new banks V6 album and we all agree the new alc lacks that thump and is a back packer boring album- ha ha you chumps lovin that album are silly
dope hiphop
not a 4.5 but not BAD
Alchemist top 5 producers ever
This is what I’m talkin about. I think it’s probably ALC’s best work to date. After the last Gangrene album “Vodka & Ayahuasca” I was confident and certain that Russian Roulette was going to be an instant 5 mics and it is worth every dam mic. ALC is someone who evolved and knows how to handle samples and keys like no other. Yall need to give some credit to this cat instead of whining and nagging that this is actually better than Life is Good from Nas. Most of the kids on these forums, like you guys, are kids that think they know hiphopmusic because they know 2Pac, Biggie, Nas and J-Z. They act they know hiphop, but really, u actually dont know HH. U have to live it to understand it, not by hearing some albums over a couple of years. And another thing, it’s not only lyricists that need to receive all the credit, the beats/melo’s from the producers are in my eyes more important than the rapper itself. Anyone who says I’m wrong, is a person in denial. The producer is the most important person for an album to sale. Ever thought about buying an album only with acapella’s? Try to tell me I m wrong. Exactly.
This is probably the album of the year.
5/5
Intelligent (hoodlum) commentary. Salute!
I wouldn’t buy a hip hop album with just beats neither.
I need both
totally agree, other than I would buy an album of acappellas of sufficient quality
You’re retarded and deaf.
Definitely retarded & deaf
retarted and deaf!!!!!
real talk ma fukcas!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amazing album!
you are dumb
Shits BANGING SON!!!…. Cuff what ya heard!…… ALC
u dumb?
dope album
First and foremost, people that hate on the project just bcoz they want the old alc back dont understand what music and art is all about,EVOLUTION in a good or a bad way but doing the same shit years after years it just a proof of lack of creativity. So you can say that you dont feel it but dont hate on him coz he does different shit.Segondo, for me as a listener who can listen to Waka or Primo or anybody (like for women why discriminate), i think ALC beats are way more sofisiticate now than they were in the past i judge them more musical (but maybe lessbouncy and neck breacking i agree). For instance, if you really listen his beats you can clearly say that his drum play is better (covert coup) than it was even on this project =>drum s’presentless into the mix bring space for other element like rapper , instruments or what you want.
Da truth
album put me to sleep. thought it was o.k. at first but all those long loops and all the non drums and deadly laid back tracks. project failed homefry- get back to that real or follow prodigy
Did Alchemist write this review himself? How can anyone logically conclude it deserves a 4.5?…. Im starting to doubt these editors.
NO- YOU CLONES DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT PRODUCTION SO YOU DONT KNOW HOW LITTLE CREATIVITY AND TALENT WENT INTO THIS ALBUM. HE JUST LOOPED A BUNCH OF PROG/PSYCH/JAZZ ROCK ALBUMS AND HAD SOME BORING OVER-RATED RAPPERS ON. GIMMIE A BREAK CHUMPS.
Go jump off a bridge into oncoming traffic you fuckin loser. You’ve posted like 5 comments that are just trash, kinda like you. DIE BITCH!
DUDES YOU SOUND STUPID DEFENDING THIS CLASSIC CASE OF OVER SAMPLING AND UNCREATIVE JACKING OF MUSIC AND BORING PREDICTABLE SHIT. IF YOU KNEW THE RECORDS HE SAMPLED YOU WOULD AGREE.
You sound even worse
weak shit fool- go cuddle mommy now CHump ass pansy robot conformist robot!!!!!!!!!!! Blaou!!!
That was dry
i didnt know what to think at first and now this is probably my favorite alchemist release in the collection. genius. unscripted. plays beautifully start to finish. this album was designed to be played around weed. breaking weed up to russian roulette. rolling weed up to russian roulette. smoking weed to russian rouletee. next level musical experience. some of these breaks are incredible. the vocal samples are hilarious and interesting. the 30 second sample break with the guy talking about steroids is mezmerizing. alchemist is a genius. truly. j dilla rza and dj premier rolled into one. honor this mans work while hes still cranking it out. incredible artist. peace alc peace hip hop peace good music.
o.k we respect your opinion man but are you a ROBOT?????????????????
you got a alchemist collection?? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! i just download dip-set and other dope shit for free ho.
WEAK ALBUM- HEY ALC- GO DO A REAL ALBUM- DONT EVER RELEASE THIS TYPE OF SHIT AGAIN PAL
ALBUM SOUNDS LIKE A BUNCH OF PROG ROCK RECORD THAT HAVE BEEN RAPED. 1 STAR
1 star my dude- coma album- guest rappers need some LSD
so this gutter man character is trolling it seems
I. Like. Dicks
5stars!!
Hey guys, while I was having sex with Gutter man’s mother (nasty, nasty bitch) she told me that he recently came out of the closet and got viciously raped by a roving gang of teenagers.
So that probably explains his butthurt here.
i would eat your brain
One of the years best. Tremendous review.
yeah, little pansy ass fruitcakes talkin shit about my mom from the safety of there house. i was trolling because anybody with a clue knows that this russian roulette album getting 4.5. is a damn travesty. it just pisses me the hell off to see so many naive unknowing chumps over-rating this under-produced boring album. you little boys cross lines talkin about me dying and my mom- true dirt bag shit and you sound desperate and 10 times more ignorant then me when im drunk. the main reason ive been trolling this weak album is because i know it dosnt deserve the same rating or higher as so many albums that dx under rates like killer mikes r.a.p.- i’m passionate about shit you clones just talk shit and eat dick- you know nothing about production and have proved that by loving this album. suckaz!!!
you fags love this album
you call it trolling- i call it bullying sheep.
you don’t like the album, we all get it
won’t change guy
you’re not bullying anyone
you’re obsessed that a reviewer doesn’t agree with you
grow up a little
masterpiece
masterpiece album
has some really nice stuff!
Your Comment
Ronald! get off my computer and take out the trash.
Hold on mama… I’m balls deep in the vacuum hose
This shit is ill from start to finish. Alchemist has dropped a gem that will go down as an unappreciated classic in a era of over-appreciated mediocrity and wackness where the only thing that matters is how you are marketed.
album is dope…if you have not evolved from the 90s hip hop of simple kicks and snares then you’re just mad….
I love this album
its not a wack album, its good but i think its boring based on how its produced and the typical guest emcees. i troll sometimes when im drunk but will try not to in the future. i gave this album a 1 to balance out the biased 4.5 and to defend other artists and other albums that are better but only getting the typical 3.5/5 on dx. this album really only deserves a 3.5 max to me, but i rated again from a different IP and gave it a 3 since i was trolling. just cant beleive it got more than Cancer for cure.
Why are you so concerned about how others rate an album?
it seems corrupt. i question how/why this album got a 4.5 its not really what others rate. its a popular web site that is being un-just and irresponsible as far as how they rate albums- annoying shit. if this album got a 4.5 then killer mikes r.a.p. music is like a 7/5 and el-p cancer 4 cure is a 6/5. dosnt make sense but theres a lot of truth in that statement.
I see what you’re saying but at the same time you have to realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion. One review score is simply one person saying what they feel about an album. Just how it works
Dawg you pretty lame if you really went thru all that trouble.
wtf you know chump? keep your pansy ass mouth shut. go listen to more back pack rap.
wow. banging project and by far alc best work as far as a whole album is concerned. nicely written review as well!
I’m a big fan of Alchemist, but I honestly thought this album was kind of boring.
This LP truly is something special. I’ve always been an Alc fan, but his recent material – this album and the Gangrene projects – have shitted on all these other rap cats albums. It’s hip-hop like this that restores my faith in this music. Definately gonna be in the top five best albums of the year. I’m just waing for JJ Doom and Necro/G. Rap, Necro’s already shown he can’t be fucked with after releasing the Murder Murder, Kill Kill record. All of these kind of emcees keep hip-hop authentic and if you love this culture/music it’s of paramount importance you these guys when they release their shit.
Necro sucks.
@Annoymous: you may not be a fan of Necro’s music, but you gotta respect the fact that he never chases the dollar like a lot rappers who’ve been in the game as long as he has. He has loyal fan base, and you know what you’re gonna get when you buy his records, but on his new LP he’s introduced a new subject matter lackin’ in his previous releases. You get the same shit about serial killers, schizophrenia, celebrity hoes, but he also reps for Jewish pride and has a lot of anti-Nazi rhetoric on this album so I think he’s maturing. I don’t know why you dx niggaz ain’t review this shit yet, but I’ll give the Nas rating – four mics.
How in the hell this get a 4.5 rating in the review? This is wack as hell. Wow, I wonder what the hell people be thinking about. Nas gets a 4 and this bullshit gets a 4.5? Amazing. smh
Good review. I agree with the rating. It took some balls to give this 4.5, knowing that it was on some next shit and that people weren’t necessarily going to get it right away (or at all).
AWWW SHIT THIS ALBUM WAS AMAZING. VERY ECLECTIC SOUNDS N SHIT LIKE THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD ALBUM, B.
lil man, you sound lame like a little kid that dosnt know shit about beats and thinks boring shit is dope.
4.5 come on guys! Its a cool expermental project but anyone who knows about the art of producing knows Alchemist went crazy over a couple vintage russian vinyls and just 8-bar looped the shit out of most of them. thats where the cohesiveness comes from. not-that-impressive.
Imma settle this shit..
Are the russian samples hot? – Yes!
Are the BPMs too low? – Yes!
Is ALC smoking too much & need to put some harder drums & baselines in this shit?
– Fa shizzle!
In summation & summary: Album would’ve been doper if Al made this shit for trunk-woofers instead of headphones… Should take a note from Oh No [e.g. Ohnomite]
I dont like this album, it boring and simple???? as hell and most song lack a baseline? i like his first two albums much better what do you guys actually like about this average ass album!!!!!!!
i am a die hard alchemist, j dilla, primo, pete rock, q tip, kanye, justblaze, quincy jones…and more fan!! wtf al
too many question marks
Ya’ll sleeping. This is a masterpiece of an album. Very cohesive and versatile.
weak album. boring. weak production with all the over sampling, no hard drums, too slow, shit puts ya to sleep. deserves no more than a 3.5. i would give it a 3 max. and alc needs to fuck with some different rappers and refrain from having the same dudes on every project. if you give it more than a 3 you probably never heard the 70’s records he jacked hard for this sleepy project. cool for a side project but like i said not a great album at all.
good
masterpiece
Awesome album
finally had a chance to bump this over the weekend. fuckign great album. cop the physical copy–lots of work went into the design.
Alchemist the Isaac Newton of Hip Hop 🙂
good one
REAL SHIt right here wish there was more vets on the album but amazing still album of the year in my opinion
My favourite album of 2012 so far. Yes, I agree that al made the album by heavily sampling a few russian records but I think this is good. The whole story starting as a fight in russia (think Rocky 4 – including interview with guy who played Drago) and then the space oddessy at the end is genius. Even more genius if you look at the selected pictures that correspond to the tracks.
That guy is Dolph Lungren
Simply amazing! 5/5
Best tracks – Never Grow Up (feat. Evidence)
Kalashnikov Guns (feat. Guilty Simpson)
Oleg’s Flight (feat. Fashawn)
The Kosmos, Pt. 6 – Life On Another Planet (feat. Willie the Kid)
The Kosmos, Pt. 7 – The Explanation (feat. Mr. MFN eXquire)
I couldn’t agree with you much more…my fav shit is the Big Twins Moon Probe…makes me wanna look back on life and shit…Willie Da Kid’s wordplay is crazy and Midaz The Beast comes the fuck off…Every artist brough pt they A Game foreal yo
fuck every dude chillin, laughin, speakin without insultin and hatin kanye west.. some artists already have died for me for doin that, grandet the most took their way to it and did other shit before that.. but c’mon.. how about workin with Sarah Palin, Tom Cruise or George Bush? they all forget about realness and so the alchemist did.. he made some classic shit and is/was always a name in the scene.. now recordin with master dickheads like KW.. fuck Hip Hop..
http://www.youtube.com/user/harm4life
no disrespect
fuck every dude chillin, laughin, speakin without insultin and hatin kanye west.. some artists already have died for me for doin that, grandet the most took their way to it and did other shit before that.. but c’mon.. how about workin with Sarah Palin, Tom Cruise or George Bush? they all forget about realness and so the alchemist did.. he made some classic shit and is/was always a name in the scene.. now recordin with master dickheads like KW.. fuck Hip Hop..
youtube.com/user/harm4life
no disrespect
great shit
pretty good i downloaded some of the songs bought some of the songs off Itunes
these sample are well chosen and the work he done is damn dope. i really love that concept and that ALC evolution, that was the truth !
but some tracks are too fuckin short, that’s a shame, but that’s the fuckin shit anyway, 5 stars nigga
KALASHNIKOV GUNS
CLASSIC!!!
1. Intro
2. When Darkness Falls (Produced by The Alchemist)
3. Gotta Get ‘Em feat. Royce da 5’9″ (Produced by Mr. Porter)
4. Take My Pain (Produced by Mr. Porter)
5. Nightmares (Produced by Statik Selektah)
6. Better Days (Produced by Mr. Porter)
7. Bloody Money (Produced by Statik Selektah)
8. Judgement Day (Produced by Statik Selektah)
9. Two Clips feat. Pharoahe Monch (Produced by Marco Polo)
10. Sunshine (Produced by Mr. Porter)
11. Die Hard (Produced by Black Milk)
12. Mercy feat. Guilty Simpson (Produced by Apollo Brown)
13. Formidable Enemy (Produced by Mr. Porter)
14. City Lights feat. Phonte (Produced by 9th Wonder)
15. Big Beat Walkthrough feat. Action Bronson & Reks (Produced by Statik Selektah)
16. Unconscious State (Produced by Khrysis)
Deluxe Edition
17. What I Do (Produced by Statik Selektah)
18. Thousand Words (Produced by !llmind)
19. Fear (Produced by Beatnick & K-Salaam)
20. Die Hard (Remix) feat. Sean Price, eLZhi & Royce da 5’9″ (Produced by Black Milk)
Hahahaha you dumb asses who think this is bad are deaf. I’ll just sit back and listen to this masterpiece and smoke while you dumb niggas fight about how this “dont have no drums”. If you only listen to 90’s hip-hop go buy Nas n Jay-Z and stfu.
forward thinking and just a breath of fresh air compare to a lot of work out now.