After building a name for himself behind the mixing board crafting hip-hop anthems for a virtual who's-who of hip-hop/rap including Nas, Mobb Deep, Jadakiss, Snoop Dogg and many others, The Alchemist finally takes his well-deserved place in the spotlight as the producer's ALC Records/KOCH Records debut 1st Infantry claims the #1 spot on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart (for the week of 9/29/04) selling 10,000 copies in its first week out!

Released on September 21st, the new album has already been deemed "A triumph" by XXL. Vibe has been equally complimentary, giving the album 4 out of 5 discs and heralding Al as "THE go-to producer for the East-Coast street sound."

"1st Infantry" features a mix of artists who best compliment Al's progressive sound as well a slew of others who Al has worked with over the years. "Bangers," the first street joint leaked from the release, features G-Unit's very own Lloyd Banks -- it's already received a lot of love on mixtapes across the country. Other guests on the forthcoming album include Cypress Hill, Havoc and Prodigy of Mobb Deep, T.I., Dilated Peoples, Jadakiss, Devin the Dude, Nas, the West Coast's top prospect The Game, and many others.

"1st Infantry's" first single "Hold You Down" feat. Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. G>Prodigy, Nina Sky and Illa Ghee is making waves on New York's Hot 97, with 20 spins a week, making it the top 25 record on the influential station.

The Alchemist most recently produced a track on Jadakiss' new album, Kiss of Death, four tracks on Mobb Deep's just-released chart-topping album, Amerikaz Nightmare including its first single "Got It Twisted." Since recently being added to the management roster of Paul Rosenberg, founder of powerhouse firm Goliath Artists (Eminem, Xzibit, Cypress Hill), The Alchemist looks forward to taking his biggest and best step forward in his work in the coming year. Al can also be heard on Coca-Cola's new Vanilla Coke radio commercial that he produced and performed on with acclaimed actor, Chazz Palminteri (The Usual Suspects, A Bronx Tale).

Despite the increasing attention from high profile acts, Al continues to cater to his underground audience with just as much enthusiasm.

In other chart news, On the Billboard 200...Nelly, who last week took over the top two slots with the simultaneous release of Suit and Sweat, sees the albums respectively fall to No. 2 and No. 4 this week.