''(M.1.C.S.) My 1st Chemistry Set'' is the debut studio album by

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

rapper

Boldy James James Clay Jones III (born August 9, 1982), better known by his stage name Boldy James, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. A member of the Griselda collective, his debut album, '' My 1st Chemistry Set'', was released on October 15, 20 ...

and producer

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Ben ...

, released on October 15, 2013 through

Decon Decon'' is a New York-based creative studio that houses production, creative, strategy, and music divisions. The company creates campaigns on behalf of brands and advertising agencies. History Originally named Deconstruction Company, the comp ...

. It was preceded by Boldy James' EP, ''Grand Quarters'' (2013). ''M.1.C.S.'' was entirely produced by

and features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

s from

Action Bronson Ariyan Arslani (born December 2, 1983), professionally known as Action Bronson, is an American rapper, songwriter, chef, wrestler, exotic olive oil taster, and television presenter. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he embarked on his musical ...

Domo Genesis Dominique Marquis Cole (born March 9, 1991), known professionally as Domo Genesis, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for being a member of Los Angeles hip hop collective Odd Future. He has since continued his solo career, r ...

Earl Sweatshirt Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (born February 24, 1994), also known by his stage name Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Kgositsile was originally known by the moniker Sly Tendencies when he began rapping in 2008, ...

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

King Chip Charles Jawanzaa Worth (born October 20, 1986), known by his stage names King Chip and Chip tha Ripper, is an American rapper from Cleveland, Ohio. He is notable for amassing several self-released mixtapes, as well as for his work with longtime ...

and

Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper and singer. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt in particular. He is currently signed to Motown and Blacksmith Records. Staples rose to p ...

among others. On September 12, 2013, the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release ...

from the album, "Moochie," was leaked onto the Internet. The following single, "Reform School," was leaked on October 7, 2013. ''M.1.C.S.'' was generally well received by

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mu ...

s. ''Complex'' named it amongst the best albums of October 2013.

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''My 1st Chemistry Set'' was met with generally favorable reviews from

s. ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' reviewer, Chayne Japal, gave the album a seven out of ten, saying "Throughout, the simplified rawness of

's style matches up perfectly with Alchemist's minimalist production, offering up yet another sneaky slow-burner of a collab from the journeyman producer."

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

's Jayson Greene, gave the album a 7.4 out of ten, saying "There are guests that breeze through. ..But none of them eclipse Boldy, who makes the most of this opportunity and delivers some of the best verses of his career. He has been steadily deepening, as a writer and rapper, and by now, the lousy emotional weather of QB rap is his own, a personal storm cloud he generates wherever he goes." Jay Balfour of

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

gave the album a 3.5 out of five, saying "Throughout the whole project, James is consistent, even when transitioning from understated brags to self-conscious street worries. Particularly with his penchant for witty slang, his style doesn't seem derived or lifted despite obvious similarities. Still, he’s sure footed enough to know where he stands." Winston Cook-Wilson of

eMusic eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. In exchange for a monthly subscription eMusic users can download a fixed number of MP3 tracks per month. eMusic was established in 1998, is headquartered in New York ...

gave the album three stars out of five, saying "This type of content, as well as

Alchemist Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

's inventively blunted, '' Return of the Mac''-style beats, will increase the comparisons to Prodigy that James is probably used to getting by now. But though his music is situated in that tradition of gangsta rap, he's distinguished from this comparison and others by a love of the sound of words — as much as their import — which manifests itself in a singular way. He crafts deceptively complex internal rhyme schemes, and positions his vowel sounds close enough to one another to continue the patterns until he's exhausted their potential. He uses words carefully and as sparingly as possible, which often makes the breathing room left after a murmured threat as important as the line itself."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

reviewer, David Jeffries, gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "Vivid details throughout the album seem like ammunition for any possible prosecution team, so be aware, this one is brutal, nihilistic, frightening, and unforgivable, but it's "eye for an eye" music with a creative spark, and a great step toward the realm of ''

The Infamous ''The Infamous'' (stylized as ''The Infamous...'') is the second studio album by the American hip hop duo Mobb Deep. It was released on April 25, 1995, by RCA Records and Loud Records. The album features guest appearances by Nas, Raekwon, Gho ...

''." '' XXL'' reviewer, Chris Mench, gave the album an XL, saying "Despite occasional moments of levity, the album is a hazy trip through the triumphs and tragedies of gang life on the streets of one of America’s most troubled cities. Boldy James' lyrical finesse and knack for storytelling are on full display as he sails over powerful, yet understated production from Alchemist. His no rush delivery allows the weight of his stories to sink in, and ultimately he succeeds at putting Detroit on the map, this time for the right reasons."

Track listing

*All tracks were produced by

Personnel

Credits for ''My 1st Chemistry Set'' adapted from

and from the album liner notes. * James Clay "Boldy James" Jones — composer, primary artist * Alan "The Alchemist" Maman — composer, engineer, mixing, producer * Arian "Action Bronson" Asllani — composer, featured artist *Peter Bittenbender — art direction, design *Clayton Blaha — public relations * Dominique Marquis "Domo Genesis" Cole — composer, featured artist *Band Boy Cook — engineer *Da$H — composer, featured artist *Mafia Double Dee — composer, featured artist *Peechie Green — composer, featured artist * Thebe "Earl Sweatshirt" Kgositsile — composer, featured artist *Joe LaPorta — mastering *Michael Lukowski — art direction, design *Xavier Powers — composer * Leslie "Freeway" Pridgen — composer *

— composer, featured artist *Gohard Tae — vocal engineer *Gerard Victor — photography * Charles "King Chip" Worth — composer, featured artist

References

{{Authority control 2013 debut albums Boldy James albums Decon albums Mass Appeal Records albums Albums produced by the Alchemist (musician)