The Album (The Firm album)
| The Album | |||||
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| Studio album by The Firm | |||||
| Released | October 21, 1997 | ||||
| Recorded | November 1996 – August 1997 | ||||
| Studio |
Various
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| Genre | |||||
| Length | 53:04 | ||||
| Label | |||||
| Producer |
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| Nas chronology | |||||
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| Foxy Brown chronology | |||||
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| AZ chronology | |||||
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| Nature chronology | |||||
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| Singles from The Album | |||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| Los Angeles Daily News |
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| RapReviews | (5.0/10) |
| Rhapsody | (mixed) |
| Robert Christgau | B− |
| The Source |
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| Vibe | (mixed) |
The Album is the only studio album by American hip hop supergroup The Firm. It was released on October 21, 1997 by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The project was created by rapper Nas, his manager Steve Stoute and producers Dr. Dre and Trackmasters, who came up with the idea of forming a hip hop supergroup. The original line-up included Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and Cormega who were all featured on the song "Affirmative Action" from Nas' album It Was Written (1996). However, Cormega later left the group due artistic differences between him and Nas, as well as contract disagreements with Stoute. He was replaced by Nature prior to recording of the album. The Album is a concept album that revolves around the themes of mafia and "gangsta" lifestyle. The songs on the album were mainly produced by Dr. Dre, Chris "The Glove" Taylor and Trackmasters (as Poke and Tone), and feature guest vocals from Pretty Boy, Wizard, Canibus, Dawn Robinson, Noriega and Half-a-Mill.
The Album received mixed reviews from the music critics, who criticized its mainstream pop-oriented sound rather than the members' previous styles. In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and also topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It also charted in other countries, such as Canada, France and the United Kingdom. The Album sold 147,000 copies in the debut week and has sold over 925,000 copies in the United States and was certified gold in Canada. Two singles were release from the album, with "Firm Biz" peaking at number twelve on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and number eighteen on the UK Singles Chart. However, the album's second single "Phone Tap" failed to chart.
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