The Album (The Firm album)

The Album is the only studio album by the American hip hop supergroup The Firm. It was released on October 21, 1997, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The group was formed by rapper Nas, his manager Steve Stoute, and producers Dr. Dre and Trackmasters. The original lineup — Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega — had first collaborated on the song "Affirmative Action" from Nas' 1996 album It Was Written. Cormega later left the group due to artistic differences with Nas and contract disputes with Stoute, and was replaced by Nature before recording began.

The Album is a concept album centered around themes of the American Mafia and the "gangsta" lifestyle. The project is structured similarly to a compilation, with songs credited individually to the participating artists — whether Firm members or guests — with all performers listed as main artists except Dawn Robinson, who is specifically credited as a featuring artist. There is no song on the album that features all members of the Firm together on a single track, and one song is credited solely to a non-member.

The album's production was handled mainly by Dr. Dre, Chris "The Glove" Taylor, and Trackmasters (operating as Poke and Tone), and it features guest appearances by Dr. Dre, Pretty Boy, Wizard, Canibus, Dawn Robinson, Noreaga, and Half-a-Mill.

The Album received mixed reviews from 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 released 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. Although the album's second single "Phone Tap" failed to chart, it remained the group signature song.