As the World Burns

As the World Burns
As the World Burns
Studio album by Arsonists
Released	August 24, 1999
Studio	Gallco Enterprises; D&D Studios (New York, NY); Ozone Studios (New York, NY); The Fire Place;
Genre	Hip hop
Length	60:51
Label	Matador
Producer	Q-Unique; Freestyle; MC D-Stroy; Swel Boogie; DJ Spin One;
Arsonists chronology
Singles from As the World Burns
	"Session"; Released: 1996; "Venom / Seed"; Released: 1997; "Blaze / Geembo's Theme / Flashback"; Released: January 19, 1998; "Backdraft"; Released: January 12, 1999; "Pyromaniax"; Released: July 5, 1999;

As the World Burns is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Arsonists. It was released on August 24, 1999, via Matador Records.^[1] The recording sessions took place at Gallco Enterprises, at D&D Studios and at Ozone Studios in New York, and at The Fire Place. The production was handled by members Q-Unique, Freestyle, MC D-Stroy and Swel Boogie, except one song produced with DJ Spin One. The album peaked at number 78 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Its single "Pyromaniax" peaked at number 43 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The A.V. Club	favorable^[3]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	^[4]
Exclaim!	mixed^[5]
NME	^[6]
Pitchfork	7.7/10^[7]
Vibe	favorable^[8]

Jordan N. Mamone of CMJ New Music Report said: "The mood and the beats can get a little outlandish, but generally, the minor-key strings and time-capsule scratches admirably push hip-hop into the future while taking cues from its past".^[1]

In 2015, Fact placed it at number 72 on the "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list.^[9]

Track listing[edit]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Anthony Quiles Eric Winn	Q-Unique	1:37
2.	"Backdraft"	Quiles Robert Wallace Geraldo Barreto David Melendez Swel Boogie	Freestyle D.J. Spin One	3:11
3.	"Shit Ain't Sweet"	Quiles Barreto Melendez	Freestyle	4:03
4.	"Pyromaniax"	Quiles Barreto Melendez Swel	Q-Unique	4:21
5.	"Underground Vandal"	Wallace	Q-Unique	2:23
6.	"Blaze"	Quiles Wallace Barreto Melendez Swel Kinetic Energy Jeff Wayne Gary Osborne	Q-Unique	2:46
7.	"Venom"	Quiles Wallace Barreto Marc Cerrone Alain Wisniak	Q-Unique	2:53
8.	"Frienemies"	Melendez	Q-Unique Freestyle D-Stroy	2:05
9.	"Lt. Worf & Chewbacca"	Barreto Kinetic	Q-Unique	1:47
10.	"Session"	Quiles Wallace Melendez Swel	D-Stroy	3:50
11.	"Shaboing"	Quiles Wallace Melendez Swel	Freestyle	3:48
12.	"Rhyme Time Travel"	Quiles Manu Dibango David Jaymes Geoffrey Deane	Q-Unique	2:49
13.	"Live to Tell"	Wallace Barreto Melendez Stevie Wonder	D-Stroy	3:26
14.	"Seed"	Quiles Wallace Barreto Kinetic	Q-Unique	3:04
15.	"Lunchroom Take-Out"	Swel GR8 Scott	Q-Unique Swel	3:50
16.	"Worlds Collide"	Quiles Wallace Barreto Melendez Swel	Freestyle	4:24
17.	"Flashback"	Quiles Wallace Zack de la Rocha	Freestyle	3:00
18.	"D-Sturbed Words"	Melendez	D-Stroy	2:06
19.	"Geembo's Theme"	Quiles Melendez	Q-Unique D-Stroy	2:03
20.	"Halloween"	Quiles Wallace Barreto Melendez Swel Kinetic Cindy Wilson Fred Schneider Kate Pierson Keith Strickland Ricky Wilson Gary Wright Mick Jones	Freestyle	4:01
21.	"In Your Town"	Quiles Wallace Melendez	D-Stroy	3:43
Total length:				1:00:51

Charts[edit]

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[10]	78

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Mamone, Jordan N. (September 6, 1999). "Arsonists - As The World Burns (Matador)". CMJ New Music Report: 22.
^ Conaway, Matt. "Arsonists - As the World Burns". AllMusic. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
^ Rabin, Nathan (April 19, 2002). "The Arsonists: As The World Burns". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Arsonists". Christgau's Consumer Guide. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
^ Cowie, Del F. (October 1, 1999). "Arsonists: As The World Burns". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
^ "As The World Burns". NME. September 12, 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
^ Wisdom, James P. (April 16, 2004). "Arsonists: As the World Burns: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 16, 2004. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ Callahan-Bever, Noah (October 1999). "The Arsonists 'As The World Burns'". Vibe: 187.
^ "72. Arsonists - As the World Burns (Matador, 1999)". Fact. February 25, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
^ "Arsonists Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2023.

External links[edit]

As the World Burns at Discogs (list of releases)

[cmj-1] Mamone, Jordan N. (September 6, 1999). "Arsonists - As The World Burns (Matador)". CMJ New Music Report: 22.

[2] Conaway, Matt. "Arsonists - As the World Burns". AllMusic. Retrieved December 16, 2015.

[3] Rabin, Nathan (April 19, 2002). "The Arsonists: As The World Burns". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 16, 2015.

[4] Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Arsonists". Christgau's Consumer Guide. Retrieved June 1, 2018.

[5] Cowie, Del F. (October 1, 1999). "Arsonists: As The World Burns". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 16, 2015.

[6] "As The World Burns". NME. September 12, 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2023.

[7] Wisdom, James P. (April 16, 2004). "Arsonists: As the World Burns: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 16, 2004. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[8] Callahan-Bever, Noah (October 1999). "The Arsonists 'As The World Burns'". Vibe: 187.

[9] "72. Arsonists - As the World Burns (Matador, 1999)". Fact. February 25, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Arsonists-10] "Arsonists Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]