In Control, Volume 1


In Control, Volume 1 is the debut studio album by American hip hop record producer Marley Marl, of the Juice Crew. It was released on September 20, 1988, through Cold Chillin' Records with distribution via Warner Bros. Records.
The album compiles ten studio recordings by fellow Juice Crew members and artists affiliated with Marley Marl. It showcased his style of hip hop production and sampling at a time when he became one of the first super-producers in hip hop music. The album is broken down track-by-track by Marley Marl in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique.
The opulent cover stood in contrast to Marley Marl's real living conditions: "I was still living in the projects. I was paying like $110 a month for my rent, free electricity. So New [York City Housing Authority] kind of co-produced some of my earlier hits".

Critical reception

Chris Witt of AllMusic wrote that: "Marley Marl's groundbreaking production and the strength of the various MCs showcased on In Control, Vol. 1 make the album a must for anyone even remotely interested in hip-hop's history." Ira Robbins of Trouser Press noted that "the album's diversity is to its credit, but Marl gives too much play to second-string rhymers, leaving the LP's few highlights adrift on a sea of verbal boreplay."
In 2022, Rolling Stone placed In Control, Volume 1 at number 171 on their list of the 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. The magazine's writer Christopher R. Weingarten said, "Not just a showcase for the funkiest producer of the early sampling era, not just the first attempt by a rap producer to step out as an artist, but a platform for the entire Juice Crew umbrella, easily the most powerful and virtuosic rap crew of the late Eighties."

Track listing

Personnel