Artist Feature: Alchemist

“I’m just an artist who throws paint at the wall,” says Alan Daniel Maman – better known as Alchemist. “Whatever it is, it is.” For someone who has continued to define the sound of hip hop over the past 20 years, Alchemist’s unassuming approach is perhaps surprising, but it’s a testament to his raw, intuitive talent.

Now a globally-renowned producer and DJ with over 1,000 songs to his name, Alchemist grew up in the Westside of LA, immersed in skateboarding, graffiti, and music. In the early 90s, he started out as a rapper at the age of 14, in the now-defunct duo The Whooliganz. His breakthrough as a producer, however, came later in the decade after a move to New York, when he made beats on Dilated Peoples’ debut album The Platform, and Mobb Deep’s fourth LP Murda Muzik.

By the early 2000s, Alchemist had risen to prominence with his signature sample-based production, which blended elements of jazz, soul, and psychedelic rock. This would lead to collaborations with rappers like Nas, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, and Ghostface Killah.

In 2004, Alchemist launched his own label ALC Records alongside his debut album 1st Infantry. He released his sophomore album Chemical Warfare in 2009, which featured contributions from Eminem, Pusha T, Talib Kweli, and Twista. A slew of collaborative projects also followed, such as Rare Chandeliers with Action Bronson, Alfredo with Freddie Gibbs, and Continuance with Curren$y. In 2024, Alchemist’s legendary status in music was solidified, when he won BET’s Producer of the Year award.

Celebrating the year’s final show, Alchemist has delivered an exclusive mix for Carhartt WIP Radio, transporting audiences back to 2000 – a pivotal time marked by his move to New York, where he would cross paths with Mobb Deep’s Prodigy and Havoc. In an accompanying interview, Alchemist shares how discipline has shaped him as an independent artist, while discussing the relationship between the environment and his work, and how making music has taught him patience.

You made your breakthrough in 1997 with a Dilated Peoples beat, which led to many other collaborations with some of hip hop's most important figures. How did you get into making music in the first place?

Alchemist: I grew up on the Westside of LA. It was full of creativity in the early 1990s, we did everything. We skateboarded, did graffiti, messed around and made music, freestyled, and DJ'd. I thought I was going to be a pro-skateboarder, to be honest, but then music came. Basically, we were all young and creative, and in a good place like LA. There was so much going on at that time – the late 80s, early 90s – especially with rap. Everybody was different. We had all these different sounds and artists. That's what we grew up under, and it just so happened that we stuck with music.

Can you tell us about your first musical memory – one that really stands out to you, that left a lasting impression?

Alchemist: A brother took me to a U2 concert, and I remember smelling something strange there, like burning rope. It was like, “Oh, that's weed.” I think it was at the Coliseum. It was my first concert I went to, it was pretty crazy.

What has been inspiring your music-making process recently?

Alchemist: The environment. Climate, weather, nature that shouldn't fight colour schemes. Stuff you wouldn't expect, not just music. Of course, music inspires me, but I get inspiration from architecture, as well as ways that other people are creative. It gives me ideas to be creative, too.

You made the decision to go fully independent. Do you feel this has made things easier or more difficult for you as an artist in the industry?

Alchemist: I mean, that question is loaded, because of the industry part. I'm not in the industry, so it's not hard to do anything in the industry, if I'm not in it. So the question is if I am freer or not. And I think that question answers itself. I'm not under any constraints. I can do what I want, when I want, and as an artist, that's probably the most you can ask for. But you have to be tough on yourself, too, as you can't abuse that freedom and put out a bunch of bullshit whenever you want. I take it pretty seriously and, of course, it's way better. It's also a state of mind, because you can be thinking that you're in an industry or a corporate environment, and that'll keep your mind and your creativity in that box. The minute you don't think that way any more, you'll be creating differently. It doesn't even have to be a change, it's a mental decision, and then you'll move on differently. That's really the trick. It’s Schrödingers Cat.

What was the impetus behind launching ALC Records?

Alchemist: Just having a home to put music out, so I could build up a label, the same way I built up my name as a producer. I thought, okay, I feel that name has a reputation. What if I had a label that had a similar reputation? So it was repetition, continuing something over and over, till people see what you're doing with a certain style. That was the goal.

Were there any labels that influenced you when launching ALC?

Alchemist: Over time, for sure. Early labels, like Loud Records. But also Rhymesayers, Stones Throw, Definitive Jux, I really started focusing on. I was paying close attention to them, seeing how they were. You know, the people who owned the labels, the artists that they signed – these were an extension of their tastes, it wasn't just based on numbers. So, in a way it was similar, but I was looking at myself as a producer.

I'm not under any constraints. I can do what I want, when I want, and as an artist, that's probably the most you can ask for.

Do you see the label as solely for your own music, or do you think it could be a platform for releasing other people’s work, too?

Alchemist: I was just looking at it as a way to put my own stuff out. But if there’s an opportunity to put other things out – and I did a couple of times – then I definitely would like to. If I could create a landscape where other people could flourish, shed some light on cool artists and make some money for them, then absolutely.

Within the label you have subdivisions, like ALC Music Recorded Library, Craft Singles Series, and the Instrumental Series. What distinguishes them?

Alchemist: I like to collect things. I like a ‘series’ of anything. I always like making different series, to have people invest in something and get all of them. So, that was a goal for me. One was a home to put a bunch of instrumentals or rappers out. Craft Singles was an opportunity to start putting out loose joints, loose songs that are one-offs. Make a 45, keep it limited and start a series. I’m just an artist who throws paint at the wall. Whatever it is, it is.

Do you follow a process or road map when it comes to working on a project? Whether it’s an album, compilation, or collaboration with a new artist?

Alchemist: Yeah, it's almost like having 12 kids, you know. You wake up, you have to get them all up in the morning. Some require more attention than others. You had to pack this one's lunch early. This one wakes up late. That's how I look at projects, because I'm always working on 10 to 12 at a time. One may require more attention at the moment, when there’s a deadline or something. But I like having a lot of things in motion, because you can switch speeds, work on one, work on another, and they make each other sharper.

Can you discuss any projects that you have on the way?

Alchemist: I like the element of surprise. I know that's not a big thing these days. Everybody likes to snippet culture and reveals and all that, but I like the sneak attack. There are definitely a lot of things coming.

Do you think that future generations will remember the music you produce in the same way that they remember the music of Bach, Beethoven or Mozart?

Alchemist: For sure. Absolutely. That's crazy, that's wild. I mean who the hell knows, they might have forgotten about them. So, you can only do what you can do when you're here, and hope that it gets discovered later – just like we discover samples sometimes. It might be somebody who's gone and then their music comes back, and you might play a part in that. Who the hell knows?

How did you go about selecting the tracks for Carhartt WIP Radio?

Alchemist: I was digging back into my career and was going to do a long, chronological thing. I have a big discography at this point, it's been 20 plus years, so there’s probably close to 1000 or more songs. I wanted to showcase a time which was really pivotal – when I moved to New York and connected with Mobb Deep. That's really on the timeline of my career, you can place a ‘before’ and ‘after’ that. A lot of shit happened afterwards, that gave me entry to a lot of other artists affiliated with Mobb Deep. Like NAS, Cormega, Tragedy, Infamous Mobb. So I wanted to do a mix focusing on that exact era. I had just got to New York, I was cutting my teeth and making my name known, primarily with people throughout that network. It was cool to take it back and go down memory lane. Also, with the way the beats were – I feel like I’ve progressed technique-wise – but there was something innocent, something dope about the way I was being inspired by all these people, who were also saying I was dope. Like, “Yo, yeah, we were fucking with Alchemist.” So the mix is from that era, and most of those songs, I don't really play when I do my sets, but they are some of my favourites. They were from an era that really cemented me in that, to continue working in the future and with whoever I wanted after.

I wanted to showcase a time which was really pivotal – when I moved to New York and connected with Mobb Deep, that's really on the timeline of my career, you can place a ‘before’ and ‘after’ that.

That’s very exciting to know. What do you think making music has taught you throughout these years?

Alchemist: I think patience and people skills. Learning how to deal or work with people. Working as a producer is part psychology, because sometimes you have to get what you need out of the artist, through people skills and learning how to communicate. Sharpening that skill with artists probably spilled over regular life, too.

Can you name some upcoming producers that you think need more attention?

Alchemist: Child Actor is insane. Child Actor is out of his mind. That guy's really good, he’s impressed me a lot lately. Who else? I always say V Don. He's not new, but he's great. But if I have my vote, then Child Actor is the one. Go and check him out.

What would you say was the best thing to happen for you in 2024?

Alchemist: This was a good year, I had a lot of good things happen. We did the first ALC & Friends show. There was Kendrick’s “Meet the Grahams” record. I got the BET Producer of the Year award. So, it's been a good one, man. And it’s giving me juice to line up next year, because a lot of good stuff is coming. I'm just setting it up, trying to keep it going.