From Riches To Doo Rags

Growing up in the 90210 can be a struggle… especially if you want to make it in the rap biz. As a fourteen year-old aspiring MC, The Alchemist couldn't share the mic with DJ Quik or MC Ren, so he formed a group with James Caan's son, called The Whooliganz. They didn't exactly incite race riots, but at least they got affiliated with Cypress Hill. Al became Muggs' protegé and started making beats for the likes of Dilated Peoples and Defari. Then he moved to New York and laced everybody from the underground icons to the big dawgs, earning his reputation as one of hip hop's most versatile and consistent producers. Now he can screwface and limp all he wants cuz he rolls with Mobb Deep, reppin' QBC and sippin' lime Bacardi. VICE: Your story is like the opposite of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Alchemist: If you go back to see where I grew up, the school I went to, the people around me, you could be like "How are you over here now getting respect from these people in this realm?" That's not to say like "Yo I did something incredible," because I ain't did shit yet. Well, working with Muggs and Primo is not bad. Really, it's always been love man, like putting me on when motherfuckers didn't have to. There's mad kids that's more talented than me but it's all about your connections. That's why I appreciate the people I'm down with. So now that you're working with all these big names who's the MC you've produced that impressed you the most? G Rap, when we did that Mobb Deep track ("Thug Muzik" on Murda Muzik), he spit that verse out in two takes like it was nothing and people praised that rhyme. Some of my other most memorable experiences were working with Pun. He was such a character. God bless the dead. He was so big, no disrespect, but honestly, I used to be in the studio thinking "I hope he don't think I'm staring at him" cuz it was hard to take your eyes off him. He was such a spectacle. It was ill to see him operate and speak and how he moved and shit. I always liked to see the shit he was wearing, like he used to have custom suits made for him, ill leather suits, like huge. It's not like Beverly Hills anymore. Man, you start getting delirious in the studio. There was one time during the Terror Squad sessions when they had this one girl in the vocal booth just, like, for servicing, straight up. Even some dude who just came through to play beats, next thing you know, he was getting fucking head in the vocal booth. I was like "That's real." DAVE 1
Cop The Alchemist's instrumental album series: Al - Music Recorded Library out on Fat Beats. Look for new Alchemist bangers on upcoming albums by Dilated Peoples, Nas, Fat Joe and Mobb Deep.