Copyright Los Angeles Times
The Alchemist’s world changed when he first discovered the Beastie Boys. “Seeing them, these white Jewish guys who were rapping and on tour with Run-D.M.C. was crazy to me,” said the hip-hop producer, whose real name is Alan Maman. “It gave young guys like me a little bit of hope.” As a kid growing up in Beverly Hills with an itch for L.A.’s subcultures, the Alchemist spent the ‘80s and ‘90s break-dancing, doing graffiti, skateboarding and rapping. He says he would do basically anything that felt “rebellious and expressive.” Looking back at these formative interests, he says he had no idea that music was going to be the thing that stuck. Today, the 48-year-old artist is considered one of rap’s most prolific tastemakers. Over the last three decades, he has built an arsenal of sample-heavy beats beloved by rappers across all walks of hip-hop, from anyone between Fat Joe to Earl Sweatshirt. This year alone, he has released (or will soon release) projects like “Abi & Alan” with Erykah Badu, “Life Is Beautiful” with Larry June and 2 Chainz, “Goldfish” with Hitboy, “Alfredo 2” with Freddie Gibbs, “Infinite” with Mobb Depp, “Mercy” with Armand Hammer and a pending album with Yasiin Bey. On Saturday, he will make his return to Camp Flog Gnaw alongside 2 Chainz and Larry June. On a sunny November morning, the producer says he prefers to start his day early, around 7 a.m in his Santa Monica studio. Wearing baggy jeans, an equally loose fitting T-shirt and a chunky, diamond studded pinky ring, emblazoned with the logo of his record label, Alc, he meticulously guts an American Spirit cigarette for a spliff he’s begun to roll and reflects on the amount of work he’s released this year. The producer says it wasn’t something he orchestrated but, rather, a matter of “the stars aligning.” “It’s like adjusting the speed on a video game and realizing you could play at a higher speed. Once you warm up your muscles, you have that memory of speed,” said the Alchemist. “That’s all it’s been.” Given his constant state of busyness, his studio is in a state of understandable clutter. Stacked vinyls of his 2024 release “The Genuine Articulate” and piled sneaker boxes mark the doorway to his music-making haven. Inside, he’s in the company of his drum machine, a turntable, synthesizers and his vinyl collection. He notes that he’s listened to every single one, in search of something new to sample — he won’t buy a record without listening to the whole thing through. Outside the studio, there’s a living space with a dormant kitchen where the counter is flush with jars of weed, action figures (including one of himself) and designer sunglasses. His stove — which he assures has been unplugged — is stacked high with his hat collection. Memorabilia, like his platinum records with Kendrick Lamar, Fat Joe and Mobb Deep, fill the walls, and a bicycle, from the late L.A. legend Spanto, hangs from the ceiling. “It definitely sounds like some growth. It’s definitely not the same old s—,” said the producer/rapper, of his recently released projects. “All these opportunities allowed me to push everything a little further and use different muscles.” Over 30 years into his hip-hop career, this year has carried a series of unexpected firsts. He brought together the unlikely duo of 2 Chainz and Larry June and worked with Erykah Badu on her first full-length album in 15 years. On “Goldfish,” the Alchemist followed fellow rapping producer Hitboy’s lead and decided to rap about his own life, sharing tidbits about his family over warm, jazzy beats. With Indiana-born rapper Freddie Gibbs, the duo reignited the world of “Alfredo” with a well-loved sequel, finally giving the cult-followed collaboration its due shine. He also teamed up with his longtime collaborator Havoc of Mobb Deep, as they put out the group’s first posthumous release, “Infinite,” since the death of co-founding rapper/producer Prodigy in 2017. “You want to make sure you do right by your brother [referring to Prodigy],” the Alchemist said, in between puffs. “It was about staying in tune with the spirit of P. He’s still here — you know, the spirit doesn’t really die. You just have to find a way to channel it. And on this record, it sounds like he’s still here.” Mobb Deep was one of the first New York rap groups to help establish the Alchemist as an in-demand up-and-comer. It’s one of the many reasons the producer gets mistaken for being a New Yorker, despite his Beverly Hills upbringing and current home in Venice. According to the Alchemist, he was introduced to them when they were already legends. He was able to produce his first breakout record, “The Realest,” off Mobb Deep’s 1999 release, “Murda Muzik.” From then on, he was taken under their wing and continued to work with other notorious East Coast rappers like Nas and Ghostface Killah. But before making his name as a producer, he had a preceding reputation as one half of the rapping duo the Whooliganz. With his childhood friend, Scott Caan of “Hawaii Five-O” fame, the young teens formed the group while living in Beverly Hills and ended up securing a record deal at the age of 15. His parents were always supportive of their music endeavors but didn’t take it seriously — until the then-teenage Alchemist brought home his first check and was invited to open on the Soul Assassin’s tour with Cypress Hill in 1993. During that era, DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill took a liking to the Alchemist and began to mentor him. “That [tour] opened my eyes and gave me a taste of what could be. I didn’t want to do a job that I don’t really love, or do something just to pay the bills,” said the Alchemist. “I had found something I genuinely loved. So, I had to find a way to make it pay the bills.” Following the tour, he finished high school, made the move to New York and enrolled in New York University. Under Muggs’ guidance, he made a smooth transition from baby-faced rapper to beat-making prodigy. Because he’s been a part of the culture from such a young age, his early experiences still inform the way he approaches the studio. He says he understands firsthand the intricacies younger artists face today and he’s convinced it’s played a part in his longevity. When he moved back to L.A. in the early 2010s, he became acquainted with what he calls “the second wave” of rappers — ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, Action Bronson, Mac Miller, Earl Sweatshirt and Danny Brown — and earned the nickname of Uncle Al, as he was now the older, wiser mentor. “At that point, I realized whatever I had done in the past, I couldn’t live off that forever. But it was enough noise to attract this next generation of dope kids. We were able to make a bunch of newer classic stuff from there,” said the Alchemist. “Now that we did that, there’s a kid, right now, who’s listening to those and may not have known me from back then, who might want to work together. You just continue to build the bridge and if you’re lucky, you could keep it going.”
