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The Alchemist (musician)
American record producer and DJ (born 1977) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alan Daniel Maman (born October 25, 1977), known professionally as the Alchemist, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his sample-heavy production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip-hop and underground rap. His frequent collaborators include Mobb Deep, Eminem, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Roc Marciano, Schoolboy Q, Griselda, Boldy James, and Earl Sweatshirt.[3]
Raised in Beverly Hills, California, Maman began his career in music as a rapper in the early 1990s as part of the duo the Whooliganz. He transitioned to production in the late 1990s, gaining recognition for his work with Dilated Peoples and Mobb Deep. Maman relocated to New York City to further his career, during which he worked extensively with East Coast artists including Nas, Jadakiss, and Prodigy.
Maman gained wider recognition for producing the 1999 single "The Realest" for Mobb Deep, which helped establish his signature sound. He was credited on a string of critically acclaimed projects throughout the 2000s and 2010s, including work on Action Bronson's Mr. Wonderful.
As a solo artist, Maman has released several instrumental albums and collaborative projects. His debut solo album, 1st Infantry (2004), featured a mix of well-known and underground rappers. He has since released numerous acclaimed projects, including Russian Roulette (2012), the Rapper's Best Friend series, and The Food Villain (2020). Together with collaborators Oh No (with whom he forms the group Gangrene), Woody Jackson and Tangerine Dream he composed the official score to the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V and hosts the radio station "The Lab" in it.
Furthermore, he has released collaborative projects with various artists, including Covert Coup (2011) with Currensy, Albert Einstein (2013) with Prodigy, Fetti (2018) with Freddie Gibbs and Currensy, Haram (2021) with Armand Hammer, The Great Escape (2023) with Larry June, Voir Dire (2023) with Earl Sweatshirt, and Alfredo (2020) with Freddie Gibbs, which was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. As a member of a duo with Boldy James, they have released four studio albums and one EP.
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Career
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1991–2003: Early career, the Whooliganz and Soul Assassins
Alan Daniel Maman hails from Beverly Hills, California. As a teenager, Maman began to identify strongly with the rebellious lyrics and urban sounds of hip-hop, and eventually started writing his own lyrics. He joined up with other like-minded artists who wrote lyrics and rebelled against their suburban surroundings. These included Evidence and Scott Caan (son of James Caan).[3]
In 1991, a 14-year-old Maman and Scott Caan formed a duo named The Whooliganz.[3][4] While rapping at a party in Los Angeles, they attracted the attention of B-Real of Cypress Hill. B-Real invited the teens to join his crew, Soul Assassins, which also included the groups House of Pain and Funkdoobiest.[3]
The Whooliganz released their first single, "Put Your Handz Up", in 1993. The song received little radio airplay and their record label, Tommy Boy Records, decided to shelve their album.[3] Feeling rejected, Caan decided to focus his creative energy on acting, while Maman developed an interest in the process of making hip-hop beats.
DJ Muggs took Maman under his wing and taught him how to use a sampler and mixing board.[3] After helping to produce a few tracks for Cypress Hill, Maman became the main producer for his childhood friend Evidence and his group Dilated Peoples. Maman also produced several tracks on the debut album of Likwit Crew member Defari, who was another Dilated Peoples and tha Alkaholiks affiliate. In 1999, Muggs introduced Maman to his good friends, the popular hip-hop group Mobb Deep. Maman produced two songs for Mobb Deep's Murda Muzik album.[3] Impressed by Maman's production skills and street smarts, Mobb Deep continued using his beats on all of the group's subsequent albums. As Maman's profile in the music industry grew, he began producing for many of hip-hop's most successful and prominent artists, such as Nas, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Ghostface Killah, and Snoop Dogg.[3] He has also remixed songs for bands and artists in other genres, such as Linkin Park and Morcheeba.[3]
In 1999, Maman was set to produce three tracks for American rapper Ras Kass' then-upcoming album Van Gogh, which was scheduled for a late 2000 release at the time. One of the said tracks was "Home Sweet Home", which was also slated to be the album's lead single. After receiving the first half of the payment for the beat, Maman accused Ras Kass' record label Priority of ignoring him. In 2000, while attending the Source Hip-Hop Music Awards in Pasadena, California, Maman informed Ras Kass that he'd been showcasing the beat to other artists. Jadakiss would then go on to record "We Gonna Make It" over the same beat for his 2001 release, Kiss tha Game Goodbye. After taking notice of this, Ras Kass attempted to stop the release by releasing his version of the song on mixtapes, to no avail.[5] This prompted Ras Kass to diss Maman in freestyles and on a track on Van Gogh. Eventually, the beef ended with Ras Kass citing a loss of respect for Maman as a producer. In an interview with www.hiphopgame.com, Ras Kass admitted that he had been stubborn and refused to listen when Maman approached him about the payment issue. The pair briefly reconciled, with Maman producing the track "Get It In"[6] for Ras Kass's 2006 album entitled Eat or Die, before falling out again.[7]
2004–2008: 1st Infantry and Shady Records
In 2004, six years after his rapping career folded, Maman released his debut album, 1st Infantry. The album yielded the single "Hold You Down", featuring Prodigy, Illa Ghee, and Nina Sky, which hit number ninety-five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005.
After DJ Green Lantern departed Shady Records in 2005 due to a dispute related to the feud between 50 Cent and Jadakiss, Maman began serving as Eminem's official concert DJ.[8]
On July 13, 2005, the tour bus carrying Eminem's entourage, including Maman and rapper Stat Quo, was involved in an accident when it swerved off the road and flipped over. Maman was treated for broken ribs and a collapsed lung.[9]
In 2006, Eminem released a collaboration album with Shady Records called Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. Maman was responsible for compiling the album into a mixtape format, as well as producing some of its tracks.
In 2007, Maman produced Prodigy's second solo album, Return of the Mac, which debuted at number thirty-two on the Billboard 200, selling 27,000 copies in its first week.[10]
2009–2011: Chemical Warfare and Gangrene
Maman is one of the music producers behind the video game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars released by Rockstar Games in 2009.
On July 7, 2009, Maman released his second studio album, Chemical Warfare. It contains two tracks by Gangrene, the group consisting of Maman himself and Oh No. Since then, they released three studio albums and, along with Tangerine Dream and Woody Jackson, contributed music for the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V.[11]
In 2009, Maman produced an entire mixtape with rapper Fashawn, called The Antidote.[12]
2012–2014: Russian Roulette and Step Brothers
On July 17, 2012, Maman released his third studio album, Russian Roulette.
In August 2012, Maman produced the mixtape of Odd Future member, Domo Genesis, entitled No Idols.[13]
Rare Chandeliers, Maman's collaboration mixtape with Action Bronson, was released on November 15, 2012.[14]
Prodigy's second album with Maman, Albert Einstein, was released on June 11, 2013.[15] It debuted at number 175 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 3,000 copies in the United States.[16]
In 2012, Boldy James signed a record deal with Decon for a Maman-produced album;[17] My 1st Chemistry Set was released on October 15, 2013.[18]
On December 18, 2013, Maman was named the runner-up for Producer of the Year by HipHopDX.[19]
Since 2008, Maman and fellow rapper Evidence have performed as the duo Step Brothers. Their debut album, Lord Steppington, was released through the record label Rhymesayers Entertainment in January 2014.[20][21] In an interview discussing the album, Maman stated, "I want to create a sound for it. I don't want Step Brothers songs to sound like it could've been a Dilated Peoples song, or an Evidence song, that I'd rap on."[22]
In an interview for Dead End Hip-Hop, Maman stated that he had been working on a project related to the gospel. Later, on March 2, 2014, he posted a teaser photo to The Good Book, which will be a collaboration between Maman and producer Budgie, and also retweeted a tweet from Frank the Butcher, the founder of BAU, which the project is going to be released on, announcing the project and saying that more information will be released two days after.
Later, on March 5, they announced that the project is named The Good Book, and released the first single "In Heaven's Home", featuring Roc Marciano and Prodigy. It comes in a well-designed cover in a shape of a bible book, covered in leather, and will be limited to one thousand. It released on March 11. The project includes mostly instrumentals and also some raps featuring Prodigy, Roc Marciano, Action Bronson, Domo Genesis and Blu.
2015–present: Craft Singles and collaborative albums
On March 6, 2015, a while after Rockstar Games announced the release of the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V, it was announced that Maman and Oh No would have a new radio station called The Lab in the game. In addition to that, a new song "Play It Cool", featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Samuel Herring, was released. The song is apart from a new album of tracks inspired by GTA V named Welcome to Los Santos that was released on April 21, 2015.[23] The album is a compilation album of new songs from a wide range of artists. Maman and Oh No were involved in the production of the songs, and the album was released for the release of the PC version of the game.
On November 18, Maman released a single on his SoundCloud, featuring Mac Miller and Migos, titled "Jabroni". Later he said on Twitter that it would be released on limited 45 vinyl single with an instrumental version, as part of a new single series, called Craft Singles. On February 11, Maman announced the dates of release of every one of the four Craft Singles vinyls. The tracks were: "Hoover Street (Original Version)" by Schoolboy Q (March 11, 2016), "Any Means" and "Supply" by MC Eiht and Spice One (April 8), "Cobb" and "Palisades" by Blu (May 6) and "Jabroni" (June 3). Some of those were already released online and Maman released the "Hoover Street (Original Version)" online on the same day of the announcements. On August 11, another song was released: "All for It" by Roc Marciano.
On January 13, 2016, Maman and Currensy announced their second collaboration, titled The Carrollton Heist. The mixtape was all recorded in one day, January 4, 2016.[24][25] Later, Currensy announced a release date and cover art on his Instagram.[26] The release date was set to February 14, 2016. This second collaboration of Maman and Currensy was very long-awaited since rumors of a Covert Coup sequel were floating online back in 2012 until Maman dismissed them in an interview. The mixtape was, indeed released on February 14, on DatPiff. Later, Maman noticed that the version there was not the final mastered one, so he uploaded the full mastered version to his SoundCloud page.
On March 2, 2016, Havoc posted a photo on his Instagram stating that his next album is produced by Maman, and is coming soon.[27] The title was revealed to be The Silent Partner and the first single, "Maintain", was released later. The album was released on May 20.
In December 2016, mixer Eddie Sancho revealed that he was mixing a joint project by Maman and rapper Jay Worthy. Much later, in April 2017, Maman revealed the name and June 2 release date of the project, titled Fantasy Island EP.[28]
Maman teased the sequel to The Good Book project with producer Budgie on his Instagram Story a couple of times. Then, on May 7, 2017, he surprisingly tweeted a link to pre-order the project and a first single, "Brother Jedediah", featuring Action Bronson and Big Body Bess. The project was released on July 21. Like the previous Good Book, it contains two parts, one by Maman and one by Budgie. Maman's part features lyrics from Mobb Deep, Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, Royce da 5'9", Action Bronson and more, as well as beats and some audio collages.
Fetti, a collaborative album with Currensy and Freddie Gibbs, was first announced on January 4, 2017, through an Instagram post by Currensy.[29]
On September 21, 2018, nearly two years later, Currensy announced on Instagram that he had completed his half of the project. In the post, Currensy is recorded saying, "This message is to one Fredrick Gibbs. My half of Fetti is done. All produced by Alchemist."[30] Gibbs would publicly respond to the post shortly after, commenting "N***a. Send It. I'm by the booth."[31] On October 25, the tracklist and release date were posted by Gibbs on Instagram.[32] In an interview with the Grinds TV, Gibbs stated that his half of the album took two days to complete.[33]
In November 2019, Maman and Action Bronson announced that a new special edition vinyl of Rare Chandeliers is coming soon, along with a brand new collaboration EP, Lamb over Rice. The EP was released on November 22 and it contains seven tracks. Five of them are brand new, but it also contains two previously released singles: "Descendant to the Stars", that was released on 2016 for Action Bronson's Antient Aliens show, and "Just the Way It Is" that was a part of Maman's Coca-Cola mix "Diagnosis" from 2013, sampling a Coca-Cola commercial.
Lulu, a collaboration EP with Conway the Machine, was released on March 30, 2020.[34]
On May 27, 2020, Freddie Gibbs and Maman announced the release of new music via social media, before confirming the collaborative project named Alfredo shortly after.[35][36] The announcement came alongside the option for pre-ordering the album in digital and physical format, including a comic book stylized based on the album.[37]
On October 3, 2020, Maman released A Doctor, Painter & An Alchemist Walk Into a Bar, a collaborative project with DRx Romanelli and Spencer Lewis.[38]
On August 25, 2023, Voir Dire, a collaborative project with Earl Sweatshirt, was released for free on the Gala Music website.[39]
On May 5, 2024, Maman produced "Meet the Grahams", a diss track by Kendrick Lamar towards Drake as part of their ongoing feud.[40]
On February 7, 2025, Life Is Beautiful, a collaborative project with Larry June and 2 Chainz was released.[41] The album's press run saw the trio in New York City where they would perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[42]
In March 2025, R&B/neo-soul singer Erykah Badu revealed she was working on an album slated to be produced solely by Maman.[43] The album is scheduled for release in summer 2025.[44]
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Personal life
Maman is Jewish, and was named as one of the 10 most influential Jewish artists in rap over the last 50 years.[45] His father is Israeli, and when he was visiting Israel he "conceived of creating an entire album made from Israeli samples."[46] In 2023, he returned to Israel once again for a concert, saying that "he never expected to feel so at home in Tel Aviv, and he emphasized it will always be home for him".[47]
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Discography
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Studio albums
Extended plays
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Mixtapes
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Instrumental albums
Instrumental EPs
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Compilations
Instrumental compilations
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Singles
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Craft Singles series
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Guest appearances
- "Weight" (2006) (with Swollen Members & Ghostface Killah)[54]
- "All I Know Is Pain" (2007) (with Styles P)[55]
- "Real Serious" (2012) (with Oh No and Evidence)[56]
- "Bad Mistake" (2013) (with Willie the Kid)[57]
- "Rainy Nights in SF"; "The Routine" (2020) (with Jay Worthy)[58]
- "The Great Escape" (2023) (with Larry June and Cardo)[59]
- "JUDAS & THE HOLY MOTHER OF STAANK" (2003) (with BLK ODDYSEY)[60]
- "Together Forever" (2024) (with Big Sean)[61]
- "Giants of the Fall" (2024) (with Guilty Simpson)[62]
- "Counterclockwise" (2025) (with Billy Woods)[63]
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References
External links
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