Alchemist talking about Eminem

[rahul.never2far]

According to myth, within a branch of metallurgical science practiced in the ancient world an Alchemist had the power to transform base metals into gold, while philosophically speaking that gift could also be defined as turning something ordinary into the extraordinary.

Whether it was transforming an upbringing in Beverly Hills into a legitimate climate in which to create hip-hop; or transforming an early opportunity where he received no credit on a project into one of the many highlights of his career; Alan Maman, who goes by the well-known pseudonym, The Alchemist is hip-hop's ultimate transformer.

As a beat maker he has transformed yesteryear classics and current trends into gold and platinum album sales for artists such as Lil' Wayne, Three 6 Mafia, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and more.

Sixshot shot the breeze with Alchemist, as we touched on his EP [as of yet untitled] and forthcoming sophomore release Chemical Warfare, his thoughts on "ghost producers" and ghostwriters, why he has no shame in hailing from Beverly Hills, and much more.

Sixshot.com: You have the EP coming out before the sophomore release. Do you think the EP is the new mixtape?

Alchemist: Nowadays songs leak out and kids are on the net. There ar e a select few that appreciate it but I think the masses don't appreciate it. So I think it's [EP's] used as a way to build up attention and give people something in the meantime that they can appreciate but it's not a full plate. I think mixtapes are kind of a dead thing because it's an older way of thinking and I think this is the more futuristic way to get hot.

Sixshot.com: Sophomore releases are generally regarded as make or break so what's your feeling going into this second album of yours?

Alchemist: I'm just enjoying my experiences and turning that into some music that people can bop to. I don't think too tough one way or another. I like intellectual stuff but when it comes to music that's when I escape from that. So I don't put too much thought into music. It's all based on a feeling.

Sixshot.com: Are there any new techniques you learned for this recording?

Alchemist: I learn something new everyday. Every time I'm making a beat it's a journey for me vs. a job. I just go on a mission everyday and I discover new s*** everyday. There are so many things you can get up on and it changes your flow and that's the magic.

Sixshot.com: Lil' Wayne says that you don't mind if a track is 12 or 2 on an album. So do producers really bicker over something that seems so petty?

Alchemist: Nah, I think that was just Wayne being Wayne. I think he was just making a testament to me more than talking about other producers. I'm humble and I wouldn't trip on something like that but I don't know if anybody else would.

Sixshot.com: You worked with DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill on their third album but received no credit. You said you were fine with paying your dues as an up-and-comer. So is "ghost producing" as prevalent as ghostwriting?

Alchemist: I don't know too many ghostwriters. I heard about all this s*** before but I don't know too many people who do that. Most people I know write their own music unless it's Dre. Sometimes he has people. I don't even know though. As far as ghost producing I think it's part of the game that you come up through s*** and the great ones make it through. To me that helped me in that period of time. Sometimes you got to get your weight up to where you deserve that credit.

Sixshot.com: So you're saying you don't know whether or not ghost producing and ghostwriting exists?

Alchemist: No, of course people do it. I'm sure they do. I can only speak for myself. If I'm doing a record with Eminem I might write some bars for him at the most. We do that all the time but we share with each other. As far as somebody hiring for services that's some other s*** I don't know about.

Sixshot.com: So if a young producer came to you, and you took him/her under your wing and you two worked together on an album, would you do the same thing Muggs did and not give credit?

Alchemist: I would never do the same thing nobody does. What I would do would be what is fair at the time. When I was coming up that's what it was but this time it's a different generation. With the way kids are now it would maybe make more sense to give a kid his credit. So it's different scenarios. So I would have to deal with it as it comes.

Sixshot.com: Coming from Beverly Hills, what did you identify with in hip-hop?

Alchemist: I think it was the sound first and foremost. It was the sound and the music, the rhythms, and breakdancing. It was aggressive and it seemed rough on the edges. From the world I was in it was like that didn't exist so it was like experiencing something that was different. It was something we watched from the outside in but when Run-DMC were on stage with the Beastie Boys is when s*** changed. We were like, "Oh s*** there are 2 white dudes and they were skateboarders, and they were on stage with Run-DMC." So that's what made us say this could be done.

Sixshot.com: Was there ever any apprehension in telling hip-hop heads that you were from Beverly Hills when you were first coming up? I mean they might have looked at you as a poser.

Alchemist: No, I never really gave a s***. It wasn't something I put on my chest. It was just that's where I came from and grew up. It was actually interesting at the end of the day cause I felt like in a lot of ways I overcame odds. You're not supposed to be white and rapping and making beats. You're supposed to be the exec according to stereotypes.

Sixshot.com: You said earlier that growing up in Beverly Hills made you feel like an outsider looking into hip-hop. Do you still feel like an outside in some sense?

Alchemist: Nah, nah, nah. I think it's been tried and tested. I'm the inside that I was looking into before now. That's testament to any kid who might feel like he can't do anything in life.

Sixshot.com: During the 2005 Anger Management Tour there was a bus accident. How did that near death experience affect you?

Alchemist: It made me weary when I'm on buses. I already know that my existence is important and all that. So it didn't trip me out too much. I chalk it up, add it to the list of crazy s*** I been through.

Sixshot.com: You still ride buses now?

Alchemist: Yeah, yeah. I just tell the driver, "Yo man, I was on one of these and the s*** flipped so I'm gonna be checking on you." [Laughs]

Sixshot.com: Are you still in touch with Eminem?

Alchemist: Yes, no doubt.

Sixshot.com: Do you know anything about a new album from him?

Alchemist: I know whatever the rumors are. I don't have anything to confirm. I love being down with that camp and it adds an extra touch to everything. So I love being affiliated with the camp and being his DJ. It's a dope extra icing on the cake. So shout out to Em. I can't wait for his album like everybody else so I hope it comes soon.

Sixshot.com: You once said that you don't feel like you and Eminem have yet to really connect in the way you wanted to. What did you mean by that?

Alchemist: Like creatively I'm doing my s*** and he's doing his so we don't always get to just to really go there with the music. Plus he makes beats and does his things so it's not like he would need me on that level. But I'm pretty sure down the line you'll see a collaboration. I don't think there's an issue with that. So when the time is right it will be.

Sixshot.com: Any response to the rumors that he is not in the best of mental health?

Alchemist: Oh yeah, I don't know about all that. I spoke to him and I know he's in good shape.

Sixshot.com: I read in Complex Magazine that Prodigy thought you were a secret FBI agent. Do you often get those prejudiced responses since you are white?

Alchemist: That got blown out of proportion and taken out of context. It was a joke I was making. People who know me know I speak candidly. We joke around and I was trying to show the writer how crazy P can be, and they ran with it. That's ridiculous.

Sixshot.com: So Prodigy never thought that of you?

Alchemist: It was a joke. I was trying to show people the gangsta and how crazy P is sometimes, but that's not too crazy for P. P is leery of everything and there's nothing that's too ridiculous that he wouldn't size up. He keeps his eyes peeled and he's put me up on a lot of things. There's this documentary called, "Money and Debt," on YouTube and it breaks down the concept of money. I saw this s*** almost a year ago and it's exactly what's going on now with the banks. So it's pretty crazy that if everybody paid back all the money that was owed there would be no money. So check out, "Money and Debt," on YouTube.

Sixshot.com: A lot of people label stuff like that conspiracy theory and give it a negative connotation. Does that bother you?

Alchemist: It is conspiracy theory and it takes an intelligent person to sift through the garbage and go, "Alright this is some bulls*** right here, but this is real." I would never tell anybody to believe anything they read, hear, or see. They got to check it up 5 or 10 times and that's what I do. I'm a skeptic just like P is so you got to do your homework. F*** a second opinion; you need a fourth and sixth one before you make your mind up.



Source: http://www.sixshot.com/interviews/12896/

Credit: Alya

[Solace]

Props, you and Alaya

[Emadyville]

thanks

[Jens14]

Nothing new really but it's all good

[shadysully22]

Thanks!!

[Jumbo]

Props..

But anyways he couldn't tell more then rumors he heard but em is in good shape

[Tash8]

u forgot to highlight this

Sixshot.com: So you're saying you don't know whether or not ghost producing and ghostwriting exists?

Alchemist: No, of course people do it. I'm sure they do. I can only speak for myself. If I'm doing a record with Eminem I might write some bars for him at the most. We do that all the time but we share with each other. As far as somebody hiring for services that's some other s*** I don't know about.

[Jay-19]

Good read!