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Alchemist How
did you first get involved in the rap game? Alchemist:
I was rapping when I was younger in a group called the Hooligans. I
was down with Muggs and B Real. We got signed when we were 14. We
were 15 when the album came out. Things didnít happen the way we
wanted. Everybody had different opinions. The label was scared to
put the album out. I didnít burn any bridges or flip out like
other artists. It was the label's loss. To this day I still do
business with Tommy Boy. My boy Scott Kahn, who I used to rap with
is now in the movies, blowing up. He was in Varsity Blues. What
track, are you most recognized by? Iíd
say the Mobb Deep, The Kool G Rap on the Realist. A lot of people
know me for Dilated Peoples stuff. I did the song Platform and
Guarantee. I did a lot of their past singles as they were coming up.
Evidence is another kid who I grew up with. Heís like family. We
used to make demoís. We went to the same high school. Pete
Rock or Premo? It
would be hard to pick one. Theyíre both so dope for different
reasons. Premier because he took the chop and took it to a new
level. Peteís just the man. He and Premo both did classic albums
before they produced beats for other people. Thatís how I want to
be known. Do
you have a group in mind, or as a solo artist? I
donít know exactly what Iím going to put my scope on. I do a lot
of work with Noyd from Mobb Deep. Habit and I were talking about
doing it. Then also my man Bug 50. Thatís the next step for me
instead of just selling beats. Right
now youíre on the Napster tour? Yeah,
I pretty much just hang out. Me and Muggs go record shopping and I
help out on stage. Itís like a vacation for me. What
kind of benefits does one reap rolling with Cypress Hill? Life
is what you make it. You can live large, you can go out and have
fun. If
you were to name one negative and one positive between the
relationship between the internet and hip-hop, what would it be? I
donít see any negatives except for the business factors. Artists
loosing money because people are downloading stuff. That needs to be
regulated. To me, the majority of real rap fans donít go on the
computer every day. I think itís going to grow but to me it can
only be positive. I go on a lot and I was surprised how much is out
there on hip-hop. Iím getting into it. Right nowIím arranging an
alchemist.com. What
production credits can we expect from you in the immediate future? Coming
up next is Prodigy, from Mobb Deepís album. I did three songs on
it. I did the one they got out right now called Keep it Thorough.
Thatís a big record for me. Theyíre putting me on Clueís album
too. I did that song with Foxy on it. This group called IGT, I did a
couple songs for them. How
thugged out are Capone & Noreaga? Theyíre
pretty grimy. Theyíre cool people. Theyíre team is tight. We did
good music together because theyíre friendly. But you know not to
fuck with them. Iím sure theyíve got guns at all times. Thatís
not even a question when you work with artists in New York. How
much can the average cat expect to pay for an Alchemist track? Iíve
been slowly trying to push my prices up. Iíve been getting
$15-20,000 for each track. I just want to push it up more and more
so I can match my potential. And
that's a whole lot of potential. |
