{"id":70,"date":"2021-02-28T16:52:30","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T16:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tdi_48_0b6"},"modified":"2022-08-19T00:02:20","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T00:02:20","slug":"kristen-stewart-interview-at-the-toronto-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/?p=70","title":{"rendered":"A Conversation With The Alchemist, 2021\u2019s Best Hip-Hop Producer Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sometime around the turn of the 2010s, The Alchemist<\/a> moved back to his native Los Angeles in hopes of starting a new musical chapter. He was already a well-regarded producer, thanks to his work with rap royalty like Mobb Deep and Dilated Peoples and classic hits like \u201cWe Gonna Make It\u201d and \u201cHold U Down.\u201d But he was looking for something new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While building his first LA studio, he simply wanted it to be an environment that was \u201ccomfortable for people to create,\u201d he says. He wanted it to feel like \u201ca sanctuary.\u201d That\u2019s all an artist can ask for, but the open-door policy he instituted at his new studio, deemed \u201cthe rap camp\u201d for a time, did more than that. Alchemist recalls having a New Year\u2019s Eve barbecue, organized by Chuck Inglish, which ended up turning into a week of music-making that forged artistic kinships since credited with defining a subsection of 2010s rap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rap fans can always be sure that three things are eternally looming: death, taxes, and a dope Alchemist collab album. In 2021, he dropped eight projects, including two with Boldy James, one with Armand Hammer, and a pair of This Thing of Ours<\/em> EPs featuring a loose crew of talented lyricists he was connected with through his close friend Earl Sweatshirt. That torrential output earned him the distinction as Complex\u2019s Best Hip-Hop Producer Alive<\/a> for 2021 (you can see past winners and read the full explanation here<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alchemist says he appreciates the honor, but he has no plans to wield it over his peers. After all, he credits fellow producers for helping to motivate him to lock in the studio every day and make music. He says also compelled to stay busy, because he\u2019s his own boss at ALC Records, which saved him from a previous industry experience where his \u201cfate is wrapped in the hands of A&R meetings, record labels, and radio guys.\u201d Now, his fate is in his own hands, as he drops free projects, bolstered by creative merch, vinyls, and touring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complex had an extensive talk with the producer about his 2021 highlights, his thoughts on \u201cunderground rap,\u201d how his craft has evolved over the years, and his 2022 plans (which already have him on the fast track to 2022 Best Hip-Hop Producer Alive contention). The interview, lightly edited for clarity, is below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You were just named 2021\u2019s Best Hip-Hop Producer Alive. How does that feel?<\/strong>
That\u2019s pretty crazy. I mean, I don\u2019t know if I can take that, because there\u2019s a lot of great producers out there. I love the recognition. I mean, it\u2019s dope that you care, but I can think of a lot of living guys that are pretty damn good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does that dignification mean to you? How much do you care about being perceived as the best <\/em>producer?<\/strong>
I would never imagine myself that, you know what I mean? I try to be the best version of me. I can\u2019t compare myself to anyone else. I get my inspiration from everyone else, so I often feel inferior. Some of the people that I look up to, I think, \u201cAh, I could never be that good.\u201d I always feel weird with compliments because we do this for ourselves first, but of course we want to get the recognition, too. It\u2019s always been awkward, just because I\u2019m tempted to put the light somewhere else. Like, nah, have you heard V Don? Have you heard [these other producers]? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel like producers have a brotherhood, even more than MCs do. I\u2019m happy to see other guys doing good. I\u2019m not afraid to say I\u2019m inspired by other producers that are existing. I feel like MCs may not want to give it up like that sometimes. But I love the opportunity that I\u2019ve been given, and the fact that I\u2019m in this era and still getting acknowledged. It gives me energy to keep going, because I feel like I\u2019ve got a lot more juice still, even though I\u2019m not a young guy. I love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve got to give a lot of credit to the artists I\u2019ve been able to work with, too. Because had I drifted off into obscurity and not connected with the right new young artists, it may not have given me those extra laps that get the next heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t ever stop and become a teacher, because I\u2019m also still a student to a degree.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


In your recent interview with Idea Generation<\/a>, you talked about the rap camp where you had an open door policy in your studio. You\u2019ve worked with so many artists with distinctive sounds, but they\u2019re all connected through you. How does it feel to be an integral part of a community of lyricists?<\/strong>
I never really wrote that on a board, like, \u201cThat\u2019s my goal.\u201d But I think that was my goal in the back of my head. I always wanted to have an environment where it\u2019s comfortable for people to create and not pressure them. The studio is a sanctuary. Sometimes, when people fuck up the studio and it\u2019s a mess or something, I\u2019m always like, \u201cYo, this is a sanctuary. You\u2019ve got to protect it. This is our shit.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always looked at old footage of the Beastie Boys when they made \u201cCheck Your Head,\u201d and their studio was a certain way. It was a studio where everybody would meet and make music at. It inspired me to have a place [of my own], because all those years in New York when I had the whole run with Mobb Deep and everything, I never really had a studio. I had my crib where we would meet, and my apartment had a studio in it, but it never felt like I had one. I would go to see Havoc in Queens at their spot, and it felt like a real studio and everybody would meet over there. That was another thing that inspired me\u2014having a place where you can start and end at every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have a lot of collaborative albums with artists. When you\u2019re working with an artist for the first time, how does the collaborative process work for you?<\/strong>
I approach each one differently\u2014the same way as a painter would step to the canvas and try to do something different. Everybody is different. Human beings all have their different nuances and quirks. My process is to become friends first, or just to get to know a person and like them. If you\u2019re a good artist, you\u2019re really in tune with yourself, and you\u2019re making music that is representative of you as a person. When I think back on a lot of the good music I made with people, when we first met, there was a moment where I was like, \u201cI like this guy.\u201d Either they said something or cracked a joke. We\u2019re pretty funny. If you\u2019re too stiff, that may not work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humor\u2019s a big part of everything we do. You don\u2019t always hear it in the music, but a friend told me that a long time ago. A very intimidating and respected person\u2014I think their reputation would beat themselves in business\u2014told me when they go in meetings they usually crack a joke real quick, just to break the ice. Because he\u2019d notice that people would be on edge a lot, based on his reputation. So he was able to put their guard down a little bit. If someone doesn\u2019t have a sense of humor, that\u2019s kind of like, \u201c…damn.\u201d That doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t make good music, but I noticed that all my friends spend a lot of time laughing. Or we look at things in a certain way, which is the only way that artists do, or comedians do. We all have a certain way that we look at stuff, which gives us our perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think that\u2019s part of it: to become friends with the person, or just get to like something about them. Even if I don\u2019t like them, maybe I could respect something about their creative process to go, \u201cWell, he ain\u2019t the funniest guy, but man I really respect how he gets his ideas and puts them together to make songs.\u201d Or, \u201cI like the type of beats he picks.\u201d Whatever it is, I start there, and build some type of ground that we could get on. Then the music usually comes easy after that. At this point, I feel like I\u2019m lucky enough that if I\u2019m linking with somebody, they fuck with me. I\u2019ve noticed that I don\u2019t have to go too far out of what I think will work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s funny because what you think will work for people, doesn\u2019t always work. When I would work with new artists, I\u2019d go check their stuff out and I\u2019d be like, \u201cOK, I got it. I know what he likes.\u201d But a lot of times I would be wrong. It\u2019s like coloring in the lines too much. If an artist has a [certain] style and then you collaborate with them and you present something that\u2019s pretty much indicative of a style they\u2019ve already done, it almost makes the artist defensive. It\u2019s almost like, \u201cOh, you know me so well. That\u2019s the type of sample I want to use, because I used it two years ago on another joint? You think I\u2019m going to write a song like that, because I wrote it before?\u201d I think as artists, we all have that little knee-jerk reaction when people do that, but I think it\u2019s natural for us, because that\u2019s what we have to go by. I have to judge on what you\u2019ve shown me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of times, I get upset because people want to put me in a category based on what I\u2019ve done: \u201cOh, wow. He makes these type of beats.\u201d And sometimes I get mad, like, \u201cYou don\u2019t know the corner I\u2019m about to turn.\u201d But why would I get upset with them? They\u2019re just basing it on what I\u2019ve shown them. Until I show them otherwise, I\u2019ll continue to be put in a category that is more related to what I\u2019ve [already] done. I think that\u2019s a mistake I\u2019ve made in the past when I was trying to pick these samples. As you get into it, you start to learn more about what fits. Because I do a lot of different styles when it comes to making beats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think the key is to figure out which ones fit which artists. Sometimes they will be like, \u201cOh man, why is he doing that style?\u201d I think as a producer, it\u2019s your job to blur the line. Just like Madlib and Oh No. They both fucked my head up so many times, playing me things that showed me you could do different things and not be stuck in one genre or style. As a producer, that\u2019s a way that you won\u2019t get bored either. You can just keep switching up your modes. Try a different style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMac [Miller] taught me a lot of tricks that I still use with Pro Tools. He was really clever with the sh*t.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


You\u2019re renowned for particular sonics and vibes in your music, but you do experiment, too. Would you be amenable to working with an artist that nobody expected, like a Gunna or YG?<\/strong>
There\u2019s no fences in this rap shit with me. There\u2019s no backstage. There\u2019s no VIP area for me. I want to go everywhere. I want to do it my way, of course, but at this point, I like surprising people. Once you get a style that they can put their finger on, it\u2019s not fun anymore. As you get further in the game, the goal is to challenge yourself to go outside of your comfort zone, but don\u2019t turn into a complete fucking weirdo where people are like, \u201cDamn, he\u2019s doing bad because he\u2019s been good for so long.\u201d You know what I mean? \u201cHe\u2019s doing bad on purpose.\u201d I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the goal, but I do think there\u2019s ways to challenge yourself to go outside of your comfort zone as you get older, and make shit that\u2019s still dope in some new territories. That usually happens when you bring other people in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you bring new energy in, you get a different outcome. Any time I collaborate with different people, I get something out of it. I don\u2019t know exactly what I am. I\u2019m constantly learning new styles. I couldn\u2019t even describe what my style is to you. Whereas a fan or listener would be like, \u201cWhat? You\u2019re tripping. This is your style.\u201d But that\u2019s only based on what I\u2019ve shown them already. I\u2019m telling you, I can listen to a beat from a year ago, like, \u201cI know new things already.\u201d I\u2019m always hanging around people who put me up on [new] tricks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was just Mac [Miller]\u2019s birthday. God bless. Mac taught me a lot of tricks that I still use with Pro Tools. He was really clever with the shit. Last week, one of my engineer homies came over here and showed me something, and I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, that just changed the way I\u2019m doing shit from here forth.\u201d I can remember when I would learn new things and implement them into my workflow, and it would create a new style or a new sound. I can\u2019t ever stop and become a teacher because I\u2019m also still a student to a degree. I think there\u2019s things people could learn from me, but I would never be the all-knowing guy, like, \u201cThis is how you make a beat. This is how sonics should be.\u201d I\u2019m still discovering shit. I don\u2019t think you could ever master it entirely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[It\u2019s important to] continue to learn and implement new things into your style and your workflow, to create a [new] outcome. [But] if there\u2019s an underlying thing in all the stuff I made that someone could pinpoint, well, then I did it. Then I could say I did it. If you could listen to\u00a0Cycles,<\/em>\u00a0the project I just put out, and listen to a Boldy James album or listen to a Dilated Peoples beat from a long time ago or the\u00a0Grand Theft Auto<\/em>\u00a0stuff. If there\u2019s something similar in all that, then I feel like I did the right thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what ways do you think your production style has changed over the years?<\/strong>
I started paying way more attention to the details and sonics in the last 10 to 15 years. Once I got an actual studio in LA with a sub[woofer], I started paying more attention to things that I didn\u2019t pay attention to in the past. I would listen to old things and be like, \u201cDamn, I didn\u2019t even realize that. I could change that and make it better now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I hate producers who say that all the time, so I don\u2019t want to fall into that trap. I don\u2019t want to be that guy who plays a beat for you, and every time, he\u2019s like, \u201cOh, I can fix that snare. I can make the fucking hi-hat a little bit better.\u201d It\u2019s like, relax. I understand it, because I am that guy a lot, but I try to not be, because it\u2019s annoying. And the other ways that my style has changed over the years? I feel like I got more free mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t really pinpoint when my style and technique changed over the years. But in the earlier days when I was in New York, I started to develop a style that was based on the people I was inspired by, and it was based on the ASR 10. I had some fences up, and kept myself in a certain area. There were things I wouldn\u2019t do. When I did \u201cThe Realest\u201d for Mobb Deep, I was embarrassed by it, because it was a one-shot, a loop. It was just like a two-bar loop. We gated the kicks and snares out of it and added it on the tape. We had too much tape at the time, and the engineer Steve Sola did a lot of work because it was just a two bar loop. But at the time I couldn\u2019t accept it. The beatmaker side of me wouldn\u2019t accept it. Like, nah, too easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I got older, I started wanting to appeal to people that like music, live a regular life, and don\u2019t care about snares. People who care about snares, I\u2019m one of them. I get it. But I didn\u2019t want to make music just for them anymore.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


After the success of that record and how people loved it, it made me realize that it\u2019s not always about your kicks and snares\u2014it\u2019s your decision-making. Sometimes it\u2019s a sleight of hand. It\u2019s not a how-to video. Sometimes it\u2019s like magic. The record gives you a feeling where you open up the hood, like, \u201cDamn, there\u2019s only two wires connected. There\u2019s not even an intricate system in this engine.\u201d You still enjoy the ride. Whereas, [when] I got older, I started wanting to appeal to people that like music and live a regular life and don\u2019t care about snares. People who care about snares, I\u2019m one of them. I get it. But I didn\u2019t want to make music just for them anymore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt like I had a lot of shit to prove in the early years. Even after we did the Mobb Deep stuff, and \u201cThe Realest,\u201d and I was on their album, I was a new guy out there and I felt like I needed to prove myself still. Then when P[rodigy] used \u201cKeep It Thoro,\u201d I felt like that was a crafty kind of beat that I put together, so I felt better and I felt like I wasn\u2019t a one-hit producer. Not that \u201cRealest\u201d was a hit, but the streets were fucking with it, so I felt like I could just be a guy who found a good sample. But I felt that once I did \u201cKeep It Thoro,\u201d it helped solidify me, like, \u201cOkay, this guy\u2019s dope.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, I started letting go of that, [although] I still have things to prove always. You never feel too comfortable, like you\u2019re just the man. I still want my peers and the guys that I respect to be fucked up when I drop something. I want to get a call from DJ Dahi. I could name a hundred guys that I respect, whether it\u2019s a sample or a chop or a replay, whatever it is, I just want them to be inspired by it as well. But the most important thing is making records and songs that are great. Madlib and Oh No really helped me without even knowing it. I didn\u2019t ask for their help, but by just being themselves, they gave me a lot of confidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked up to producers who had no end game other than making beats for rappers, going to studios, and selling beats. It seemed like that was the end game for all my heroes. It didn\u2019t seem like there were any other ways. So over time, I started to feel like, \u201cWow, you can do an instrumental project. I can be expressive with production and not always have to depend on the MC.\u201d Or like J Swift\u2026 Do you remember him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m familiar with the name.<\/strong>
He was a producer in the \u201990s. Legendary. He produced Pharcyde\u2019s first album\u2014all of Pharcyde\u2019s music\u2014and was basically a part of The Pharcyde. He was one of the first guys I was around when I was a teen, because I used to hang with The Wascals. They had a big mansion in Hollywood and J Swift was the producer. He had a big afro, he was a real vibe guy, and he made crazy beats. I went over to his crib one day and he wasn\u2019t there. Then he came back after the weekend, and he had his hair buzzed. His afro was gone, and I\u2019m like, \u201cYo, what happened?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cMan…\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had gotten arrested on some really stupid shit. It was like a parking ticket. He said he got caught up in the system for three days, and had to cut his hair in jail. He was back at the crib, really depressed and upset that he had to cut his hair. Then he turned his drum machine on and started making this beat. I think it was a Bob James sample. It was really dark and moody, and he\u2019s like, \u201cYo, this is how I feel right now, man.\u201d It fucked me up as a kid, because prior to that, all I knew was making beats for rappers to rap to. And he literally made a beat that was how he felt. He didn\u2019t say he was going to give it to anyone to rap over. I always remembered that, like, \u201cDamn, that\u2019s a trip. You could make a beat how you feel?\u201d I never even thought of that. I just thought, \u201cYo, make some dope stuff that\u2019s like the stuff you listen to, for a rapper to rap.\u201d Prior to that, I wasn\u2019t really being too expressive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a producer, your fate is also wrapped in the hands of A&R meetings, record labels, and radio guys. There were years where I\u2019d do interviews and they\u2019d ask, \u201cWhat do you got coming?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cI can\u2019t really say, because I don\u2019t know if the sample\u2019s going to clear. I don\u2019t know if the album\u2019s getting pushed back, or if radio\u2019s not responding or this.\u201d Your destiny was not in your control, creatively. That used to upset me and started worrying me. I came into this game as a rapper first\u2014I was a young kid in a group. Switching to being a producer for hire, and having success, it was like, \u201cOK, where\u2019s it going to go?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the world, if you\u2019re a beatmaker or producing those albums, you\u2019re as good as your latest joint on whoever\u2019s album. Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve got three or four placements, and you\u2019re waiting to see what happens with these albums, and a year passes by and nothing comes out. People might think you haven\u2019t done a beat for a year. Perception is a trip. I started feeling like I was copping pleas in interviews, like, \u201cNo, trust me! It\u2019s coming!\u201d I wanted people to know where I\u2019m at creatively, but I couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was prior to social media and Instagram. Now, if I want somebody to know where I\u2019m at, I\u2019ll just go Live and play a beat. Or I\u2019ll play a snippet of a new Roc Marciano song I\u2019ve got or a Prodigy song we haven\u2019t dropped. But there was a time where I really felt like, \u201cI can\u2019t live like this.\u201d I need to bring people up-to-date to where I am creatively, and not be so behind it all the time. That was a major thing for me\u2014doing my own thing. Being able to just drop at your own time and control your shit is a great feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you made that breakthrough, you helped other artists shift their own models. Boldy James was just saying he feels like he\u2019s at a great point in life, and when you worked with Gibbs, y\u2019all had a Grammy-nominated album. How intentional are you about trying to use your esteem and respect to help shine a light on deserving artists?<\/strong>
As much as I can, but everybody has to walk their walk and do their journey and go through it. That\u2019s one thing I had to learn the hard way. As you get older, and you\u2019re around young guys, you\u2019ll see similar things that have happened to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your first reaction is to be like, \u201cYo, listen, don\u2019t do it. I was there. I went through the industry. So-and-so went through the industry. We did the majors, and then you\u2019re going to go through this whole thing. And then some of it\u2019s going to be good. Some of it\u2019s going to be bad. You\u2019re going to get off and you\u2019re going to end up where I\u2019m at now. Skip all that shit. Come over here right now, and let\u2019s just do it.\u201d But it doesn\u2019t work that way. Unfortunately, everybody has to take those steps in their own way. Having me as a reference point is good, and they can use my notes, but they\u2019re still going to have to go through it. What I went through is not exactly the same as what they\u2019re going through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all had that period in our career where we were kind of lost, and going through the motions of the music industry. And that\u2019s where I like to speak to some of the guys, like, \u201cYo, just be conscious of that. I\u2019m not telling you not to do it. Take my playbook. Look at these notes. This is shit that happened before. Just refer to the manual, bro, because a lot of us went through this shit. Everybody\u2019s going to tell you what you want to hear at first. They did it with me. They do it with everybody when you come into it. And then later on, what I\u2019ve discovered is, it\u2019s never going to be the way you want it. If you want it done, you\u2019ve got to do it. That doesn\u2019t mean not to have a team, but I think you need to start first. Build your shit up the way you want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know a lot of creative people, and we\u2019re control freaks. I have to see certain things all the way through so I can be happy with the end result. But over time, I find people who I can implement into my formula, who can do certain things for me so I don\u2019t have to do everything. If you get the right people, that\u2019s the goal. [You want] to build that team over time, but I think you still need to be the brain of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019m more concerned with is telling some of the younger guys [who are in label deals], like, \u201cAll right. Don\u2019t jump out of the ship. These guys are still here with you right now. Let\u2019s ride this and do what we\u2019ve got to do to keep your brand the way it should be until your deal is up with these people. Then you can take your shit on your own and do it the way you want. Make that transition smooth, instead of \u2018Fuck the label\u2019 when things start going wrong. Try to make everything work until you get to a point where you can be more hands-on with it. There is a value to having people spend a lot of money on you.\u201d I think if you have a goal and a long-term plan, that\u2019s what\u2019s important. I always try to have a nice little plan ahead of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not with blanket sh*t: \u2018Underground is all good, and commercial is all whack.\u2019 I am not the flag-holder for everything underground. There\u2019s good and bad in every category.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


What do you think about the term \u201cunderground rap?\u201d I wrote a story<\/a> about it last year, and when I talked to Slug, he was prideful in the idea of representing the underground, whereas when I talked to Mavi, he was indifferent about being categorized. Where do you stand? What does that term mean to you in 2022?<\/strong>
I don\u2019t even know, man. I hate labels. I hate names and terms. I don\u2019t like the name. It alludes to the fact that we\u2019re underneath the ground, in the sewer, making music or something. Do I like underground music? Hell yeah. Because you\u2019re really [talking about] people who are doing things their own way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[But] I understand Mavi\u2019s take, too, because he just toured with Babyface Ray and Jack Harlow. Of course he doesn\u2019t want to be considered \u201cunderground.\u201d Nobody wants to be underneath the ground, transmitting their music to the people on top of the ground. You know? So from a literal perspective, it\u2019s like, \u201cNah, man.\u201d But what underground music represents when you unpack it and go, \u201cOK, what is this?\u201d There\u2019s some good shit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s also say this, I\u2019m not with blanket shit: \u201cUnderground is all good, and commercial is all whack.\u201d I\u2019m not that guy, man. I am not the flag-holder for everything underground. There\u2019s good and bad in every category. Sometimes I think I get confused for that guy, because of the type of music I make. I like some commercial shit, and I like some underground. I like what\u2019s dope to me. I\u2019m not going to just write off a whole style and be like, \u201cOh, commercial.\u201d And people are like, \u201cOh, he\u2019s got to like it. It\u2019s rap in the underground.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think people have got to get off that shit, and stop putting everything in categories. That\u2019s why I like seeing a tour like Jack Harlow, Ray, and Mavi. Whatever promoter put that tour together, salute. That\u2019s dope. I think we underestimate these kids. It\u2019s the older guys. We know so much, so then we start trying to categorize and catalog everything. It\u2019s like our brain is a fucking record store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess I took both sides on that answer, because I understand what Slug is saying, and I love the music that comes out of it. I just always feel like the word \u201cunderground\u201d\u2014it\u2019s like it gives the wrong idea to the girls. We\u2019re not trying to scare the chicks. [Laughs.] <\/em>Are you kidding me? It doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t like women and all that. We\u2019ve got to fix that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your response is in line with how I feel, as well as a lot of the people I talked to. It\u2019s kind of ambiguous. And with categorization comes people putting limits on you.<\/strong>
Yeah, exactly. I think it\u2019s a natural human thing for us to do. We want to understand things and organize them, so I don\u2019t put people at fault for it. I just think it\u2019s a weird, human thing that we do in the world, but it really doesn\u2019t matter. I think some of these good artists now are melting all the genres anyway, especially the big commercial ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. Like, you\u2019ve got Drake rapping over drumless loops. What does underground really mean at that point?<\/strong>
Exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earl Sweatshirt had two tracks on This Thing Of Ours<\/em>, and you two have had a lot of collaborations over the years. Can you speak to the relationship y\u2019all have, inside and out of the studio?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s my little big homie. Earl\u2019s special. Anyone who knows him knows he\u2019s a very important person in this whole system of rap music, and Los Angeles hip-hop culture in general. He represents a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve got him by probably 20 years, but we hang like we\u2019re in the same grade, and it helped me a lot. He has an old soul and he\u2019s really like a very wise, young man. I think we share a lot of things personality-wise, and stuff related to our lives. We both had a kid around the same time. That\u2019s like my brother. Musically, he is very important. I think he\u2019s a style father, somebody who forges paths for this rap shit, and he\u2019s definitely a leader. But as a person, he\u2019s just one of my favorite people, and one of the closest homies of mine over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think our relationship is exemplary in a way that could help mend the generation gap that exists at any given time in music. I\u2019m way older, and he\u2019s much younger, but there\u2019s this common ground we meet on. He\u2019s putting me up on shit. I\u2019m putting him up on shit. And it\u2019s not always me showing him the old shit and him showing me the new. He\u2019s showing me M.O.P. songs I didn\u2019t know about. It\u2019s really just sharing and standing on the same ground. It\u2019s helped me so much, as far as learning how styles have progressed, understanding the new styles of music, and just not turning into a bitter-ass old man. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[It\u2019s important] having the young guys around me that I can trust, so I can have an understanding of the styles as they progress. And it\u2019s [important] to have a place where we could meet in the middle, because there\u2019s no reason why that generation and the older always have to have this standoff. The music is going to change. I always wonder if Grandmaster Flash and the Sugar Hill Gang\u2014did they not like it when Nas was coming up? Was it like, \u201cOh, nah, nah! Rap has changed!\u201d I always think about just moving the gap down to different generations and studying it. I think my relationship with Earl is important, because that\u2019s a way that my generation and his is meeting in the middle when we do music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy relationship with Earl is exemplary in a way that could help mend the generation gap that exists at any given time in music. I\u2019m way older, and he\u2019s much younger, but there\u2019s this common ground we meet on.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


Do you two have any projects coming in the near future?<\/strong>
Yeah, we have a pot that\u2019s been bubbling. We have several things in motion. I\u2019ll just say that. But stay tuned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did the idea to put that YouTube album come about? That\u2019s such a brilliant idea to me.<\/strong>
Forward thinking. Drugs. Just thinking up out of the human box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a popular narrative that artists like Earl or Gibbs or Griselda represent a \u201crevival\u201d of lyricism. How do you feel about the idea of a \u201crevival of traditionalist rap?\u201d<\/strong>
Corny, stupid. They\u2019re acting as if it went somewhere. You guys just stopped paying attention. This shit didn\u2019t happen overnight. It\u2019s been a progression. Like, Roc Marci was getting busy in 2001. It was a slow progression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re all students of music. I don\u2019t think any of us are trying to bring back a style. I think that we\u2019re enriched in a style that is classic. When artists are really entrenched in a [sound], [people] move on and [the artists] get stuck in that era. Like reggaeton was when it was then, or crunk was what crunk was then. Then it moves on. I don\u2019t think what we\u2019re doing is like that, in that way. I feel like it\u2019s been gradual and there have been a couple of nuances that got added into the soup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Somebody like Roc Marci started just saying, \u201cFuck it, I\u2019m going to rhyme to the filet. I\u2019m not even going to put a drum on this shit.\u201d Sometimes it was just because he wanted them to hear what words were being said. Sometimes it\u2019s because he just didn\u2019t want to\u2014he ain\u2019t got time for that shit, and the loop sounds nice. I think there were little things that happened, and now people look at it like it was this intentional soup that was created to create this underground sound. But it was literally a necessity becoming the mother of invention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samiyam, one of my favorite producers, has this style that is imitated. You could look online and see people making Samiyam-type beats. I don\u2019t know how to describe [the style]. It\u2019s very messy and not quantized and perfect, but it\u2019s amazing. And I remember talking to him about it one day, and him telling me, \u201cYo, I was trying to make DJ Premier, Pete Rock, perfect type beats.\u201d But with the machine he was using, and the way he could do it, he did it by hand. And that\u2019s how it came out. Then it became his style. Now they copy it, and it\u2019s funny. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I feel like when people say \u201crevival\u201d or \u201cit\u2019s like that old shit,\u201d no. It\u2019s happening right now. Griselda\u2019s happening now. Freddie Gibbs is happening now, Roc Marci. These are all things that are happening now in real time. If the sound of it is reminiscent of something old, well, so be it. I think there are so many things that add to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was talking to Jay-Z one time, and I told him that I thought \u201cDear Summer\u201d was one of the first joints that\u2019s kind of like what we\u2019re doing now. I also spoke with Ghostface before, and told him that when he was rhyming over the Delfonics. He was doing it early. And if you really want to get to it, [Ghostface and Raekwon] were rhyming over the whole filet of a record, or like an undercooked loop or something, even prior. So I think it was gradual. And I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a revival. I think what we\u2019re doing now wouldn\u2019t have been done that way. Like, the way Griselda took the things that they did and added it to their soup: Let\u2019s get the wrestling stuff. Let\u2019s slow the beats down with Daringer. Let\u2019s add the ad-libs. That made it special and unique. I don\u2019t think it would\u2019ve been done that way back in the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s just certain details to how we\u2019re doing it. Is it inspired? One hundred percent. Are we using samples? Yes. I don\u2019t know how to feel about that shit, but I mean, I like that it\u2019s getting attention. When I started seeing Westside Gunn\u2019s neck getting really getting heavy, I was loving it. Because I started seeing other rappers who had to pay attention to him. This perception shit is funny, man. All that fire music he was doing, but once he started making that neck heavy, it was like, \u201cHold on, who\u2019s this guy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes what we do, they would call it \u201cdusty.\u201d Like, are you crazy? Why is it dusty? Because it\u2019s not like it came out of a keyboard? Or it doesn\u2019t sound like it should be being played in a club in Las Vegas with those synths that are sizzling? That would get confused. But there were reasons why this became a lucrative business. We found ways to make what we\u2019re doing lucrative. By virtue of merch, touring, lifestyle, adding onto it, and doing it the way somebody like Westside really did it. So I do like the fact that it\u2019s getting the attention it\u2019s getting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One project that exemplified the freedom you spoke of is Haram<\/em> with Armand Hammer. Can you speak to the freedom you had to create outside of the cultural norms?<\/strong>
I had just come off of Alfredo<\/em> and all the success of that. First, I called Roc Marci, and I told him, \u201cThere\u2019s nobody I\u2019d rather do a whole album with than you after this.\u201d And we started work on a record that\u2019s coming soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Armand Hammer, Earl is the one who put me onto their music. We connected at first through Billy and it felt like a challenge, because I was at a point where I was like, \u201cHow did I not know about this?\u201d Just in the world it was in, and the groups we would put in with them, I respect but maybe wouldn\u2019t always be producing for. But when I listened to Paraffin<\/em>, it just spoke to me right away. That was like, \u201cThey are the true essence of art.\u201d The same way I feel about Brownsville Ka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought it would be a dope challenge for me. I did Lulu <\/em>and I did a Boldy album, which each have the style that\u2019s more comfortable to what I do. I felt like there was something I could do a little different with them, even production-wise. Listening to their shit made me want to do something different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only way to get a new result is to bring in other energy. They\u2019re adding new energy. It\u2019s like having co-producers damn near. They have a lot of input. Both of them are very much involved in the making of their records. They don\u2019t just pick a beat and rap. So I felt like I was getting different inputs, and I knew I would get a different outcome from it. After Freddie Gibbs and Alfredo<\/em>, [I told myself] I\u2019m not going to do what I would\u2019ve done when I was younger and think, \u201cI\u2019ve got to go bigger now.\u201d Of course I want to go big, but I want to follow this shit up with things that are dope now that I have a spotlight, or people are somewhat paying attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A month later, you released your This Thing of Ours<\/em> EP. How exciting is it for you to work with more up-and-coming MCs?<\/strong>
I think it\u2019s all about the right ones. It ain\u2019t much different than an A&R or somebody. I want to gamble on the guys that end up doing something, and work with them early. Like, Earl brought Vince Staples around early. I remember the early days when Vince was around, when he was young, before anybody knew about him. Earl was already saying, \u201cYo, Vince is the best.\u201d And we knew over at the studio early on, that he was good. Not that I was a part of his success in any way\u2014he did it on his own\u2014but [it was great] seeing it all develop right there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I look at it like banking and gambling on the ones that are dope, and that gives me another lease on life every time. Thebe was on the first and last song on This Thing of Ours<\/em>, because I wanted him to be my co-pilot on that tape. Because really, these are all people I met through him. Sideshow, Mavi, Maxo, Navy Blue, and everybody were guys I met through Thebe. So I was like, \u201cYou know what, if they were a whole crew, I would\u2019ve done it.\u201d They were like a loosely knit crew. It wasn\u2019t like Native Tongues or something, but it was a group of guys who were all dope and on a different wave than some of the street shit that I work with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of my intent with\u00a0This Thing of Ours\u00a0<\/em>was to show that all these guys do something, and later you can trace it back and be like, \u201cAh, it was early.\u201d That\u2019s why I had Earl on it, because how could I take any of the credit? He\u2019s the one who put me onto all this shit. I definitely want to find the ones that are young and dope, and if I have a name that could help, perfect. Like J.U.S, who\u2019s down with Bruiser Brigade, we just did a joint recently. I\u2019m going to keep working with anybody who I feel is dope and fits these beats, who I could shine some light on. And if I could [also] do records with some of the greats that I still haven\u2019t done records with, I\u2019m happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve mentioned wanting to collaborate with Jay-Z before. Is that any closer to happening since then?<\/strong>
I feel like it always gets a little closer. We\u2019re in communications. We live in the same city. I think it could happen, man. I really do. It\u2019s one of the last things that is very important to me that I really care about. I think it\u2019ll come eventually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you currently working on something with any of those artists on your bucket list?<\/strong>
Yes. There are two that are like, \u201cThis has to happen.\u201d And I do have a lot of Prodigy music, and I\u2019ve been listening to the songs lately and making sense out of it. Who knows?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you ever feel pressure to continue being so active?<\/strong>
My goal is to do things moving forward that could maybe even belittle what I\u2019ve done in the past. I don\u2019t want to use my past as a test. I feel like I\u2019ve done a lot of great things and reached crazy heights that I don\u2019t think I ever thought I would, but I look forward to the future. If that\u2019s the label, whatever it is. We\u2019re at a new phase now where I really want to take everything I\u2019m doing further. I\u2019m at a phase where I\u2019m not complacent again. I\u2019m not riding off into the sunset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s going to take some time to do that. Nobody knows what I might have in my mind for my future. So I manifest it and do it, and then they can understand and relate to me. It\u2019s a great history. I love it. I\u2019m still here and it\u2019s a blessing to be able to still be here. I want to take advantage of it, and I want to get better. I still make beats every day, and I don\u2019t know too many guys from my generation who are still doing that. I\u2019m a father now, too. But as these new challenges come, I\u2019m into setting up new challenges. I have a couple of homies that died when I was in high school and I think they just looked over me, because every year, good shit [happens] like the Nipsey song with Dre on the Grand Theft Auto that just came out of nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things like that always happen, and they remind me, \u201cYo, just keep cutting, doing your shit.\u201d I get what I need to get out of it and stay motivated. It will always be a young man\u2019s sport. But I look forward to my son hating my music. That\u2019s my goal. I want to be that father where he\u2019s showing me the new stuff. And I\u2019m like, \u201cThat\u2019s dope.\u201d I want to like their shit, but I don\u2019t want to be that dad that gets so inspired by what their kid likes and starts making shit. My son will never be my A&R, if that makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will learn from him. I want to understand everything they\u2019re doing, but if he likes my music, I\u2019m in trouble! I\u2019ve seen that happen to guys. Like, their kids turned 15 or something, and they start telling their dad, \u201cNah, dad, that\u2019s dusty. You\u2019ve got to do this. This is what\u2019s out.\u201d And then the dad starts getting swayed by their sons, like, \u201cMy son\u2019s my A&R.\u201d I don\u2019t ever want to do that. My point is, it\u2019s always been a young man\u2019s thing, so we haven\u2019t gotten to a place yet where you can have old [artists.] I think Jay was the first to try to do that. And I think he did it. He\u2019s the only one\u2014we need more. We need more guys in their older era who are accepted to do music that the younger guys may not play, but they [get] respect. And as we get older, we can\u2019t worry about getting approval from the younger generation, meaning, \u201cWhere is this style going to go?\u201d I think we\u2019re going to get a new generation of kids who are inspired by it. The catalyst never reached the benefit, right? I do feel like everything that all of us are doing on a bigger scale could be a catalyst movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether Conway or Marci or any of us reap what we really feel we deserve for some groundwork that we lay down, I\u2019m more concerned with the 15-year-old kid that\u2019s listening to that shit. The 13-year-old kid whose friends all like NBA YoungBoy or the other stuff, and he don\u2019t like that shit. He likes this underground stuff for whatever reason, and he\u2019s getting inspired. Also, he likes new stuff. I feel like there will be a hybrid of what we\u2019re doing now in the future. It\u2019s not going to sound exactly like what we\u2019re doing. It\u2019ll have some elements of it, and when they do their interview with Complex, they\u2019re going to say, \u201cYeah, I was 15 in 2020, listening to Freddie Gibbs and Griselda, and all my friends were listening to something else.\u201d It\u2019s going to change, and I don\u2019t think the beats will be the same. But I do think we\u2019re laying out breadcrumbs for a new guy. The same way when the older guys heard Kendrick, they were like, \u201cIt ain\u2019t the same,\u201d but we could tell it\u2019s entrenched in some type of style. It wasn\u2019t hard to get behind and you could hear the influence of a different generation\u2014but it\u2019s all new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it\u2019s going to happen. That\u2019s why I say my relationship with Earl is good. I just did a DJ tour of Europe last November, and it had been three years since I\u2019d done it because of COVID. Prior to this, I would play all my shit that I produced, and there usually wouldn\u2019t be anybody under 30 in the fucking crowd. It would all be older people\u2014people who grew up with it. Now, I got the Griselda set, I got the Earl songs, I got This Thing of Ours,<\/em> and I did the show, and I\u2019m like, \u201cI wonder what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d When I saw the crowd, I saw kids that were in their 20s, and then I saw the guys that were 35 and 40, so it was this new mixture. When I played all the new shit, the kids went crazy. I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, this is perfect. Now we\u2019re mixing it all up.\u201d Eventually, some of these young guys would take some of the older sauce, mix it up and make a new thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Projects with Earl Sweatshirt and Roc Marciano] are both coming this year. Now, I\u2019ve made my bed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


What do you have coming up for 2022, musically and otherwise?<\/strong>
Off the top is the new Curren$y project, and [Benny the Butcher\u2019s] Tana Talk 4<\/em>. I got a song with Kool G Rap, a new Craft Single that we\u2019re about to drop. This tour starts in a couple weeks, so we\u2019re all going to be on the road together. It\u2019s basically like taking the studio on tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m working on a series right now: The Alchemist Presents tour. It\u2019s going to be a tour series, and it\u2019s going to be anything that I do with the studio or with the merch. I have these three different worlds; the studio, the online sales, and then the stage, and they all do really well. So I\u2019m like, \u201cWhy don\u2019t I bring them all together?\u201d I started thinking, \u201cMan, all my friends are the dopest guys to me.\u201d So I wanted to start doing a series of Alchemist Presents concerts where I\u2019ll be featuring different combinations of guys that I already rock with. It may be Freddie Gibbs and Boldy in whatever city. Different combinations. Also, I want to reach outside of people I only do whole albums with, and curate shows that are similar to what goes on in the studio. It\u2019ll be like Earl and Benny here, just randomly. So stay tuned for that as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You mentioned working on projects with Earl and Roc. Will those be coming this year?<\/strong>
Those are both coming this year. Now, I\u2019ve made my bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Laughs.]<\/em> Some more to look forward to. <\/strong>
Definitely. This year\u2019s going to be good. Also, a Larry June EP. I\u2019m just trying to clear the runway for all these things, and lots and lots of vinyl releases that we\u2019re doing. We\u2019re redoing Covert Coup<\/em>, and there\u2019s a couple other things we got brewing. I\u2019m looking to keep the year busy, and that\u2019s the beauty of being independent. I know sometimes it looks like, \u201cDamn, we\u2019re doing a lot,\u201d but that\u2019s the freedom we have. Sometimes you\u2019re on a label, and there\u2019s a schedule, and you\u2019ve got to wait for someone else. But for me, I try to keep things busy, so I\u2019m always having something drop. Keep people fed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it\u2019s something you want to do, it doesn\u2019t feel so much like work, I guess.<\/strong>
I\u2019m more depressed without work. If I don\u2019t have shit lined up, that\u2019s when I start getting worried. Lining things up is important for me, because when you\u2019re your own boss, you can\u2019t abuse the luxury. I can easily just fuck off and watch TV or fucking throw darts at the wall. No one\u2019s going to fire me. Because of that, I\u2019m like, \u201cDon\u2019t play around man. Set your shit up right, and keep your year busy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could probably put a number [up on the wall] and go, \u201cThis is what we\u2019re aiming for this year and let\u2019s figure it out.\u201d But it\u2019s really a combination of that, as well as making sure my brand is always something dope. Obviously it\u2019s not money, but as I get older and we\u2019ve dialed in the dope part, I think people know we\u2019re a brand you can trust. Now I want to find ways to expand and not worry so much about, \u201cOh, this isn\u2019t going to be dope, or it\u2019s about the art.\u201d Of course it is. I think we\u2019ve established that thus far. [Laughs.] <\/em>That\u2019s where I have fun coming up with different, cool ways to create things that have value, like the baseball cards with Bo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was a fire idea by the way.<\/strong>
The cards?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. <\/strong>
I was lucky, man. They got better than I thought. It really worked well, with the way that we limited them, and now they\u2019re reselling like crazy online, which was really my goal. I could\u2019ve made way more of them and got them to everyone, and then people are mad they missed it. But sometimes all money is not good. It just depends what you\u2019re going for. I don\u2019t want to burn out. I want to create something that lasts. You\u2019ve got to restrain yourself sometimes, from a business perspective. It worked out well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s always cool when you can share your other passions with your music. Just to kind of show more of who you are, and what you\u2019re interested in.<\/strong>
With cards, I was doing that. I do a lot of different art. That was the series I was working on, and once we came up with the titles for Bo Jackson, it made sense. I can introduce my card art through this. That was a cool way to bring all the worlds together. I used to go buy cards, and go to Thrifty\u2019s and get the 25 cent packs and hunt for those rookie cards or whatever. It\u2019s similar to the hunt I do when I go record shopping. It speaks to the same excitement of getting something rare and finding it. That\u2019s why I think it connected with that whole group of people who grew up that same way. Everyone\u2019s like, \u201cOh perfect. Now you backed it up with some music that I like too. Perfect. These are all things that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShouts to Hit-Boy. This\u2019ll be the only one I got over him. He\u2019s been kicking my ass in every award competition. That\u2019s my man, too. I love him.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


With everything being digital, it\u2019s cool to be able to attach something physical that people will value. I feel like a lot of the newer generation hasn\u2019t experienced that when it comes to consuming music. Everything is just available at the click of a button.<\/strong>
We\u2019re not in the metaverse yet. It\u2019s being built. I\u2019m taking all my physical shit with me into the metaverse, too, just for the record. I\u2019m working on that right now. My physical belongings will come with me into the metaverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve got to hit up Elon about those arrangements.<\/strong>
You\u2019ve got to figure this out, man. We need a cloud for physical stuff. We could keep all our belongings in a cloud somewhere, floating in outer space while we live in the metaverse. We\u2019re going to figure it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Laughs.]<\/em> Is there anything that I didn\u2019t ask that you want to express to the reader?<\/strong>
Shouts to Hit-Boy. This\u2019ll be the only one I got over him. He\u2019s been kicking my ass in every award competition. [Laughs.] <\/em>That\u2019s my man, too. I love him. I think he\u2019s getting what he deserves. I think he really cracked the code personally, too, because he\u2019d been dope for so long. I think him tapping in with Nas, and Benny, and Big Sean, is kind of similar to how we\u2019ve all been doing, I think. I\u2019m happy to see that, because sometimes you go down and go back up. I\u2019m not saying he was [down]. He\u2019s been the man. I\u2019m just saying, he\u2019s that guy, and he didn\u2019t even have to do it through any system. He was kind of doubling back and linking with people that he fucked with, and that\u2019s what we do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. As a producer, sometimes you\u2019ll have periods where you\u2019re not in the forefront as much, and people will think you\u2019re down or \u201cfell off.\u201d But you could just be going back to the drawing board, which you need sometimes, and it looks like that\u2019s what he might have been doing. He\u2019s putting out amazing work.<\/strong>
Yeah, and he cracked the code. I think personally, whatever he is on now, I love seeing it. [I love] having people out there that you respect, who are doing good, like sparring partners. \u201cMan, he keeps me on my shit.\u201d I definitely let him know, like, \u201cYo, you inspired me, and thank you.\u201d I liked seeing him get what he was supposed to get, because I think it had to do with him not focusing on making hits for everybody, but locking in with people who he fucked with and making real music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shout to all of the producers, man. I just think of so many names and you say \u201dalive,\u201d I can\u2019t say I\u2019m worthy to stand on the mountain and be like, \u201cYes. Yeah, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Complex.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometime around the turn of the 2010s, The Alchemist moved back to his native Los Angeles in hopes of starting a new musical chapter. He was already a well-regarded producer, thanks to his work with rap royalty like Mobb Deep and Dilated Peoples and classic hits like \u201cWe Gonna Make It\u201d and \u201cHold U Down.\u201d But he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,12,11,5,6,9,7,10,8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-70","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fashion","8":"category-fresh","9":"category-marketing","10":"category-men","11":"category-newcommers","12":"category-production","13":"category-stars","14":"category-tech","15":"category-women"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121,"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions\/121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/globaldrummer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}