Alchemist – Secret Sauce

Watch the video where the legendary Daniel Alan Maman also known as the Alchemist where he discusses about his beatmaking process and we are also shown his production setup and studio.

As a teenager, Maman began to identify strongly with the rebellious lyrics and urban sounds of hip-hop, and he began writing his own lyrics. He joined up with other like-minded artists who wrote lyrics and rebelled against their suburban surroundings.

These included Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town, Evidence and Scott Caan, son of James Caan. In 1991, a 14-year-old Maman and Scott Caan decided to become a duo named The Whooliganz. While rhyming at a party in L.A., they attracted the attention of B-Real of Cypress Hill. He invited the teens to join his crew, The Soul Assassins, which also included the groups House of Pain and Funkdoobiest.

In 1993, the Whooliganz released their first single, "Put Your Handz Up." The song received little radio airplay and their record label, Tommy Boy Records, decided to shelve their album. Rejected, Scott focused his creative energy on acting while Al became interested in process of making hip-hop beats.

DJ Muggs took Al under his wing and taught him how to use a sampler and mixing board.After helping to produce a few tracks for Cypress Hill, Al became the main producer for his childhood friend, Evidence and his group Dilated Peoples.

When Dilated Peoples debuted in 1998, they helped promote Maman as a key part of their sound. Alchemist also produced several tracks on the debut album Focused Daily by Defari, another Dilated and Alkaholik affiliate.

In 1999, Muggs introduced Al to his good friends, the popular hip-hop group Mobb Deep. Al produced two songs for their Murda Muzik album. Impressed by his production skills and street smarts, Mobb Deep continued using his beats on all their subsequent albums.

As Alchemist’s profile increased, he went on to produce for many of hip hop’s most successful and prominent artists, such as Nas, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Ghostface Killah and Snoop Dogg. He has also remixed songs for bands and artists in other genres such as Linkin Park and Morcheeba. Al stayed loyal to his old friends, continuing to produce for Dilated, Cypress Hill and Crazy Town. He also enjoys producing for lesser-known underground rappers, often giving them some of his best beats.

In 2004, six years after his rapping career folded, The Alchemist put out 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.

Get Alchemist’s Secret Sauce Drum Kit at http://www.thedrumbroker.com

Follow Alchemist at http://www.twitter.com/Alchemist

Produced by The Drum Broker
Directed by: Ryan Calvano & The Alchemist