Ignoring the coastal feuds that dominated hip-hop for most of the '90s,
the Alchemist (born
Alan Maman) began his career in L.A. (he grew up in affluent Beverly Hills) and ended up in New York City. As a teenager, as part of the duo
the Whooliganz (with
Scott Caan, son of
James) and the greater rap collective
the Soul Assassins (with
Cypress Hill,
House of Pain, etc.), he released the single
Put Your Handz Up on Tommy Boy in 1993, though
the Whooliganz's debut full-length, Make Way for the W, was eventually shelved.
The Alchemist continued making beats, however, working with and learning from
DJ Muggs on 1995's
Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom as well as with childhood friend
Evidence of
Dilated Peoples.
After moving to New York to attend college,
Al hooked up with Queensbridge duo
Mobb Deep, producing the songs "The Realest" and "Thug Music" from their 1999 record
Murda Muzik, a collaboration that led to work with
Pharoahe Monch,
Royce da 5'9",
Fat Joe,
Defari,
Freddy Foxxx,
Ludacris,
Big Daddy Kane, and
Ghostface Killah, and even rock acts like
Linkin Park and
Morcheeba. In 2004
the Alchemist released his first solo full-length,
1st Infantry, which, besides featuring his own beats, also had him rapping alongside
Stat Quo,
the Game,
Lloyd Banks,
Mobb Deep, and
Dilated Peoples, among others, and in 2005, after
Eminem's DJ
Green Lantern left the Anger Management 3 tour, the Detroit rapper hired
Al as his replacement. In 2006
the Alchemist showcased his work with a pair of mixtapes of previously released and unreleased material,
The Chemistry Files and
No Days Off. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide