The Alchemist

Alan Daniel Maman (born October 25, 1977), known professionally as the Alchemist, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his sample-heavy production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip-hop and underground rap. His frequent collaborators include Mobb Deep, Larry June, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Roc Marciano, ScHoolboy Q, Griselda, Boldy James, Earl Sweatshirt, and Curren$y. Raised in Beverly Hills, California, Maman began his career in music as a rapper in the early 1990s as part of the duo the Whooliganz. He transitioned to production in the late 1990s, gaining recognition for his work with Dilated Peoples and Mobb Deep. Maman relocated to New York City to further his career, during which he worked extensively with East Coast artists including Nas, Jadakiss, and Prodigy. Maman gained wider recognition for producing the 1999 single "The Realest" for Mobb Deep, which helped establish his signature sound. He was credited on a string of critically acclaimed projects throughout the 2000s and 2010s, including work on Action Bronson's Mr. Wonderful. As a solo artist, Maman has released several instrumental albums and collaborative projects. His debut solo album, 1st Infantry (2004), featured a mix of well-known and underground rappers. He has since released numerous acclaimed projects, including Russian Roulette (2012), the Rapper's Best Friend series, and The Food Villain (2020). Together with collaborators Oh No (with whom he forms the group Gangrene), Woody Jackson and Tangerine Dream he composed the official score to the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V and hosts the radio station "The Lab" in it. Furthermore, he has released collaborative projects with various artists, including Covert Coup (2011) with Currensy, Albert Einstein (2013) with Prodigy, Fetti (2018) with Freddie Gibbs and Currensy, Haram (2021) and Mercy (2025) with Armand Hammer, The Great Escape (2023) with Larry June, Voir Dire (2023) with Earl Sweatshirt, Faith Is a Rock with Mike and Wiki (2023) and Alfredo (2020) with Freddie Gibbs, which was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. As a member of a duo with Boldy James, they have released four albums and one EP.

Alan Daniel Maman hails from Beverly Hills, California. As a teenager, Maman began to identify strongly with the rebellious lyrics and urban sounds of hip-hop, and eventually started writing his own lyrics. He joined up with other like-minded artists who wrote lyrics and rebelled against their suburban surroundings. These included Evidence and Scott Caan (son of James Caan). In 1991, a 14-year-old Maman and Scott Caan formed a duo named the Whooliganz. While rapping at a party in Los Angeles, they attracted the attention of B-Real of Cypress Hill. B-Real invited the teens to join his crew, Soul Assassins, which also included the groups House of Pain and Funkdoobiest. The Whooliganz released their first single, "Put Your Handz Up", in 1993. The song received little radio airplay and their record label, Tommy Boy Records, decided to shelve their album. Feeling rejected, Caan decided to focus his creative energy on acting, while Maman developed an interest in the process of making hip-hop beats. DJ Muggs took Maman under his wing and taught him how to use a sampler and mixing board. After helping to produce a few tracks for Cypress Hill, Maman became the main producer for his childhood friend Evidence and his group Dilated Peoples. Maman also produced several tracks on the debut album of Likwit Crew member Defari, who was another Dilated Peoples and tha Alkaholiks affiliate. In 1999, Muggs introduced Maman to his good friends, the popular hip-hop group Mobb Deep. Maman produced two songs for Mobb Deep's Murda Muzik album. Impressed by Maman's production skills and street smarts, Mobb Deep continued using his beats on all of the group's subsequent albums. As Maman's profile in the music industry grew, he began producing 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. In 1999, Maman was set to produce three tracks for American rapper Ras Kass' then-upcoming album Van Gogh, which was scheduled for a late 2000 release at the time. One of the said tracks was "Home Sweet Home", which was also slated to be the album's lead single. After receiving the first half of the payment for the beat, Maman accused Ras Kass' record label Priority of ignoring him. In 2000, while attending the Source Hip-Hop Music Awards in Pasadena, California, Maman informed Ras Kass that he'd been showcasing the beat to other artists. Jadakiss would then go on to record "We Gonna Make It" over the same beat for his 2001 release, Kiss tha Game Goodbye. After taking notice of this, Ras Kass attempted to stop the release by releasing his version of the song on mixtapes, to no avail. This prompted Ras Kass to diss Maman in freestyles and on a track on Van Gogh. Eventually, the beef ended with Ras Kass citing a loss of respect for Maman as a producer. In an interview with www.hiphopgame.com, Ras Kass admitted that he had been stubborn and refused to listen when Maman approached him about the payment issue. The pair briefly reconciled, with Maman producing the track "Get It In" for Ras Kass's 2006 album entitled Eat or Die, before falling out again.