The Alchemist

Featuring: Nas

Songwriter: Nas

Producer: The Alchemist

[Verse: Nas]
I sip the blood of Christ from a gold cup
I love this life
My soldiers smoke you, no price
Dead men in graves roll over
I'm part Apache, slave master, African, who asked me
Fans tear my clothes, bitches try to trap me
30,000 seats rise to their feet to hear me flow
Got two mansions on the East Coast
Models deep throat
I heard about them kidnap dudes, had dinner with some
Shake hands with killers just to see who really was one
Study his moves, how he look fake - but that's the trick to it
Now we turn you to bait
The street shit I stick to it
Rappers hate me, bitches saying, "how did he start?"
They go to psychics asking 'em for my astrology chart
I'm the righteous thug, fight for Mumia
Racist white judge - made Diallo's murderers free
See, they don't like us
And what about conspiracies to kill black boys
But y'all ain't hearing me, worship the planet like asteroids
Look around and everything you see was once an idea
From somebody's thoughts who turned into reality clear
Look at the tallest sky scrapers, it just didn't appear
Somebody thought it up and built it up and put it right there

[Hook: Nas]
Aye yo rich niggas burn and roll up in Testarossa's
Poor niggas plan to come up they cop the toasters
Dead niggas lay in they grave and roll over
But it is too late, too late
Aye-yo rich niggas burn and roll up in Testarossa's
Poor niggas plan to come up they cop the toasters
Dead niggas lay in they grave and roll over
But it is too late, too late
Aye yo Aye yo Ayeyo

The Alchemist is a rapper and DJ on top of being one of the most prolific producers in hip-hop who is known for his eclectic beats. Al’s sample-heavy style has been associated with an East Coast sound even though he reps the West Coast, but he has worked with rappers from every region of America—including Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, and Eminem among others.

At 14 years old, Daniel Alan Maman from Beverly Hills, California entered the rap game as Mudfoot, one-half of The Whooliganz with actor Scott Caan in 1991. He also grew up with Evidence from Dilated Peoples and produced the crew’s debut single “Third Degree” in 1997. Al was mentored by Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs, who taught him production techniques and later introduced him to Mobb Deep. Al’s early productions on Mobb Deep’s Murda Muzik album in 1999 began to grow his profile, which took off after the popularity of his production on the 2001 Jadakiss hit “We Gonna Make It.”

The Alchemist has been involved in many projects over the years. He released two compilations—2004’s 1st Infantry and 2009’s Chemical Warfare—a number of instrumental albums, mixtapes, as well as collaborative albums with Prodigy and Havoc of Mobb Deep, Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, Action Bronson, Oh No (as Gangrene), and Evidence (as Step Brothers) to name a few. Al has served as a DJ for Eminem and Action Bronson shows, and Al has also been a frequent guest on Action Bronson’s Viceland food show Fuck, That’s Delicious. Al used vocal samples from the show throughout his 2020 album The Food Villain.

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