ThaFormula.com - It's good to see you and Ras Kass cool again man, how did that come about?

Alchemist – We’ve got a lot of mutual friends like 40 Glocc, Xzibit and you know just amongst all our mutual friends and us crossing paths.  The homies just brought us together man.  It’s about the music man ‘cause that shit is nonsense.  So we hang out a lot ‘cause were both in New York too.  Were both L.A. kids in New York.

thaFormula.com - How did you get involved in the return of “Unity?”

Alchemist - First of all, Bigga B is somebody I looked up to since day one.  That was an important person growing up in Los Angeles, him doing “Unity” and being a part of Loud Records among other things.  There wouldn’t have been a Wu-Tang Clan or Mobb Deep on the west coast if it wasn’t for Bigga B.  Plus “Unity” was the one venue where there was always groups from New York performing, so that shit meant a lot.  Plus the way I got to know Bigga was when he started working with Soul Assassins.  That’s how that connection came about and kind of how Muggs got down with Mobb Deep and I did too.  So I look at Bigga like he was a part of that.  So when Muggs told me he was about to put “Unity” back together with Chace, I was like “hell yeah I’m down to be apart of it.”  Originally it was supposed to be me and Evidence but he was out of town and Ras Kass came through.  I definitely think that Unity is something that is needed. 

thaFormula.com - Now the last time we spoke, Dilated had just dropped the "Neighborhood Watch" album and you weren't really too happy about the Kanye single.  Looking back, do you think that song affected the group in a good or bad way?

Alchemist - I think it affected them in a good way because at the end of the day commercially it was their biggest record of all time.  I mean it didn't add up in sales, but it was a good learning lesson for them and they got to experience that limelight you get when you have a commercial hit record.  Even though it didn’t translate into sales, I think it was a good experience for them because they got experience outside of the game.  But they decided at the end of the day that, that really isn't their mode.  It wasn't a wack song, but it just wasn't their mode.  But it was good for them to go through that because they have come full circle and now the type of music they do is strictly Dilated.

thaFormula.com - So you did some cuts on the recent Dilated album.  Were you happy with how that turned out and why do you think the reaction from the people wasn't what it should have been?

Alchemist - I think it was a combination for Capitol among other things.  I don't think they know what to do with a group like Dilated Peoples and this is a group that has a fan base of 300 to 400,000 people.  If you can't figure out how to make money off a group that sells 300,000 records then I don't know what to say.  You have to readjust your plans.  Capitol is the shit with rock music, but with rap I don’t really see them doing their thing.  So I won’t blame it entirely on them, but they were expecting bigger sales.  They don’t know how to make money off 300 to 500,000 record sales.  That's just foolish man ‘cause that's a lot of cake.

thaFormula.com - Now how did your debut album “1st Infantry” end up doing for you?

Alchemist - It did about 200,000 at the end of the day.  For an independent release it did great.  I was shooting for 100,000 and the shit did more then I expected.  The video and the single went to radio and video and got love and I think that helped the sales a lot.  Everybody was pleased with that album and I got no negative response.  I wish more people would have heard it, but that was the capacity that Koch records had at the time.  Now they are getting more momentum with Jim Jones and they got more money and I think that they can push an artist to go gold.   But at that time they didn’t.  You know we broke down a lot of doors with our single "Hold You Down."  MTV2 helped them for their future artists as well.  They got into a lot of places that they weren't in before.  That’s cool for us to be able to do that.  I’m gonna benefit because I’m doing my next album with them still and I’m sure other artists like Jim Jones have benefited too.  Their shit is huge right now.  Jim Jones has the biggest record in New York right now.  It’s bigger then Jay-Z, I wont even lie.  I’m happy to see somebody like that who is hustlin’ and using the Koch machine to do that.  It lets me know that they are going hard.  Hopefully he goes gold and sells some records and my next album is coming after that.

thaFormula.com - Has your connection with Eminem helped your career a lot as far as opening certain doors?

Alchemist - Yeah.  The hook up with Eminem was basically Paul Rosenberg who’s been my manager for a long time.  My brother works over there to and also co-manages me.  So I have kind of been affiliated for a long time.  So when the situation happened with Green Lantern, they needed somebody and they didn’t want to bring somebody new to the circle.  I was already well known with Em and his crew so it made sense.  They basically put me in that position and it worked out well.  Me and Em are cool, we just finished an album called “The Re-Up.”

thaFormula.com - What's the deal with that?

Alchemist - Basically I compiled it.  I didn't get to pick every record, but my input was taken.  I put it together like the way I put my mixtapes together, but I couldn't use as many samples, cause on my mixtapes I can use anything and put it out.  But we hooked it up and the shit came out dope.  I did 4 joints on it, Em did most of it and a couple of other producers did some stuff.  It's dope though.  Straight Hip-hop shit with Eminem spittin’ again on some real shit and I’m feelin’ it. 

thaFormula.com - So with you being his DJ and getting closer to Em, have you had a chance to slide him some tracks for his future album?

Alchemist - What it is with Em man, is that he is really into production.  He's very into it the same way he is with his rhymes.  He's a perfectionist, he's intricate with it, and he works the MP.  At this point it's hard to get him to rhyme over anybody's beats.  He really locks into his beats because he makes them and he finds patterns that lock into the high hats. I mean I play Em beats every now and then, but it's really hard because He’s into his own production real hard.  Every now and then I will put out a record with somebody else and he will ask  “why didn’t he play me that beat, I love that beat?”  So I do play him a lot of beats but its tough to get him to zone into something because I’m over here, he’s over there and there is just not many times we are in the studio together.  It's hard to get him on a Dre beat these days they tell me because he's really focused on his shit and he's got some shit.  It will happen though I think and I'm gonna get him on my new album.

thaFormula.com - So speaking of that, what's the deal with your new album?

Alchemist - The new album is crazy man.  I'm like half way done.  I got a lot of records.  I'm just going through the records right now and picking the right shit.  It's called "Chemical Warfare."  It’s kind of like a take off of the last one with the military style.  Except for the Mobb, Cypress and Dilated, it's all new cats I'm using on this album, because I like to collaborate with new artists.  I think its dope that I can try different things with new cats and that's what I'm trying to do.

thaFormula.com - What's up with Cormega man?  You guys make good music together.  I know you guys had a little problem, but what's the deal with another collabo with Mega?

Alchemist - That problem was nothing man.  Shit happens and Mega is still my man.  Mega is dope and hopefully we will get down again. It's just that we don't cross paths to much.  He's over there doing his thing and I'm over here.  But I fuck with Mega.  He’s always been dope to me, we make good records, so hopefully we will get back together and make some dope shit.

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