Loop Diggin’ Thursdays 07.17.08: Al Maman
Posted by Phil Watts, Jr on 07.17.2008
“A-A-A-AL-AL-AL-AL-Alchemist been my nephew for a minute…”
It all started with a rap duo called the Whooliganz.
Anybody remember them?
Hello?
Cypress Hill was blowing up with their first two albums, cranking out heaters like "How I Can Just Kill A Man", "Real Estate", and "Insane In the Membrane". The whole Soul Assassins crew was making noise, with Everlast making a comeback with the House Of Pain and FunkDoobiest, which was fronted by the doofy porno-addict, Son Doobie. They were about to come out with a new crew of knucklehead white kids called the Whooliganz, which consisted of Scott Caan, son of veteran actor James Caan, and the Alchemist. They came out with a few singles, "Put your Handz Up" and "Whooliganz", and did a colab with House Of Pain called "Hit The Deck", which all had that Soul Assassin buzz tone sound going on. However, the label they signed to didn't really support it, so their debut album was given the ax. The Whooliganz got dropped, leaving Scott to follow his father's footsteps in the acting field, while Al decided to follow Muggz' footsteps. Both he and his childhood pal Evidence would both learn everything they could about the industry from hanging around Muggz, B-Real and the rest of the gang.
It was during the middle of the dreadful late 90's when Al would start blowing up. Evidence, Rakaa, and DJ Babu would blow up in the underground circuit and have people line up to have them do guest verses in their songs. Al became one of the hottest producers to come from that period, as he would work with everyone from Defari (a good chunk of the FOCUSED DAILY album), to the post-Premier Group Home, to Pharoahe Monche. And then, there was his long and prosperous colabs with Mobb Deep that has kept him on the map all these years. I remember an interview where Prodigy was talking about the first time he met ALC ("I thought he was some undercover cop or something!") Al eventually gained their trust and since then, pretty much all the best songs on every Mobb album since MURDA MUSIK have been ALC tracks.
THE HOOK
This is the section where I talk about the one song that officially made me a fan. In this case, it's two songs.
Mobb Deep, "Thug Music"
MURDA MUSIK was a turning point in Mobb Deep's career. While Havoc did have a few gems in here ("Quiet Storm", "It's Mine"), his beats were starting to falter a bit. This gave ALC a chance to shine on an album like this, and he did. Who could forget that chopped up twinkling piano track? After hearing this, I knew that the best was yet to come…
Pharoahe Monche and MOP, "No Mercy"
This shit right here gives you chills. This came from Pharoahe's first album, INTERNAL AFFAIRS, from back when Rawkus was straddling the fence between being an underground and commercial label (and ultimately fell off, leaving many artists in limbo). If there's one word to describe this track, it's "murderous", and it fits Pharoahe and MOP perfectly.
STREET CHEMISTRY: ALC & Mobb Deep
I decided to give a separate section to highlight some of ALC's highlights on various Mobb Deep projects.
"When you Hear the"
"I need a chick like Christina Ag-Uh-Larry for a broad/you you I'ma splag that--she dyin' for a thug!" OUCH. Anyway, this is one of the highlights from the otherwise weak AMERIKAZ NIGHTMARE (their first and ONLY Jive recording). ALC really brings that Infamous sound here, and makes you wish that whole album was like this.
"More Like Us"
This is what I call THUGGED OUT DISCO. It's got the violins and the FOUR-TO-THE-FLOOR thump, which was a staple in late 70's disco shit. You'd think shit like this wouldn't sound right, but ALC makes it work! I could picture Hav, P and their various weed couriers trying to get into Studio 54, but the owners would try to turn them away because he doesn't want any of that riff-raff in his nightclub…so they pull out on him (Click-CLAK!) and waltz right in anyway!
"Tick Tock" w/ Nas
It's almost sad, really. You hear a song like this, with P and Nas together on a smoothed out ALC track (which Hav tried to rework on that G-Unit-Sponsored flop that I refuse to name), it makes you wish they had more songs together. But alas…P signed to Fitty's outfit and now he acts like he never knew Nas in his life.
"Win Or Lose"
Another highlight from AMERIKAZ DRINK COASTER, where ALC provides a bouncy soul sample, leaving P to ramble about fucking his parole officer and dressing bummy in his mid-30's ("Fuck lookin' cute--save that shit for the broads!"), meanwhile Hav runs lyrical runs around him.
"Keep It Thuro"
"I break bread, ribs, $100 bills…" ALC helps P make a great first impression in the solo tip. Nothing more to say about this.
"Get At Me"
One of the few highlights from the otherwise drab INFAMY. ALC conjures up a track that sounds like some 80's crime drama, while both Hav & P make canned gunclap threats!
P & ALC's RETURN OF THE MAC
I'm putting this whole album in here, since this was a 2007 Album Of The Year candidate (if not the winner). The biggest test of a producer is how well they can handle a whole album. It's one thing to cobble together lots of unreleased colabs and putting them into mixtapes. But to be able to make a cohesive album, not to mention an album that stands up to Mobb Deep's best work, is commendable.
OTHER FAVORITES
Dilated Peoples, "The Platform"
"You wanna front wha-wha-wha-" Al goes SCI-FI as Rakaa and Ev drops some science and Babu drops the aforementioned Jeru vocal snippet. This, of course, is the title cut to Dilated's debut album, which many criticized for having too many 12inch cuts in it. Silly isn't it?
Dilated Peoples, "Annihilation"
This is my favorite cut off THE PLATFORM. No one does 'sinister' like ALC, and this track is a prime example. I like the way he brought the wah-wah guitar samples, and keeping it sparse to give Ev & Rakaa some room.
Dilated Peoples, "Worst Come to Worst" RMX
While I liked the original (Babu's cuts made the song), I had to put the remix in here. While they took off the cuts, Al did flip the sample a little bit more. That plus they had Hav do the hook and Guru actually raps on it (in the original, he just did shoutouts).
Lil' Dap, "Get It"
Lil' Dap is about to unleash a solo album called I-A-DAP next month (the title cut showed up in ALC's CUTTING ROOM FLOOR Vol. 2). With that, it's good to revisit one of the few dope post-Premier cuts in his career. Yeah, everything Dap (or any former Gangstarr foundation member) does at this point will ultimately pale in comparison to the classics that Premier hooked up for them, but the least they could do is go to someone who could make them sound at least halfway decent, which is what Dap did by going to Al for this little song.
Agallah, "The Crookie Monster"
A while back, Ag became a card-carrying Dipset member, and under requirement, decided to do a series of diss records aimed at Jigga. Unsurprisingly, Jigga completely ignored him. However, if Jigga really did wanted to body him, all he has to do is dig THIS little gem up! ALC does a neat job chopping up the theme to SESAME STREET while Ag does his spot-on impersonation of the COOKIE MONSTER!!! Yes, it's as funny as it sounds.
Casual, "Gotta Get Down"
The song that heightened my hopes for a decent follow-up to Casual's FEAR ITSELF. This song had me waiting for the HE THINK HE RAW album, as well as the hilarious cover (picture Cas, being the oldest guy in the room, fronting in front of a bunch of kids in school!) Al provides some shit for Casual to do his patented Hiero-brand lyrical gymnastics over. It sucks that he didn't do the whole album, since this song was the only good thing in it.
"The situation came about when Ras allegedly bought a beat before Alchemist re-sold it to Jadakiss without notifying Ras or returning his money. The beat eventually became Jada's "We Gon' Make It" from his first album. The Alchemist blamed Priority Records, stating that he had had no communication with the label for months before he sold the track to Jadakiss and thus assumed that Ras Kass had declined to use it." (straight from the Wiki)
Oh, yes…the Kass/Kiss Controversy. After that foolishness, Kass made a diss record aimed at both Al and Jada, but it's all love now (Al did a few joints for Ras' EAT OR DIE, and Kass showed up in Al's NO DAYS OFF). This is definitely not a bad track to fight over.
ALC, 40 Glocc, & Ras Kass, "Flashlight"
A P-Funk sample? And it's not the early-mid 90's?! That's right. Al mashes it up into a slow, bouncy track that's still every bit as funky. It's good to hear Rassy lighten up a bit, although it would've been much better if 40 Glocc wasn't in it (If you're in the same song as ALC and ALC outshines you on the mic, then let's face it--YOU SUCK!)
Royce Da 5‘9", "Malcolm X"
This synthed-out track was originally CNN and Inga Merchand "Bang Bang" (you know, where Nore talks about fuckin' Pam Anderson , and Inga makes some weak attempts at dissing Lil' Kim). However, Royce took this shit and OWNED it, by using it to put D12 in their place one of the most hilarious diss records ever made ("I'll be on your porch with a cheeseburger tryin to lure you outside!")
Ghost, "The Forest"
BAGPIPES. How many dope Hip-Hop joint can you name that involve BAGPIPES?! "WHU GREAT BIG TEEF U HAVE!!" I don't even have to say no more…
Devin The Dude, "Where Can We Go?"
Al digs up some late 70's Champaign soul for Devin's funny story about trying to creep with some chick without any of his nosey-ass neighbors snitching on him.
Diamond D, "Y'all Niggaz Ned To Know" w/ ALC
"You wanna talk business? Good--YOU'RE BUYING!" Diamond D put out a mixtape/unofficial album deal called DIAMOND MINE, which had some good moments and some embarrassments (he's had just as much bad luck with chorus chicks as Wu Tang does). In it, he has a little colab with ALC, in which Al not only traded rhymes with D and tries his hand at making a beat that sounds similar to what Diamond has been making these past 10 years. Yeah, Al gets outshined on the mic, but since he's working with one of his idols, I don't think he even cared.
EVEN ALI GOT HIS ASS BEAT ONCE IN A WHILE…
After spending the vast majority of the time saying nice things and singing praises, this is the section where I single out at least one blemish in their catalogue.
Prodigy, HNIC Part 2
With all the mixtape material and with albums like RETURN OF THE MAC, I was really expecting HNIC2 to be just as good if not better. Sadly, this album greatly disappointed me. This was a straight-up half-assed effort from EVERYONE involved, from Sid Roames, to Havoc, and even ALC. The production just wasn't up to par this time around. It didn't help that P was at his lyrical WORST, with some of the most remedial, elementary school shit he ever spit in his career (both figuratively AND literally: "A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-P-P-P!!")
WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE HIM DO…
SOUNDTRACKS! ALC's sound is tailor made for soundtracks and it would be neat to see him attempt to do one. I could see him doing something for a random Quentin Tarantino flick. In fact, if I had the power, I'd sign him up to do the soundtrack for SIN CITY 2 (and get Frank Miller to draw the cover!)
I'd also like for him to explore R&B more, but not the standard droll shit. He's made a few attempts at it with Chinky and Nina Sky, but I would like to see him do a full fledged R&B record in the spirit of Johnny Taylor and Tyrone Davis‘ late 70‘s shit. R&B music needs that sound back.
I would also like to see him do whole albums with Ras Kass, the Golden State Warriors (Ras, Xzibit, & Saafir), Big Daddy Kane (remember "The Man, The Icon"?), and with Ice T's name back in the spotlight (thanks to him voicing his discontent with a certain ringtone rapper), an Ice T/ALC colab would be interesting.)
In the meantime, snatch up THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR part 2 (it's a little on the choppy side, but still some interesting stuff in there) and be on the lookout for CHEMICAL WARFARE!!!
By the way, if there are any ALC tracks that I missed that deserve mention, take advantage of the COMMENTS section!
MUSICAL OUTRO
Barry White & the Love Unlimited Orchestra, "Baby Blues"
Apart from being the foundation for ALC's new single, "Key To The City", it's always good to remind people of the greatness that is the Late Great Barry White. Who'da thought that a former participant of the late 60's Watts Riots would develop into such an incredible musician? They don't build them like this no more. In here, he demonstrates the long lost art of the monologue…in this case, a monologue about a girl in a pair of blue panties (can you say, ‘subtlety'?) and the instrumental…it's quintessential Barry White. What else would you expect? Everyone always pays attention to his hits, but really, you have to cop his albums to really appreciate his work.
