Alchemist has always been one of my favourite producers ever, blessing us with classic beats such as Mobb Deep's "Win or Lose", "Hold You Down" and the late Prodigy's "Keep It Thoro". He still has hardly missed a beat in his production discography, delivering with recent moments including ScHoolboy Q's "Break tHe Bank", the late Mac Miller's "Red Dot Music" and Havoc's "Maintain (F*** How You Feel)". Just like his name suggests, Alchemist can damn sure turn a lot of the samples used into gold.
But 2018 has been one of his real productive years for the Beverly Hills producer/rapper, the last one being 2016 when he started the Craft Singles vinyl series and contributed production for many albums and loose tracks; even entirely producing projects for Havoc and Curren$y. This year is a bit of the same. Throughout the year, Uncle Al has contributed production towards a great range of albums and mixtapes from Evidence, Roc Marciano, Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher. Along with that, he released a number of projects (Lunch Meat and Bread) and loose singles of his own, and even entirely produced a joint album for Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs.
Because of this, I have Alchemist as my producer of the year, his consistency with the singles, EPs and production on other rappers' albums has been so great to see, and there's straight up not a single bad beat in his book this year. Even the weakest beat he's probably put out this year is still fire, that says a lot! Ok.... maybe I'm exaggerating a bit with that last sentence, but he's put out a lot of fire this year, and he hasn't come off my radar because of this. Which is why for my first Christmas special post, I'm going through some of my favourite Alchemist-produced songs of the year. I've changed around my top 5 list a number of times when it came to this, hell, even right now as I write this, I'm struggling to get my list together. You choose 5 songs and then all of a sudden, you get mad you missed one that you really loved. Yes, that's how good a lot of these songs were to me.
So yeah, let's get it on...
5. Evidence, The Alchemist & Mach-Hommy - Sell Me This Pen
Album: Weather or Not
Release date: January 26, 2018
Dilated Peoples member Evidence started the year off by releasing his long-awaited third album Weather or Not, his first project in 7 years and the final installment in the Weatherman trilogy. There were a lot of highlights on this album that I really enjoyed, including songs like "Throw It All Away", "Jim Dean" and "Runners". But there was one song that really stuck with me, and that was "Sell Me This Pen"
If "Throw It All Away" wasn't a single at the start of 2017, it would've easily been on this list for one of my favourite Alchemist-produced songs from this year. But nonetheless, "Sell Me This Pen" features a rapping appearance from The Alchemist himself and Mach-Hommy, and the two of them, along with Evidence, all deliver a dope verse each. The beat provided by Al is something that sounds slightly sinister and menacing, and all three of them sound real comfortable over Al's backdrop.
Our album host Evidence does his thing with his verse, but the stars of the show are Alchemist and Mach-Hommy. Their verses really hit me a lot, that I still can't decide on who did better between Al and Mach. There's something about Alchemist's aggressive rapping voice that makes a lot of his verses really sound so damn good; and he was flowing pretty well throughout the verse. Mach, on the other hand, really came through hard on this song; and the way he approached it, opening with "Make sure the shit is for real/The woodgrain is Stradivari, finish chenille/We'll push caine to cash and carry, niggas was ill" had me pulling the squint face the way he was flowing.
Overall, "Sell Me This Pen" remains such a highlight on the Weather or Not album, it's definitely one of the songs I've had on repeat a lot throughout the year, being on my workout playlists and all that; and both production and lyrical wise, Alchemist really shined out on this song, along with Mach-Hommy's verse.
4. Benny the Butcher - Broken Bottles
Album: Tana Talk 3
Release date: November 23, 2018
Buffalo, New York-based label Griselda Records had a pretty good 2018. Westside Gunn & Conway managed to be a bit consistent with the heat, appearing on both Alchemist EPs Lunch Meat and Bread with the standouts "Judas" and "Ray Mysterio". They also dropped some great projects of their own: WSG with Supreme Blientele and Hitler Wears Hermes VI, and Conway with Everybody is F.O.O.D and the second instalment Eat What You Kill yet, which actually dropped just two weeks ago. Benny the Butcher was doing great too, putting out the A Friend of Ours mixtape as a way to prepare us for his long-awaited debut album later in the year.
Benny's debut album Tana Talk 3 was finally released in November, after a number of mixtapes throughout the years. The album serves as a sequel to one of his earliest mixtapes back in 2005, Tana Talk 2. According to Benny himself, that mixtape garnered a lot of buzz for him in the streets, and he & Westside Gunn felt to recreate that same energy with his debut. Only two producers handle the production on Tana Talk 3: Daringer & The Alchemist. And they absolutely bodied the production throughout the album. One of the main highlights on Tana Talk 3 for me is "Broken Bottles" and being one of four Alchemist productions on the album (Daringer, on the other hand, has around 10 beats on the album), it's probably the hardest song AND beat on the album to me.
My first reaction to "Broken Bottles" actually hit me pretty hard when going through the album. The beat kicked in so unexpectedly to me and it almost felt like I was pulling the hardest squint face in history. And Benny's verses delivered as usual, they're not the most lyrical but the way he flowed throughout the song really kinda impressed me, coming with lines like "I wrote get rich manuals where I provide the blueprint/ And with pride, I preach this new shit, just like I’m inside a pulpit" and "The Butcher coming, y’all know the motto/Those Sopranos had fiends smoking white out Sprite soda bottles/Mob boss like I’m Joe Todaro/My dollars long and my plug got a farm like he Old MacDonald".
Uncle Al's instrumental complements Benny's content very well, along with the video. The drums on the song hit so hard, the sample, along with the drums, makes for an ominous, gritty and menacing vibe. I mean... even the music video sticks to the dark and aggressive vibe the song and beat has, with Benny wearing a Chanel ski mask and mobbing around with his crew in a garage and also some other rooms.
Overall, Benny goes in throughout the whole Tana Talk 3 album, but "Broken Bottles" is one of the songs from the album that I'm definitely gonna have on repeat for a long time. In fact, it's one of Alchemist's finest moments, beat wise, this year.
3. The Alchemist, Westside Gunn & Conway - Ray Mysterio
EP: Bread
Release date: November 30, 2018
Out of all four songs on The Alchemist's Lunch Meat EP earlier in April, "Judas" was really the one that stuck with me the most. Production wise, I'd go with "The Hopeless Romantic" cos of the smooth luxurious production Al provided for Action Bronson, but "Judas" is definitely a standout because of the A1 chemistry between the Buffalo brothers Westside Gunn & Conway (aka Hall n' Nash). The two of them both deliver some solid rapping performances, specifically Conway. Westside did alright, sounding real comfortable over the beat, but Conway was sounding real hungry and confident, in comparison to WSG. As for Alchemist's beat, he flipped that sample so well, and it complements the two rappers' performances so well.
However, if it wasn't for the release of Alchemist's Bread EP just last month, "Judas" would've actually been on the list like I expected it to. Instead, the Bread EP standout "Ray Mysterio" takes the cake out of the two Westside Gunn & Conway tracks I've enjoyed from Uncle Al. After giving it a few more listens, I happen to enjoy it way more than I thought I would, and it's definitely way more superior than "Judas", both lyrically and production wise. Westside Gunn delivered a better performance, but again, just like the former, Conway steals the show, but in an even hungrier way. The way he was flowing... oooh, he was going OFF! Plus, Al's beat was absolute heat, such a slow beat but remains smooth as hell and keeps my head nodding.
Both "Judas" and "Ray Mysterio" are dope songs that will continue to be on repeat for a while. The chemistry between the Buffalo brothers is on point as usual, and both beats from Uncle Al are fire. Westside Gunn & Conway have both had a pretty solid year, and these were great moments from the two.
2. Freddie Gibbs, Curren$y & The Alchemist - Saturday Night Special
Album: Fetti
Release date: October 31, 2018
Halloween 2018 saw the release of Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs' joint album Fetti. Entirely produced by The Alchemist, this was a project that many fans have been anticipating, even before it was first announced back in early 2017. The New Orleans veteran and the Gary rapper have both shown the great chemistry they have between each other, first dating back to the standout "Scottie Pippens" on Spitta's Covert Coup (another album entirely produced by Uncle Al), where Gibbs just straight up bodied that song and spun the hell outta Spitta. Other incredible songs from the two included "Grew Up in This" also featuring Young Roddy, and the song that inspired their album title "Fetti". It took a while for Gibbs & Curren$y to actually get in the booth and actually start working on the album as it never came to proper fruition after they announced the album back in 2017 (it wasn't until the two saw each other and Gibbs reminded Spitta of the album during this Summer at a festival). But the album finally arrived on Halloween, and exceeded all my expectations. I'll speak more about how good Fetti is later in my year-end list, but one of my favourite songs from the album was "Saturday Night Special".
The fourth track on the joint effort, "Saturday Night Special" is one of the main moments that shows how great Spitta & Gibbs' chemistry is everytime they get together, as they both deliver some braggadocios verses on luxury, their statuses within Hip-Hop and cultural impact. Spitta's verse on this song was nice, floating all over the nighttime atmospheric backdrop from Alchemist very well. But just like most Curren$y/Freddie Gibbs songs, the star of the show was none other than Gangsta Gibbs. He managed to have a pretty superior flow, in comparison to Spitta's more laidback delivery, and the way he stepped in after that talking interlude was something immaculate. And let's give it up for Alchemist's beat, I enjoyed the smooth nighttime atmosphere that the beat gave, and the horns (courtesy of Young Mexico) just makes the whole vibe of the song even better.
I don't have much to say overall, just know Fetti was one of my favourite albums this year, and "Saturday Night Special" was pure FUEGO!
1. Roc Marciano - In Case You Forgot
Series: Craft Singles
Release date: June 29, 2018
Not only has The Alchemist had a pretty consistent year, we gotta give it up for Roc Marciano as well. The Long Island veteran dropped not only one, not two but THREE albums: RR2: The Bitter Dose in February, Behold a Dark Horse in September and KAOS, a joint album with DJ Muggs in October. He even managed to let out a beat tape, Pimpstrumentals, in collaboration with [adult swim], just at the end of last month. The funny thing was... this was the year I actually started listening to him; and the fact he managed to be so consistent with the projects made him one of my top artists on my Spotify Wrapped list.
Adding onto the productivity, Alchemist brought back his Craft Singles series this year to release two new singles. The 7-inch vinyl series originally started back in 2016, as a series where Al will put out loose tracks that he produced for many rappers (some of these tracks were previously released tho, e.g. Curren$y & Lil Wayne's "Fat Albert", which was on Spitta's joint effort with Al, The Carrollton Heist). This series even has a fucking Migos & Mac Miller song produced by Alchemist! Who would've actually thought?! Anyway, one of the two Craft Singles this year Al put out was "In Case You Forgot", a song from Roc Marciano, who, at the time, was just coming off RR2: The Bitter Dose from a few months ago. And you know what... this song might have been Roc Marci at his finest this year.
An joint effort between Alchemist & Roc Marciano has been teased for a while now (ever since 2013), and it's a shame that we still haven't got it, because this is one of the songs that is making me even more excited for that project now. The chemistry between Al & Roc really has delivered majority of the times, with gems such as "Paradise for Pimps", "Pool Hall Hustler" with Action Bronson, and even recently, "Fabio" and "Roman Candles" with Black Thought. The second Roc Marci song in the Craft Singles series, "In Case You Forgot" is elite luxurious rap. I spent a bit of this Summer vibing out to this song, and I just felt like the flyest guy ever!
Everything about "In Case You Forgot" is amazing, the beat, the lyrics, absolutely EVERYTHING. The song starts off with over a minute of instrumental, and it's almost the most beautiful thing ever, with such calming piano keys a great guitar riff sliding through here and there. It sets up the smooth luxurious mood for the song so well, and I feel so relaxed hearing it. As soon as the beat kicks in and Roc Marci comes in, it gets even better. His smooth, indulging flow sounds so amazing over the banging drums and the sampled piano keys. The luxury raps throughout his verse are elite and he comes through with some great references including "Elk head/The Maltese Falcon/Faberge eggs/The butler’s name is Alfred", which references a 1941 noir film called The Maltese Falcon. The overall atmosphere comes across so calming yet hardhitting at the same time.
"In Case You Forgot", to me, was definitely Roc Marciano and The Alchemist both at their finest this year. Out of all the songs I've heard from the two of them individually this year, none of those songs have caught me the same way this year. Roc's fly luxury raps were solid, and hearing Al's production for this song took me to another place. Like, this might actually be the best Craft Single Al has dropped out of all the 11 songs we've gotten over the past two years. Al & Roc make magic almost every time they get together, and this isn't any different.
Honourable Mentions:
The Alchemist, Conway, Westside Gunn & ScHoolboy Q - Fork in the Pot
Westside Gunn - Elizabeth
Curren$y - No Window Tints
Roc Marciano - Fabio
The Alchemist & Action Bronson - The Hopeless Romantic
Aight, that's it. Merry Christmas, y'all!
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