The Alchemist

Ignoring the coastal feuds that dominated hip-hop for most of the '90s, The Alchemist (born Alan Maman) began his career in L.A. (he grew up in affluent Beverly Hills) and ended up in New York City. As a teenager, as part of the duo The Whooliganz (with Scott Caan, son of James) and the greater rap collective The Soul Assassins (with Cypress Hill, House Of Pain, etc.), he released the single Put Your Handz Up on Tommy Boy in 1993, though The Whooliganz's debut full-length, Make Way for the W, was eventually shelved. The Alchemist continued making beats, however, working with and learning from Dj Muggs on 1995's Cypress Hill Iii: Temples Of Boom as well as with childhood friend Evidence of Dilated Peoples.