As a teen, Al began to identify strongly with the rebellious lyrics and urban sounds of hip-hop, and he began writing his own lyrics as a creative outlet. He joined up with other like-minded artists who wrote lyrics and rebelled strongly against their "uptight" suburban surroundings, among whom were Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town, Evidence of Dilated Peoples and Scott Caan, son of James Caan. They would often hang out in urban areas of Los Angeles and participated in typical teenage rebellious activities like partying, smoking marijuana, and general mischief.
Al and Scott decided to become a duo named The Whooliganz. While rhyming at a party in L.A., they attracted the attention of B-Real of Cypress Hill. He invited the teens to join his crew, The Soul Assassins, which also included the groups House of Pain and Funkdoobiest. In 1993, the Whooliganz released their first single, "Put Your Handz Up." The song received little radio airplay and their record label, Tommy Boy Records, decided to shelve their album. Rejected, Scott focused his creative energy on acting while Al became interested in process of making hip-hop beats.
DJ Muggs took Al under his wing and taught him how to use a sampler and mixing board. After helping to produce a few tracks for Cypress Hill, Al became the main producer for his childhood friend, Evidence and his group Dilated Peoples. When Dilated debuted in 1998, they were an underground sensation creating a huge buzz about the man behind those incredible beats.
In 1999, Muggs introduced Al to his good friends, the popular hip-hop group Mobb Deep. Al produced two songs for their Murda Muzik album. Impressed by his production skills and street smarts, Mobb Deep took him under their wing, using his beats on all their subsequent albums. As Alchemist's profile increased, he went on to produce for many of hip hop's most successful and prominent artists, such as Nas, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Ghostface Killah and Snoop Dogg. He has also remixed songs for bands and artists in other genres such as Linkin Park and Morcheeba. Al stayed loyal to his old friends, continuing to produce for Dilated, Cypress Hill, Everlast (formerly of House of Pain) and Crazy Town. He also enjoys producing for lesser-known underground rappers, often giving them some of his best beats. In 2004, 11 years after his rapping career folded, The Alchemist returned with his long-awaited debut album, "1st Infantry." The album yielded the hit single "Hold You Down" (featuring Prodigy, Illa Ghee, and Nina Sky), which hit number ninety-five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005.
Alchemist was the official tour DJ for Eminem on his 2005 Anger Management 3 Tour, replacing the recently-ousted DJ Green Lantern. However on July 13, 2005, the tour bus carrying Eminem's entourage (including rapper Stat Quo as well as Alchemist) swerved off the road and turned over. Alchemist was treated for broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
The Alchemist is one of the music producers behind the video game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars released by Rockstar Games. He was also on Tim Westwood TV, when Eminem, Royce Da 5'9" and Mr. Porter freestyled. During an interview with Worldwide Conspiracy Radio, The Alchemist revealed he would be dropping a 2-part project with fellow West Coast producer Oh No entitled Gangrene, the first to be released in July, the second in November, both on Decon. Alchemist was also the DJ for the Eminem set on the BBC1 chat-show Jonathan Ross on June 4, 2010.
Alchemist is Eminem's official DJ, since DJ Green Lantern departed from Shady Records in 2005 because of a dispute related to the feud of 50 Cent and Jadakiss. In 2006, Eminem released a collaboration album with Shady Records called Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. Since the Alchemist is his official DJ, he produced some of the tracks on the mixtape, as well as compiling the album in a mixtape fashion. On December 18, 2013, he was named the runner-up for Producer of the Year by HipHopDX.
Chinese Whispers
The Alchemist Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Single trail of thought
Difference in the way we perceive
Your ability to receive
I know you listen, faults lie between us.
You hear my speaking, something changes my words.
Hordes of inconsistencies and fiction swarm the paths of your thoughts.
I'll say again another way.
Splintered slithers of truth, rumored tales, my proof.
Tolerance prevents and outcome.
Hordes of inconsistencies and fiction swarm the paths of your thoughts.
Your interpretation of my actions, convenient to your cause.
I'll say again another way.
Words a mouldable form of matter,
Interpretation, your point is shattered,
Lies a manifestation of truth
Changes arise because of a difference,
Words a mouldable form of matter,
Interpretation, your point is shattered,
Lies a manifestation of truth
Don't accuse me because of a difference
I know you hear my words,
But somehow there's faults that lie between us.
Speaking my mind
Single trail of thought
I know you're listening
But some faults lie between us,
I know you hear my words.
Hordes of inconsistencies and fiction swarm the paths of your thoughts.
Your interpretation of my actions, convenient to your cause.
I'll say again another way.
The lyrics of The Alchemist's song "Chinese Whispers" explore the theme of miscommunication and the different ways in which individuals interpret information. The lines "Speaking my mind, Single trail of thought" indicate the singer's honest expression and clear intention, while emphasizing a certain cohesion in their own thinking. However, they also acknowledge that there is a difference in the way people perceive things and their ability to receive the message being conveyed. This difference in perception leads to misunderstandings and "hordes of inconsistencies and fiction" that swarm the paths of one's thoughts.
The lyrics suggest that the listener's interpretation of the singer's actions is convenient to their own cause or agenda. There is a sense that the listener distorts or selectively understands the singer's words, changing their meaning or twisting them to suit their own narrative. The line "Your interpretation of my actions, convenient to your cause" highlights this aspect of manipulation or bias in communication.
Despite these challenges, the singer remains persistent in their attempts to communicate effectively. The repeated refrain of "I'll say again another way" emphasizes their determination to find alternative methods or explanations to convey their message. The repetition of "Words a mouldable form of matter" reflects the belief that words can easily be shaped or manipulated to create different interpretations, and that lies can sometimes mask the truth.
Overall, "Chinese Whispers" raises awareness of the difficulties and complexities of communication, where misunderstandings and misinterpretations can occur due to subjective biases and misaligned perspectives.
Line by Line Meaning
Speaking my mind
Expressing my thoughts and opinions
Single trail of thought
Having a clear and focused thinking process
Difference in the way we perceive
Varied perspectives and viewpoints
Your ability to receive
Your capacity to understand and accept
I know you listen, faults lie between us.
I am aware that you are listening, but there are misunderstandings between us.
You hear my speaking, something changes my words.
When you hear me, something alters the meaning of my words.
Hordes of inconsistencies and fiction swarm the paths of your thoughts.
A multitude of contradictions and falsehoods dominate your thinking.
Your interpretation of my actions, convenient to your cause.
The way you perceive my actions conveniently supports your own agenda.
I'll say again another way.
I will try to express myself differently.
Splintered slithers of truth, rumored tales, my proof.
Fragmented traces of truth, gossip as evidence from my perspective.
Tolerance prevents and outcome.
The willingness to accept differences prevents a resolution.
Words a mouldable form of matter,
Words can be shaped and molded like physical substances.
Interpretation, your point is shattered,
The way you interpret things, your argument becomes invalid.
Lies a manifestation of truth
Lies can sometimes reveal underlying truths.
Changes arise because of a difference,
Disagreements lead to changes and adjustments.
Don't accuse me because of a difference
Do not blame me solely based on our differences.
I know you hear my words,
I am aware that you hear what I say.
But somehow there's faults that lie between us.
However, there are misunderstandings that create issues between us.
Speaking my mind
Expressing my thoughts and opinions
Single trail of thought
Having a clear and focused thinking process
I know you're listening
I am aware that you are paying attention
But some faults lie between us,
However, there are misunderstandings that cause problems between us.
I know you hear my words.
I am aware that you hear what I say.
Hordes of inconsistencies and fiction swarm the paths of your thoughts.
A multitude of contradictions and falsehoods dominate your thinking.
Your interpretation of my actions, convenient to your cause.
The way you perceive my actions conveniently supports your own agenda.
I'll say again another way.
I will try to express myself differently.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADAM AGIUS, JOHN BRAY, RODNEY HOLDER, ROY TORKINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
АG GA
Отличный альбом!!!
LukeSkywalkerInMe
Absolutely brilliant! Alchemist has invented a whole new kind of Metal. No one can match their complexity and richness!
boofaloo aloo
definitely one of australias most under rated metal bands ... live shows were wiked ..
Scott Martin
Probably the top two live bands I've ever seen and I've seen tool, meshuggah, pantera, fear factory, biohazard, napalm, pearl jam, sound garden, machine head, deftones, slip knot etc and only one of these bands were better live
Yi Sun Shin
these guys are so underrated i love their lyrics and the scales they use
Xtian Noregisteredsurname
Got to see this live - etched into my brain forever. Them screams gave me goosebumps.
Scott Martin
Xtian Noregisteredsurname they are probably the best live band I have ever seen and I’ve seen tool live;) saw them about 6 times I think over the years
nostavar
Has to be one of the coolest songs they've written. It was even more awesome live. :)
Maria Margiannis
Love this song to death .....
swamp donkey
On this his vocals were amazing it must have been difficult I know ages voice was tested many times he was always a great performer. His voice his body he always pushed it for the fans and the other lads well 😳🤘💀❤️