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.
Ocean Prime
The Alchemist Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We tuna melt all of the smelts and fillet the salmons (what else?)
Ocean prime with the Caesar salad but the dressin' Italian
Had to break out the real scales, took a day to count it (uh-huh)
Plug out in St. Thomas, from the Virgin to the Cayman Islands
This yacht life is a blessin', flip-flops and my Nautica sweats
Got your bitch on her knees swabbin' the deck
Submariner, what a sea-dweller, this is not a Patek
Pack got sent from overseas with a postcard
Drownin' in sin, life's a beach, need a coast guard
Great Lakes to the coast, activate the alarm
Now we dockin' the boat, big rope with the anchor charms
Simply straight return, three-thousand miles away from home
Middle of the ocean, had to cut the navigation on
Nautica Competition accomplished on my windbreakers
Settin' sail, takin' Dramamine, I get seasick
Papa was a ladies' man, Popeye was a sailor man
Jewelry clearly Canadian, diamonds water, aquarium
Fish scale professional, we got that oil sheen, yeah
On the river tryna water wing me up a stingray
We got the same guns the Navy got, why panic?
Why these loose lips sinkin' ships like the Titanic?
On a deserted island, plug tried to leave me stranded
I can't understand his Inglés, he can't understand my Spanish
Big fish in a small pond full of guppies
Like The Bermuda Triangle I can make you vanish
Burnin' exotic coral reefer with all my blooders
The chain a treasure chest, but my piece hit like watercolors
They don't wanna see you die
"Ocean Prime" by The Alchemist (feat. Boldy James) is an ode to their luxury lifestyle and the power that comes with being able to live that lifestyle. The opening line "Where we at with it?" sets the tone for the rest of the song, as they proceed to boast about their level of excess and opulence. The lyrics describe them as being able to consume any type of sea creature, from tuna and salmon to smelts, and living a life of lavish excess, with Caesar salads and the finest diamonds. They talk about the blessings of yacht life and being able to make others kneel before them. They also describe the challenges that come with such a life, such as being stranded on a deserted island or the danger of people trying to steal from them.
Overall, "Ocean Prime" reflects the experience of those who have achieved extreme levels of wealth and success, and the power dynamics that come with it. Through this song, The Alchemist and Boldy James present themselves as being at the top of their game, with access to everything they could ever want, but also aware that they are envied and targeted by those who do not have what they do.
Line by Line Meaning
Where we at with it?
What's the current situation?
We tuna melt all of the smelts and fillet the salmons (what else?)
We prepare and cook various fish dishes with skill and expertise.
Ocean prime with the Caesar salad but the dressin' Italian
We are dining on excellent seafood with an Italian dressing Caesar salad.
Had to break out the real scales, took a day to count it (uh-huh)
We had to use precise weighing scales to count the amount of seafood and it took a long time.
Plug out in St. Thomas, from the Virgin to the Cayman Islands
We have a reliable connection for drug supplies, from one island to another.
This yacht life is a blessin', flip-flops and my Nautica sweats
We feel fortunate to live a life of luxury on this yacht, dressed casually in branded clothing.
Got your bitch on her knees swabbin' the deck
Our female companion is cleaning the deck on her knees, in a subservient position.
Oyster Perpets, flood the yacht with baguettes
We are extravagantly spreading oyster delicacies and diamonds all over the yacht.
Submariner, what a sea-dweller, this is not a Patek
One of us is wearing a Rolex Submariner watch, which is durable and water-resistant, but not as expensive as a Patek Philippe.
Pack got sent from overseas with a postcard
We received a package from a foreign country accompanied by a postcard.
Drownin' in sin, life's a beach, need a coast guard
We are in trouble with our sinful lifestyle and need help from someone reliable.
Great Lakes to the coast, activate the alarm
We are traveling from the Great Lakes to the coast and need to activate the alarm system.
Now we dockin' the boat, big rope with the anchor charms
We are now docking the boat and using a large rope and anchor charms to secure it.
Simply straight return, three-thousand miles away from home
We are on a straight return journey that is very far from home, covering a distance of 3,000 miles.
Middle of the ocean, had to cut the navigation on
We are in the middle of the ocean and had to turn off the navigation system.
Nautica Competition accomplished on my windbreakers
We have successfully completed a competition while wearing our Nautica windbreakers.
Settin' sail, takin' Dramamine, I get seasick
We are setting sail and taking medication for motion sickness.
Papa was a ladies' man, Popeye was a sailor man
My father was charismatic with women, while Popeye had a career as a sailor.
Jewelry clearly Canadian, diamonds water, aquarium
Our jewelry is of Canadian origin and the diamonds shine like water in an aquarium.
Fish scale professional, we got that oil sheen, yeah
We are experts at judging the quality of drugs based on their appearance and we have drugs with an oily shine.
On the river tryna water wing me up a stingray
We are trying to catch a stingray using a water wing on the river.
We got the same guns the Navy got, why panic?
We have powerful weapons that are equivalent to those used by the Navy, so there's no need to panic.
Why these loose lips sinkin' ships like the Titanic?
Why are people who talk too much causing problems like the sinking of the Titanic?
On a deserted island, plug tried to leave me stranded
We were left stranded on a deserted island by our drug supplier who had intended to leave us there.
I can't understand his Inglés, he can't understand my Spanish
I don't understand his English and he doesn't understand my Spanish.
Big fish in a small pond full of guppies
We are important people in a small community of insignificant individuals.
Like The Bermuda Triangle I can make you vanish
Like the Bermuda Triangle, I have the power to make people disappear.
Burnin' exotic coral reefer with all my blooders
We are smoking rare and expensive marijuana with our friends.
The chain a treasure chest, but my piece hit like watercolors
My chain looks like a treasure chest, but my jewelry piece is as delicate as watercolor painting.
They don't wanna see you die
People don't want to see you fail or get hurt.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: Alan Daniel Maman, James Clay Jones, ALAN MAMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind