Sample-based producer The Alchemist who has worked with Mobb Deep, Cormega and Dilated Peoples, appeared on the latest episode of In The Studio where he provided a glimpse into his process for sampling and making beats.
"In the early days when I first started I was always doing the sample first," he shared. "I would listen to a record and find the sample, get it looped up and then I would approach it like a drummer. Sometimes I would beatbox to it, but it started getting boring. The end product was good, but as a producer the process was boring. It became predictable."
He then shared that a visit to the legendary DJ Premier played a part in him altering his process. "Premier always has some structure of a drum and a tempo [along with his sample], even if he didn't have a kick drum in it."
He said that he adopted that technique and it made his method less predictable.