The renowned producer The Alchemist has gone on record about his position concerning the raging conflict between Israel and Palestine. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone discussing his recent Alfredo 2 album with Freddie Gibbs, he was asked about where he stands, given the increase in fighting, which has resulted in the loss of thousands of Palestinian lives.
“Never really was that type of artist,” The Alchemist replied. “That was never part of my thing. I think everybody who’s suffering injustice should be free across the entire planet. Free Palestine, Free Congo. There’s so many that we could list. Any place where there’s injustice. [There’s] a lot of f*cked up sh*t across the world. And I don’t stand for none of that.”
He added, “There’s a lot of confusion about that topic. And people always try to get into it. There’s a lot of misinformation. That’s why I stay away from it. That sh*t was in a documentary,” he said, referring to a documentary of his featuring “Free Palestine. F*ck The Police” graffiti. “I saw fans saying that, but it’s like people forcing you to be a part of an agenda one way or another, I’m not really into. Of course, any injustices…”
The Alchemist also touched on being from a Jewish family (his first instrumental studio album, Israeli Salad, was a concept album based predominately on samples from Israeli music) but made it clear he’s for peace. “I don’t stand for no foul sh*t on Earth,” he continued. “I’m not even into religion in general. I was born Jewish, my family, everybody knows my history, but I’m about love, peace, my family, music, creativity, art, pretty much what I’ve always stood for my whole life. And I try to put something good out there.”
As a producer, The Alchemist has been on a tear within the last few years. Alfredo 2 was released in July to positive reviews, landing at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. The two have already begun working on a third follow-up album, which they confirmed to Complex. “It’s a franchise now, so I’d be lying if I said we weren’t already cooking,” he confirmed with Gibbs adding, “Oh, we gon’ come with some sh*t, you gon’ see.” The Alchemist is also set to release his joint album Abi & Alan with Grammy Award-winning singer Erykah Badu.
