The Alchemist talks about working with Eminem on “Stepdad”.
Conway The Machine and The Alchemist recently sat down for Genius’ ‘For The Record‘ series from their homes to talk about their joint ‘LULU‘ project and much more. The Alchemist, a well-known and innovative hip-hop producer who, despite years of collaboration with Eminem, has just lately landed a track on Marshall’s album. The Alchemist serves as both a writer and a producer on “Stepdad“, from the latest Eminem album, “Music To Be Murdered By.” It also mentions Luis Alberto Spinetta, an Argentinian musician whose classic vinyl Al purchased in a Buenos Aires record store.
At around 30:00, The Alchemist talks about how the track “Stepdad” from Eminem’s “Music To Be Murdered By” comes together. “I DJ’ed for him, that’s my brother,” said Alchemist at 30:00. “so I get to spend time when we’re on the road a lot. We went to Argentina on tour and I found that every time I go on tour, I go looking for records, so I went and found that record, and I think when we got back I sent him a joint. Because I do send him beats a lot. I send him stuff a lot, but he has a very particular taste, this is Eminem, you know what I’m saying? Finally, we found something he was into, and it took a little time until we ended up making the record, and it was just great for me because it’s something I always wanted to do. I tour with him, I travel with him, so I guess people always wonder why we’re not cooking, but I think he’s always listening, he’s always like, “Yo, send me some sh*t”. Hopefully, it will lead to more work, and I was just excited to be on that project and be a part of some big history with the big homie.”
Catarina Spinetta’s family was approached by Eminem’s label, Shady Records, in September 2019. The label had asked permission to utilise “mame Peterib,” a song written by Luis Alberto Spinetta, Carlos Cutaia, and Black Amaya and included on Pescado Rabioso’s Pescado II album from 1973. “mame Peterib” would finally appear on Eminem’s latest album, Music To Be Murdered By, on the tune “Stepdad,” which was released last Friday.
Catarina Spinetta says: “Eminem wants to sample our dad. I told my siblings… We didn’t know the name of the song or when it was going to come out. I asked them to send me the track before I gave the final approval, but they told me that it couldn’t be done, that the only way was to call me and let me listen over the phone.”
Alchemist also reflected on the early days of his career, when he produced the beat for Jadakiss’ “We Gonna Make It.” According to Alchemist, Jay-Z heard the beat but decided not to use it. “I think he might have passed on that one, man, but I think he did hear it and said he liked it,” says The Alchemist.
On this track, his stepfather is the target of his wrath. Em describes domestic violence towards both himself and his mother in the song. Em previously accused his stepfather of s*xually assaulting him as a youngster on the song “Insane” off of Relapse; however, he later clarified that the majority of the song is fantasy.
Why the MC chose to sample an old Argentine rock song is still a mystery “There are a lot of questions that we also have,” Dante muses. “We don’t know how much he knows about Spinetta, but they asked for information about who he was. Over there they must have found something that caught their attention and decided to use it.”
Watch the full interview below and skip to 30:00 for Eminem’s part.
