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Rb Hip Hop
The Alchemist Unites Hip-Hop Fans with Special Vinyl Pop-Up in Montreal
"It's always love every time we come out here. The [local] scene is strong, especially with the type of rap, the type of music that I do," Alchemist tells Billboard Canada. "The fans always come out and show love. These are the places I like to do it at, where I know the people are gonna appreciate it. I like to meet everybody [and] say what's up, versus when you're on stage and you get one second, to lock eyes. I get just as much out of it as they do."
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The Alchemist hosts a pop-up at 180g in MontrealStefano Rebuli / Billboard Canada
Those who stopped by Alchemist's Montreal pop-up were treated to an assortment of previously sold-out vinyl editions of his albums, including Voir Dire with Earl Sweatshirt and The Price of Tea in China (Deluxe) and Bo Jackson with Boldy James. Many fans brought memorabilia that Alchemist has used to build the world of his album releases and their visual identity over the years, including a trading card collection, action figures from his Freddie Gibbs collab album Alfredo, a comic book from his Food Villain album and more.
Charles-Étienne "Rambo" Brassard, who co-owns 180g with Christophe Bundock De Muri, manned the store during the event. He describes it as the most crowded event the local shop and café has ever seen.
Amidst a large turnout, the people who showed up suggested a waiting list structure, which helped avoid chaos at the store.
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"It's perfect, we weren't expecting this," he explains. "The guys are very chill, the stock is nice. It's very structured."
Fans outside 180g for The Alchemist's Montreal pop-up.Stefano Rebuli / Billboard Canada
The shop frequently champions Montreal hip-hop by carrying vinyl releases by local artists, and Brassard credits hometown hero and rapper Mike Shabb as having helped coordinate the event. Alchemist first came across the store through an Instagram post by the artist, and Shabb eventually connected him for his Montreal pop-up.
"It's crazy stuff just to have the Alchemist in Montreal," Shabb says. "We're very hip-hop oriented to begin with, so to have the god producer of our movement [present] is incredible. People don't usually think of coming to Montreal, but when they get here they realize that there's so much love and it's so lit. Hip-hop is well and alive."
Shabb, who has received multiple shout-outs from The Alchemist over the years, spent the last few days showing him around Montreal. He brought him to the Montreal International Jazz Festival and took him digging for records at Aux 33 Tours, another local record store.
Speaking with Billboard Canada, Alchemist calls Shabb "one of his favourites coming up," and also gives a nod to fellow underground hip-hop producer Nicholas Craven, who he describes as "a powerhouse producer from this city." The trio share frequent, noteworthy collaborators such as Detroit rapper Boldy James and Griselda Records founder Westside Gunn.
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An autographed vinyl at The Alchemist's Montreal pop-up.Stefano Rebuli / Billboard Canada
The Alchemist has cemented himself as a hip-hop veteran with over three decades producing for classic acts like Mobb Deep and Erykah Badu, with whom he has a long-anticipated collaborative album still on the horizon.
More recently, he has produced for mainstream stars and earned Billboard Canadian Hot 100 placements with tracks like Drake's "Wick Man" (2023) at No. 60, and J. Cole's "Bunce Road Blues" (2026) at No. 55. Last year, Alchemist earned his second Billboard Canadian Albums chart placement with Alfredo 2 with Freddie Gibbs, which landed at No. 49. It joins the original Alfredo, which debuted at No. 76 in 2020.
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