Jake Uno Interview

By David Ma

Kids with “Listen To Dilla” shirts who just got an MPC only dream of the career Jake One’s having. Out of Seattle’s late ‘90s rap scene, he’s worked with all types and degrees of MCs—essentially, most anyone who’s caught wind of his beats. Big names, 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes; to indie cats Casual, Gift of Gab, and Slug; to legends like De La and Dre.

“It’s weird because at a certain point you actually build relationships and become friends with these people,” he says, before adding: “I’ve been making beats for complete superstars and complete non-superstars. I’m across the board as usual. ” He just made tracks for Snoop, which he’s hoping will see the light of day, as is a cut on De La’s upcoming album, and DOOM is currently still sitting on some beats. Same with Bun B, Raekwon, M.O.P., the list is impressive as it is long. Meanwhile, he’s pushing his latest effort, another project on Rhymesayers.

Along with the clever packaging, The Stimulus Package, shows Jake piecing together soulful, versatile joints for another touted MC—Ex-Roc-A-Fella turned Cash Money signee, Freeway. Here, Jake talks about his career’s development, the differences between working with indie artists and big names, and what’s next for someone who’s already worked with his heroes. Jake’s beats continue to attract MCs of all regions, genres and varying rap tangents, and the callbacks haven’t halted. With The Stimulus Package just out, here’s a very general, three-part look at Jake’s career, one that any beatmaker would kill to have right now.

JAKE ONE, DAY ONE…

URB: What was your first piece of equipment?

JAKE ONE: Well, my first sampler was some sort of Rolland. I was 16 working at Taco Time for a couple months and saved up for it. I looked in the ads and bought the only sampler I could afford. I didn’t know how to use it; I just wanted one so bad.

URB: You use quite a bit of soul in your work. What about soul records strike you as good sample sources?

JAKE: I think it’s just being into hip-hop and just being used to those sounds. When I was younger, I actually depended on samples quite a bit because I wasn’t proficient in playing things like synths—so I had to go the sample route. It’s one of these things where you go through phases. When I first started I was sampling jazz almost exclusively and I’ve just transitioned to other things as I’ve aged and learned more.

URB: You still have time to look for records?

JAKE: Not as much as I used to. Recently I’ve been digging a lot because e we’ve been on the road but normally I don’t have as much time as I used to. You also get to a certain point where stuff you really want isn’t physically out there. These days, I’ll grab interesting stuff that I can use or listen to real quick, not necessarily something I’ll put on my wall or file.

URB: What kind of records are you feeling these days?

JAKE: As far as what I’ve been listening to lately, it’s probably just mostly late ‘70s early ‘80s funk and boogie. It’s weird because stuff I sample and stuff I listen to are different.

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