Underground staple and G-Unit collaborator, Jake One, recently revealed to HipHopDX a number of projects that he is currently working on, discusses producing for underground and mainstream artists and more.
For those curious if Jake will continue to produce songs for the likes of De La Soul, Boom Bap Project, El da Sensei and others while being a important component of the G-Unit production team, the Seattle producer has all the answers.
“I still do a lot of underground records,” Jake reaffirmed to HipHopDX. “But people don’t seem to pay attention to a lot of these things like they would a 50 or G-Unit record.”
Jake continued to explain the gap between underground and mainstream.
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“What’s kind of weird about it is that 50 can do it and people will fuck with it but for some reason people only fuck with his version of it,”Jake says. “Like the song “All Of Me” with Mary J Blige on 50’s album, a couple of other people like Brother Ali had a song to that but he decided not to use it. It probably could have hit a totally different way. But in the same vein, underground fans probably wouldn’t fuck with 50’s version because they hate the person on it that’s rapping. They get so mad with that shit like that was supposed to be for them.”
Jake then shifts his views to how some underground fans are unfair to their mainstream counterparts.
“Underground fans sometimes like or dislike shit for the wrong reasons. Don’t like something just because its not popular,” He explains. “I like something because it sounds good to me. Kanye got a dope album and it sold like a motherfucker. To just be mad at him because he’s successful is stupid. And just to champion something because you think you’re the only one that’s on it is stupid too. I don’t even worry about that shit. I just do what I feel.”
He also revealed to DX that he recently produced a song on the upcoming Nas album, although he’s not sure if it’s going to make the final cut.
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“It was for his album,”Jake says in regards to the song he did for Nigger. “But at this point I don’t know, he might have gotten back in with Chris Webber. I know a lot of people have been doing things for this album so I don’t know.”
“It’ll probably be on The Lost Tapes Pt 2…I don’t know,”Jake jokes. “Some guys just have a different ear for what they think is dope. At times it can be frustrating but that’s what he does.”
But the crown jewel of all things is Jake One’s upcoming project that will feature a who’s who in Hip Hop – both underground and mainstream.
The as-yet-titled album will be released on Rhymesayers and features the likes of Elzhi, Royce, MOP, Freeway, Young Buck, Black Milk, Nottz, MF Doom, De La Soul, Little Brother, Kardinal Offishall, Pharoahe Monch, Ish from Digable Planets, Brother Ali, Spaceman, J Pender, Alchemist, Prodigy and Evidence.
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Jake beams after giving an exclusive rundown of the talent on his album.
“That’s what this record is about. Me doing what I want to do and calling the shots for better or for worse,” he says. “I’m like two songs away from having this done. I’m waiting for De La to send me the second half of this song and got some mixing but that’s it.”
There is no release date as of yet but expect it to be hit shelves this year.
