Jake One

One of the few who has worked with both superstar 50 Cent and underground hero MF Doom, Seattle-based producer Jake One spans the hip-hop spectrum. Born Jacob Dutton, he got his break while attending the University of Washington. After dropping off a tape of beats to his favorite record store, his productions landed in the hands of fellow producer Mr. Supreme. When Supreme began his Conception label, Jake was hired to produce Eclipse's "World Premier," a Pete Rock influenced cut that would land on J-Rocc's 1998 mix Walkman Rotation. A steady stream of work followed with 2003 being a monumental year with a track on DJ Babu's Duck Season, Vol. 2 and another on Beg for Mercy, the debut album from 50 Cent's G-Unit crew. His relationship with MF Doom would begin a year later via De La Soul and their track "Rock Co. Kane Flow." Work for everyone from Planet Asia to Lil Scrappy would follow, and then in 2007 he produced the high-profile track "All of Me" for 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige. In 2008 he helmed his own debut album, White Van Music, released by the Rhymesayers label. Alchemist, Busta Rhymes, Slug, and Young Buck were just some of the guest artists appearing on this diverse full-length.