Nas - Just A Moment

Hadn't listened to this one for a while. So dope.



PS. The original "Will You Cry" by Chic is worth listening, too.

Jake One Interview

I had the chance to meet Jake One at Red Bull Music Academy 2007 where he was part of the studio crew. After working with everyone from MF Doom to G-Unit, releasing "White Van" album, and finishing the new album with Freeway, he had some time to answer a few questions.


1) You're from Seattle.. How does it make a difference as a producer?

- I think because Seattle hasn't really had a dominant figure in rap, the people here are influenced by a lot of different styles of hip hop. I grew up listening to 415 and Pete Rock which is a weird combo.

    My ear for sampling and drums leans more towards the East Coast style, but I think my ear for basslines comes from listening to West Coast stuff.

2) Is it really true that artists like 50 Cent and Little Brother are picking the same beats? Give us some examples!

- It is true. You never know who is going to gravitate towards a particular beat. The song I did for 50 Cent "All of Me" with Mary J Blige was something that Brother Ali was interested in. 50 also wanted "Rock Co.Kane Flow" which ended up with De La Soul.

    I listen to all types of rap so for me I want to make something that appeals to my ear which is kinda underground with a tint of mainstream.


3) Unforgettable moment in your career?

- Probably meeting all the artists and producers that I grew up listening to and them appreciating my work. Songs come and go, I'm usually more excited about what I'm doing in the moment.

4) Pick of the moment?

Rick Ross - Mafia Music 2 (prod. The Olympicks):




Thanks for the interview Jake! (Photos by May Truong)

Freeway & Jake One CD Package = Customer Experience

The upcoming collaboration album of Freeway & Jake One shows us some creativity how music should be packaged.

I'd consider this as exciting customer experience:

No I.D. - Sky's The Limit (1997)

Did you know No I.D. was an MC, too?

That's the same guy who produced the first three albums by Common (1992-1997), the same guy who is Kanye West's mentor, the same guy who produced singles for Jay-Z in 2009 and so on. Somewhere in the middle he managed to grab the mic as well. What a path!

No I.D. - Sky's The Limit (1997)

Joell Ortiz - 125 Part 4 (Finale)

I've been bumping a couple of Joell Ortiz tracks lately, like this one:

Joell Ortiz - 125 Part 4 (Finale)

Mos Def - History

I heard History by Mos Def, which has been staying for a while on my Top 10 Rotation Spotify playlist, got a brand new video in 2010.

Mos Def feat. Talib Kweli - History (prod. Dilla)

Eddie Sancho Interview

When it comes to defining the sound of hip hop in the 90's, an engineer named Eddie Sancho is definitely a key player. His loooong discography includes classics like "Illmatic", "Enta da Stage", "Reasonable Doubt", "Moment of Truth" - just to name a few.

I was blessed to do an interview with him, so here we go.


1) Could you briefly describe your role in the process of making an album?

- My role in the process of making an album has changed. Before I was very involved, in which I would do everything (record tracks, record vocals & then mix). These were the days when we were back in D&D Studios.

    Now that a lot of these big studios are gone, everything is Pro Tools sessions and I just get sent the song to mix. So in a way its cool that I'm just involved in the mixing process, but miss my organization skills when I was involved in the whole process and knowing what is going on without any surprises!

2) How was it with engineering "Moment of Truth"?

- Engineering "Moment of Truth" was great! But just in general engineering and mixing along with DJ Premier was a great experience! What Premier brought to the table with his production and I with my mixing skillz... It's hard to find words to describe our combination, but M.O.P summed it up "make magic like Premier and Eddie Sancho"!

3) Unforgettable moment?

- It happened back in Oct 1999, Jay-Z session... There was a baseball playoff game going on between the NY Mets & Atlanta Braves. FYI I'm a huge Mets Fan! So everyone in the studio was watching the game as well as Jay-Z and I remember Jay-Z was texting back and forth with Jermaine Dupri (he's from Atlanta) whether the Mets would come out with a win or not... and I remember Jay-Z was ready to do vocals, and I kinda kept him waiting, but he was mad cool about it. But unfortunately the Mets lost that night and ended their season. I believe the song was "So Ghetto".

4) Which song would you choose as a pick of the moment?

- Currently I'm focusing on my own projects as a producer so I don't really have a song to pick. Working on projects with Iserene Oasis the Bass Sis and Maria Isa. Stay tuned!



Thanks Eddie for the interview & the legendary work.

Top 10 Spotify & YouTube Playlists

I started to update my Top 10 Rotation playlists for Spotify & YouTube. But what I really am interested in is to hear what you are listening to - so please feel free to share your playlist in the comment section.

Here's the link for my Top 10 Spotify Rotation right now.


My Top 10 Video Rotation

Bob James Interview + Masta Ace

Bob James is one of the key players when it comes to the musical evolution of hip hop. I found a Red Bull Music Academy based interview where Bob himself shares his thoughts about his career.

The song on 38:05, "El Verano" by Bob James... Wow, just listen to it (also on Spotify).




Some of y'all probably noticed that "El Verano" is sampled i.e. for Masta Ace - N.Y. Confidential:

I.N.I. - Fakin' Jax

I.N.I., a group backed up by Pete Rock, had an album called "Center of Attention" in their hands in 1995. They managed to release a single & video in 1996, but due to label issues the album didn't officially come out until 2003.

The whole album has been a regular guest in my stereo thru the years. On the single "Fakin' Jax", I really like the way Pete brought some different groove to the widely used "Honey Drippers" drum break.

I.N.I. - Fakin' Jax (prod. Pete Rock)

El Da Sensei - Gunblast

Another Jake One gem you might've missed.

El Da Sensei - Gunblast (prod. Jake One)

Rakim - The Seventh Seal

10 years has passed since the master, Rakim, released his previous album. The path has been complicated with album delays, signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath and leaving it after a while.

In fact, the new album "The Seventh Seal" kind of sounds like Dr. Dre has something to do with it - even though he hasn't. The album is good but some of the beats could be more on point. You be the judge.

Rakim - Satisfaction Guaranteed



Rakim - Won't Be Long (prod. Jake One)