Jake One: From Beat Digging to All-Time Classics

This episode of Gems with Shom features Jake One — legendary producer, beat digger, record collector, and one of hip-hop’s most respected producers of all time. From digging through dollar bins in Seattle to producing records for Jay-Z, Drake, J. Cole, Rick Ross, Dr. Dre, The Weeknd, De La Soul, MF DOOM, 50 Cent, Freeway and many more, Jake One has built an extraordinary career around records, samples, and an incredible ear. Jake and Shom get into the story behind that journey — discovering samples in his parents’ record collection, learning the art of digging alongside Supreme La Rock, making the influential Conmen mixtapes, traveling across North America hunting for records, and eventually becoming one of the most sought-after producers in hip-hop. 🎙 In this episode, we dive into: • Beat digging, rare records, samples, and the records that shaped Jake One’s sound • Learning to dig with Seattle legend Supreme La Rock • The Conmen mixtapes and the secretive culture of sample digging • Producing for Dr. Dre and reaching the highest levels of hip-hop production • The story behind Rick Ross and Jay-Z’s “3 Kings” • Working with De La Soul and MF DOOM on “Rock Co.Kane Flow” • Producing for Drake, J. Cole, 50 Cent, Freeway and more • Tuxedo, soul, funk, musicianship, and expanding beyond hip-hop • Crate digging around the world and why Jake still loves collecting records Jake also shares incredible stories from a lifetime of making beats and digging for records — from driving across the country with almost no money looking for records to hearing Funkmaster Flex drop bombs on “3 Kings” in New York and realizing his career had reached another level. The conversation goes deep into what separates a great beat from a great record, how digging develops your ear, the producers who influenced Jake, and why record collecting remains such an important part of his creative process decades into his career. From Seattle record stores and underground mixtapes to working with some of the biggest artists in music, Jake One’s story is ultimately about what can happen when an obsession with records becomes a lifetime of making them. For fans of Jake One, beat digging, hip-hop production, sampling, rare records, Jay-Z, Drake, J. Cole, Dr. Dre, MF DOOM, De La Soul, Freeway, Tuxedo, record collecting, and deep music conversations — this is a real gem. Subscribe to Gems with Shom for weekly conversations with the DJs, producers, collectors, artists, and cultural figures behind the records. #JakeOne #GemsWithShom #BeatDigging #HipHopProduction #RecordCollecting #MFDOOM #JayZ #Drake #JCole #MusicProduction 🎙️ A show about beat digging ... records, production & other things ✨ Celebrating the art of beat digging 🎶 Jazz | Soul | Hip Hop | Global Sounds ⬇️ Full episodes & clips weekly 👉 Subscribe & listen: linktr.ee/shomghosh #beatdigging #vinylcollecting #records #hiphop #jazz #soul #funk #raregroove #production #レコードディギング #レコードコレクター #ビートディギング #ヒップホップ #ジャズ #ソウル #ファンク #日本