The hottest emcees fiend for beats with the most fire, and Jake One has the touch to keep them on point. Seattle's strong, silent track master is making moves as artists De La Soul, E-40, Lil Moe, John Cena, Casual and a slew of others have been snapping up Jake's creative production. His quality composition, versatile style, and funky blends of sound provide the freshness that anyone with a hunger for great music will appreciate.

While his first professional influences included legends Pete Rock, Premier, and Marley Marl, it was something closer to home that inspired Jake One to finesse his talent in the early '90s. "Just being from a generation that was raised on Hip Hop, I was always wanting to try to be a part of it," he explains. When a neighbor of mine, Hussein from Sensimilla, started recording with Vitamin D, it really got me thinking I could make beats. I couldn't believe somebody from Seattle was making shit on par with Tribe, Diamond, and shit I was lovin." He laid down his first beat in 1992 on a Casio Voice Sampler, and over the years his production has blossomed into a soundgarden of impressive orchestration.

Jake One's serene home studio is lined with shelves full of vinyl from his amazing collection. Although he had been collecting for many years, he got serious about crate digging in 1995 when Seattle icon Mr. Supreme put him on to the technique of it. "I think I have somewhere over 5000 now," says Jake, "I stopped counting a while ago. It's definitely an addiction - I'm trying to have EVERY record, period."

After teaming up with several quality underground artists, Jake One's reputation has spread to the mainstream. The buzz is hot and heavy - and all the while Jake stays true to his hometown roots. "I think we do things a little different out here because we aren't pressured to be totally influenced by either coast. I came up loving both coasts and I put those influences in my music. I'm as Seattle as one can get."

Steadily making his mark beyond the wetlands of Seattle, Jake One's calling in Hip Hop is as eternal as the breathtaking Northwest horizon. The sun of his sound is rising - don't sleep.