After a lengthy career of making beats for rappers on both ends of the hip-hop spectrum, Seattle-based producer Jake One has enlisted an impressive array of MCs to rap over his eclectic beats on debut solo album White Van Music. The list ranges from left-coast unknowns like Spaceman to established veterans like Busta Rhymes, and Jake One blesses almost all of them with thumping, melodic beats.
His thick Rolodex notwithstanding, Jake One proves himself a virtuosic beatmaker over the course of White Van Music. The album opens with the plodding march of “I’m Coming” and features a verse from Black Milk padded with wah-wah, guitars and a leering synthesizer. Jake shows he can work with samples, too: on the neck-snapping “Gangsta Boy,” featuring Brooklyn duo M.O.P, he backs a guitar-laden sample with drums from Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks.” The result is simply epic. The album’s high point, however, is the ominous “Trap Door,” which expertly pairs MF Doom’s throaty delivery with deep, slithery guitars and a raging organ.
However, Jake runs into trouble when he tries to craft beats suitable for the styles of subpar rappers, as on the unlistenable “Dead Wrong,” which approximates the monotonous G-Unit aesthetic for a similarly dull Young Buck. At the same time, he’s not afraid to take vocalists out of their comfort zones— lead single “The Truth” pairs the rapid flow of Roc-a-Fella vet Freeway with Brother Ali’s buoyant half-singing. While no one could have expected a collaboration from those two, Jake fuses their individual efforts into a catchy groove.
White Van Music offers a cross-section of the current state of hip-hop, showcasing the talents of both the underground and the mainstream. The only constant is Jake One’s impressive knack for churning out quality beats for whoever walks into his studio.
Voice’s Choices: “Gangsta Boy,” “Trap Door,” “Glow”
