Waes One

A veteran of the California hip hop scene, Oakland based-and-bred producer Waes One has been putting out a steady stream of acclaimed material since his 1997 debut release Instrumentalz. Known for his rich, atmospheric arrangements and classic hip hop production sensibilities, Waes has anchored a multitude of releases over the last two decades. As half of the duo Compound Elements in the late 90's and early 2000's, Waes brought his signature dark, sample heavy sound to prominence with EP releases in 1999 and 2001, followed by the 2003 full length album, The Struggle. Subsequent work with LA-based duo Substance Abuse, featured on the albums Overproof (2006) and Background Music (2013), saw the two MCs ripping Waes One instrumentals alongside legendary MCs such as KRS-ONE ("Rear View"), MC Eiht ("Flossin'"), Tash ("Don't Get Us Wrong") and Saafir ("Sickness"). 2011 saw Waes landing production features on the irreverent Not the 1's EP Why You Cryin'?, and the follow-up, 2016's Everybody's Rappin'. Waes's productions on the latter release included "You Wack" featuring legendary New York MC Kool Keith. Hard Listening (2012), the solo debut from LA born and bred, Oakland based wordsmith Mawnstr (Connoisseurs, Gooch Gang), further cemented Waes One's legacy as a production guru, with the single "The Next Edition (3 Hippos)" featuring Prince Po of Organized Konfusion leading the charge. In 2015, The Gooch Gang's The Gooch EP brought even more accolades, with Waes' high-powered instrumentation driving the 1-2 lyrical punch of MCs Mawnstr and Kaliban. The release featured the standout single "Go Get It" featuring Gunplay. Waes continues his streak of hard-hitting full album productions in 2018 with Dub Esquire's full-length release The Return, featuring Del the Funky Homosapien, P.E.A.C.E. of Freestyle Fellowship, Mawnstr, Deuce Eclipse and more. Carefully crafting his own unmistakable sound over the years, Waes One has kept the rap game grounded in the midst of an era of unprecendented change, remaining innovative and fresh while maintaining respect for the fundamentals of the artform.