DJ Nu-Mark on Record Collecting in Cuba and Climbing Ladders for 45s

As a member of pioneering L.A. hip hop group Jurassic 5 (who recently reunited for an upcoming spot at Coachella) and a DJ in his own right, DJ Nu-Mark helped provide a fresh voice in a rap world dominated by preening and posturing. His long-awaited debut album, Broken Sunlight, dropped last year, featuring J-Live, Large Professor, Aloe Blacc, Charles Bradley, Bumpy Knuckles and Quantic. Combining hard-hitting, head-punishing rhythms with breezy melodies, the album was on nonstop repeat in he Fuse offices.

In the latest episode of Crate Diggers, Nu-Mark shares some insane record collecting stories, including a trip to a plumbing supply store in Cuba, DJing on an ironing board in his coming-up days and having to climb a ladder to get at an attic’s worth of 45s. Oh yeah, and the 20,000 records he paid $500 for currently living in his mom’s garage, from which the DJ pulled out a surprising gem.