After a successful 2007 that saw rave reviews for his solo debut The Weatherman, Grammy award-winning, Dilated Peoples member Evidence is set to release the follow EP The Layover.
Knowing that Hip-Hop history is decorated with many classic EPs that launched legendary careers, Evidence promises that his offering will have no filler and lives up to the legacies of Ice Cube’s Kill at Will, Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s All Souled Out, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s Creepin’ on ah Come Up.
To achieve that end, the rapper/producer proclaimed he had to again ignore the trendy albeit confining labels all too often bestowed upon forward-thinking Hip-Hop artists.
“Backpack sucked, then backpack was cool, then backpack sucked again, and now backpack is cool again,” Evidence explained to AllHipHop.com. “Alternative was wack, now alternative is better. All I know is I do what I do. I’m not a hipster, I’m not gangsta. If it’s a backpack, I gotta buy one, ‘cause I don’t own one. I’m doing Progressive-Hop. It’s a new genre. Put it in your iTunes.”
Production for the title track lead single is handled by acclaimed board smith Khrysis, and is available now for download.
The EP also features appearances from will.i.am, Blu, Phonte, Defari, and Alchemist.
In preparation for the project’s release, Evidence has partnered with LA’s DJ Skee for The Layover Mixtape.
Notable for being Evidence’s first mixtape offering, the tape will contain unreleased tracks, remixes, and rarities from the Dilated veteran’s catalogue.
In addition, fans this month will now be able to catch Evidence on the “Still High Tour 2008,” headlined by Method Man and Redman.
The Layover EP is scheduled for release on November 25 via CD and iTunes download.