Last week, Venice, California emcee/producer Evidence released a mixtape, I Don’t Need Love
. The free project finds the emcee and producer Twiz The Beat Pro reworking songs by The Beatles for an experimental project. In an interview last week with Conspiracy World Radio, Evidence explained the project’s unlikely beginnings – a mistaken upload that was planned to be a single of the same name from his upcoming Cats & Dogs album.
Despite the fact that the mixtape was leaked by accident, the artist’s intentions with the work are no mistake. “I’ve had an admiration for The Beatles my whole life,” said Ev. “We were just workin’ on a project where we were just choppin’ up Beatles records [but] I didn’t know how this could ever actually come out, if ever, because of the stipulations [and] the yellow tape of [sampling The Beatles].” Evidence said that a song was uploaded in a studio session, intended to be the single, and by persons unknown to Ev, it premiered on RubyHornet.com the next day.
After the fact, Evidence accepts I Don’t Need Love finding fans. “It’s a beautiful thing, because all of this love has been pouring in…I think it’s a blessing in disguise that this kind of dropped.” This is the latest work in a tradition of Hip Hop mixtapes paying tribute to “the Fab Four,” dating back to Dangermouse’s controversial The Grey Album work.
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Conspiracy Worldwide also asked the Dilated Peoples member about how this work compares to his forthcoming 2011 retail full-length. “Cats & Dogs is well-shaped, and groomed,” said Evidence, revealing that I Don’t Need Love was not formally recorded in a studio. Production on his Rhymesayers Entertainment debut will come courtesy of band-mate Babu, duo Sid Roams, and longtime friend and collaborator, Alchemist. Producing a bulk of the album himself, Evidence also hopes to bring on DJ Premier, who would be working with the Minneapolis, Minnesota label for the first time. “Hopefully one of the greatest deejays of all time [who is] also a producer is going to be blessing the album; I’m just working out the numbers,” hinted Ev. “He’s a deejay, and his last name starts with a P.” Previously, DJ Premier produced “Clockwork” on Dilated Peoples’ sophomore album, Expansion Team.
As far as the lyrical content, Evidence hinted that Cats & Dogs will touch on a number of issues in life he’s faced since 2008’s Layover EP. “I have experienced some financial difficulties in these off-years; I have experienced some relationship turbulence,” said a candid Evidence, “as well as still dealing with the loss of my mom, so my solo albums have been good places for me to vent and talk about things, without going overly emo.” Noting that it’s not his nature to be too heavy, Evidence described the presentation of these themes as “very conversational.”
The entire interview, and mix show can be streamed below:
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