Venice, California’s Evidence is preparing to drop his long awaited Rhymesayers debut, Cats & Dogs, before summer ends. This week, the Dilated emcee took some time out and spoke with HipHopDX about his plans, what he’s currently working on and even shed light on the importance of bigging up the up-and-coming emcees.
“Cats & Dogs is officially finished,” he told us when asked about his RSE release. “The mastering dude is ringing my phone with the mastering and all of that. I took a year off, I remodeled my crib, worked on music every day, had people over for sessions every day, created a lot of sounds and I chilled. But, I’ve been staying really sharp, creatively. It’s funny, I look back and my off year was still 100 shows.”
According to Ev, that time off served a greater purpose, one that not only sharpened his creativity. This time also allowed him to reflect, making his next album a “monster.”
“In the process, I learned a lot of things about myself this year and I made a monster record, I feel. It’s going to drop right on time, dropping at the end of summer. I’m going to do some big shows with Atmosphere, Rock the Bells and a couple things after that, which I’ll be announcing soon.”
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As of now, theWeatherman said the new album’s artwork is being finalized and he added that fans can expect videos soon. “It’s definitely something to be proud of,” he added.
Talk also turned to Fashawn, an emcee that Evidence and Alchemist took on the road earlier in his young career. With both emcees on this year’s Rock the Bells bill, Ev says he’s proud to rock alongside the Fresno native and recent HipHopDX graduate.
“He’s just an old soul, man. He’s got a lot to talk about. In an era today when a lot of dudes are focused on swag, and he is too, don’t trip, but it’s dope to see somebody who wants to hear Large Professor or Beatnuts. I’m proud of him, man. I’m so proud of that fucking kid, so proud. Honestly, he’s also influenced me a lot. That’s something I’m learning. The second you’re willing to take someone in, and give them light, you benefit from it so much.”
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