It’s been four years since the prolific LA-based rapper/producer Evidence of Dilated Peoples released his last studio album Lord Steppington alongside legendary producer The Alchemist as Step Brothers. This hasn’t stopped the Grammy Award-winning producer from kicking off 2018 with a bang, dropping his highly anticipated fourth solo studio rap album Weather Or Not last week.
The album features collaborations with artists including Atmosphere‘s Slug, Rakaa-Iriscience and DJ Babu of Dilated Peoples, Styles P, Jonwayne, Rapsody and Defari. Whilst on the production side of things, Evidence delivers more of his trademark boom-bap sound, with help from producers such as DJ Premier of Gang Starr, The Alchemist and Nottz. As much as it’s a heavy hitter, the closing track “By My Side Too” shows more of an emotional side, breaking down how his son saved his mother’s life, incidentally finding her cancer. The track “Love Is A Funny Thing” is a rollercoaster of clever wordplay, exploring the bold truths that the word ‘Love’ brings.
The lead singles “Jim Dean” produced by Nottz and “10,000 hours” produced by Premo really capture who Evidence is and what he’s about. Having released six classic albums with Dilated Peoples, numerous Instrumental Tapes/EPs/Mixtapes, collaborative projects, Evidence is representative of only a few rappers who have developed an increasing fan base steadily over time through such quality and diverse quantity of new music.
With over 20-years in the recording game, the 16-track Weather Or Not certainly stays true to its traditional roots as Evidence fans have come to expect and love. It exemplifies the particular heart of underground culture in which Evidence seems to thrive in, showing yet again why he is one of the more consistent artists today. Mr. Slow Flow with another one.
