The Layover EP is the first solo extended play by American rapper and record producer Evidence. It was released on November 25, 2008, via Decon. Recording sessions took place at Soundproof East, Chop Shop Studios, The Ether, The Lab NYC, Dirt Class West, Daddy's Crib, Soundproof West, Studio 1, Dirty Science Lab 12. Production was handled by The Alchemist, Khrysis, DJ Babu, Sid Roams, and Evidence himself. It features guest appearances from Aloe Blacc, Blu, Defari, Elzhi, Fashawn, Krondon, Phonte and Will.i.am. The album didn't reach the Billboard 200 chart, however, it peaked at No. 27 on the Heatseekers Albums in the United States, and received generally favourable reviews from music critics.

The Layover EP
EP by
ReleasedNovember 25, 2008 (2008-11-25)
Recorded2008
Studio
  • Soundproof East
  • Chop Shop Studios
  • The Ether
  • The Lab NYC
  • Dirt Class West
  • Daddy's Crib
  • Soundproof West
  • Studio 1
  • Dirty Science Lab 12
GenreHip hop
LabelDecon
Producer
Evidence chronology
The Weatherman LP
(2007)
The Layover EP
(2008)
Cats & Dogs
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Alternative Press4/5[2]
HipHopDX3.5/5[3]
RapReviews8.5/10[4]

Background

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The idea for The Layover EP originally came about while Evidence was on tour with Little Brother, and was originally going to be a 5 track release produced entirely by North Carolina producer Khrysis for free download. He later strayed from the idea and decided to make it an official release.[5] Evidence cites Ice Cube's Kill at Will, Pete Rock & CL Smooth's All Souled Out and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's Creepin on ah Come Up as influences for the project, saying they were examples of extended plays "that were really quality" and served as the perfect vehicle to get the next album released shortly after.

DJ Premier ranked the album 2nd in his top 20 albums of 2008 list.

In the video for "The Far Left" when the Alchemist says "To the atmosphere so I can really find out" he holds up a drawing of a slug and an ant. This is a reference to the hip hop group Atmosphere, which consist of rapper Slug and producer Ant.

The Layover Mixtape

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In addition with the release of The Layover EP, Evidence collaborated with DJ Skee to produce The Layover Mixtape which was available on Evidence's Myspace for free download. Other collaborators featured on the mixtape include Defari, Bishop Lamont, Chace Infinite, Dilated Peoples, U-N-I, Big Pooh, Aloe Blacc, Fashawn, Mickey Factz, Theo, Kes Kaos, Phonte, Montage One, Mitchy Slick, Big Twin, Diz Gibran, Styliztik Jones, Krondon, Rakaa Iriscience and Crooked I. The mixtape track listing varies with songs from The Layover EP, commercial tracks that Evidence rapped over, and Dilated Peoples' Fresh Rhymes and Videotape EP.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Layover"Khrysis2:58
2."For Whom The Bell Tolls" (featuring Phonte, Blu and will.i.am)Khrysis4:25
3."So Fresh (Step Brothers)"
The Alchemist3:57
4."Solitary Confinement" (featuring Krondon)
Sid Roams2:58
5."Don't Hate" (featuring Defari)
  • Perretta
  • Duane A. Johnson Jr.
Evidence3:53
6."My Favourite Part of Traveling" (Interlude)  1:21
7."The Far Left" (featuring The Alchemist and Fashawn)
  • Perretta
  • Maman
The Alchemist3:36
8."Rain Or Shine"
DJ Babu3:23
9."To Be Determined" (featuring Elzhi and Aloe Blacc)The Alchemist4:10
10."The Cold Weather"PerrettaEvidence3:52
Videos
No.TitleDirector(s)Length
11."The Layover"Jason Goldwatch3:00
12."Solitary Confinement" (featuring Krondon)Jason Goldwatch3:00
13."Don't Hate" (featuring Defari)Jason Goldwatch4:11
14."The Far Left" (featuring The Alchemist and Fashawn)Punit Dhesi3:34
Bonus videos
No.TitleDirector(s)Length
15."Mr. Slow Flow"Jason Goldwatch4:22
16."Chase the Clouds Away"Nick Goosen4:34

Personnel

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  • Michael "Evidence" Peretta – vocals, producer (tracks: 5, 10), recording (tracks: 1, 3-5, 7, 10), executive producer
  • Phonte Coleman – vocals (track 2)
  • Johnson "Blu" Barnes – vocals (track 2)
  • William "will.i.am" Adams – vocals & recording (track 2)
  • Marvin "Krondon" Jones – vocals (track 4)
  • Duane A. "Defari" Johnson Jr. – vocals & recording (track 5)
  • Alan "The Alchemist" Maman – vocals (track 7), producer & recording (tracks: 3, 7, 9), mixing (tracks: 7, 9), executive producer
  • Santiago "Fashawn" Leyva – vocals (track 7)
  • Jason "Elzhi" Powers – vocals (track 9)
  • Egbert Nathaniel "Aloe Blacc" Dawkins – vocals & recording (track 9)
  • Joey Chavez – additional vocals & producer (track 4)
  • Tavish "Bravo" Graham – additional vocals & producer (track 4)
  • Cat Summers – additional vocals (track 6)
  • Kamilah – additional vocals (track 8)
  • Noelle Scaggs – additional vocals (track 10)
  • Rakaa "Iriscience" Taylor – additional vocals (track 10)
  • Kurt "DJ Revolution" Hoffman – scratches (tracks: 1, 5, 10)
  • Chris "DJ Babu" Oroc – scratches (track 3), producer (track 8), recording (tracks: 6, 8)
  • Christopher "Khrysis" Tyson – producer & recording (tracks: 1, 2)
  • Brock Korsan – recording (tracks: 2, 4, 7, 8), management
  • Tommy Hoffman – recording (track 9)
  • Eddie Sancho – mixing (tracks: 1-6, 8, 10)
  • Tom Coyne – mastering
  • Yoram Benz – cover design
  • Kalani Fujimori – layout design
  • Brian "B+" Cross – photography

Charts

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Chart (2008) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[6] 27

References

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  1. ^ Rinaldi, Matt. "Evidence - The Layover EP Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Parker, Chris (June 2, 2009). "Evidence". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Tardio, Andres (November 28, 2008). "Evidence - The Layover EP". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (December 9, 2008). "Evidence :: The Layover EP – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Evidence The Layover". Hip Hop Galaxy. November 25, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via archive.today.
  6. ^ "Evidence Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
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