Reservoir Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSVR), an award-winning independent music company, today announced the acquisition of the producer royalties and publishing catalog of the late hip-hop producer-songwriter Deon Evans, professionally known as Big D Evans. Evans is best known for his work with renowned hip-hop artist 2Pac (Tupac Shakur).
Evans earned acclaim for producing some of 2Pac’s biggest hits. He collaborated on 2Pac’s Gold-selling debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, including on “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” which reached #3 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart. Evans also worked with 2Pac on his second album and was instrumental in helping 2Pac’s estate posthumously release the Diamond-selling album Greatest Hits, which featured iconic hits like Evans’ collaboration “Changes,” a previously unreleased track. Addressing issues ranging from racism to drugs and police brutality, “Changes” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance and remains the first posthumous song to be nominated in this category.
Evans also produced 2Pac’s “Ghetto Gospel,” which was also released posthumously as the lead single off his 2004 Platinum-selling album, Loyal to the Game. The album topped the Billboard 200, while “Ghetto Gospel” held the top spot on the Official U.K. Singles Chart for three weeks. The single has also been deemed “conscious hip-hop,” focusing on the cycles of street violence and poverty.
Prior to working with 2Pac, Evans began his production career collaborating with rapper-producer Clever Jeff and the legendary hip-hop group Digital Underground. He also collaborated regularly with artists like Ne-Yo later in his career.
Helen Yu of Yu Leseberg, Evans’ long-time attorney and trustee, said, “Big D and 2Pac spent many hours together in the studio. The music they made captured the essence of a generation, igniting a movement that continues to shape the very fabric of hip hop. It is my profound privilege and honor to have been entrusted by Big D to safeguard his legacy, such a cherished 2Pac collaborator. Big D’s spirit resonates through his impact on music history. We are thrilled to have found the right partners in the Reservoir Media team and Donna Caseine, who we know will champion Big D’s music with integrity, ensuring its continued impact inspiring generations to come.”
Reservoir Executive Vice President, Global Creative Director Donna Caseine said, “Big D Evans was a key creator behind the music of one of the biggest hip-hop artists of all time. The music Big D and 2Pac created together shaped hip-hop into a genre capable of reflective social commentary, collectively inspiring fans and other artists to this day.” She added, “Furthermore, with our investment in Big D’s influential catalog, Reservoir continues to solidify our portfolio as a home for outstanding legacy hip-hop music.”
