Evidence

Venice

Michael Taylor Perretta was born on December 10, 1976, in Los Angeles and grew up in Venice. His father was Italian American and his mother was the actress Jana Taylor. He wrote graffiti before he rapped, and he learned production next door, at the studio of Quincy Jones III.

Dilated Peoples

With Rakaa and DJ Babu he formed Dilated Peoples in 1992. Evidence rapped and produced for the group, from the first ABB 12-inch “Third Degree” (1997) through four Capitol albums and Directors of Photography (2014). His slow, conversational delivery earned him the nickname Mr. Slow Flow.

Producer

Outside the group he produced for Defari and others in the Likwit circle, and he co-produced “Last Call” on Kanye West’s The College Dropout (2004), which put him on that album’s Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.

The Weatherman

His first solo album, The Weatherman LP, came out on ABB in March 2007, with beats from the Alchemist, Sid Roams, Jake One, DJ Babu, DJ Khalil and himself. He signed to Rhymesayers in 2009 and released Cats & Dogs (2011), which reached No. 64 on the Billboard 200. Weather or Not (2018) dealt with the birth of his son and his partner’s fight with breast cancer, with production from DJ Premier, Nottz, the Alchemist and Babu. Unlearning Vol. 1 followed in 2021, and a second volume in 2025.

Step Brothers

Evidence and the Alchemist, his longtime Dilated collaborator, rap together as Step Brothers. Their album Lord Steppington came out on Rhymesayers in 2014.