As the connection comes through, Evidence is already sitting in his home studio in Los Angeles. The lights are low, a joint is glowing, and a gold record hangs on the wall behind him. »This is my headquarters,« he says – and it quickly becomes clear that this room is far more than just a workplace. Four years after Unlearning Vol. 1, the follow-up arrived in August 2025: Unlearning Vol.2, the continuation of a process that was neither musically nor personally complete.
Musically, he remains true to his signature: hypnotic loops, self-reflection, bone-dry punchlines. But everything feels tighter, more deliberate. Like the gaze of someone who has learned to keep breathing under pressure. Across 15 tracks, the songs trace loss, responsibility and the slow internal shifts that only become visible when you are forced to relearn – or, rather, to unlearn old patterns.
When our call ends, the lingering impression is that Unlearning Vol.2 is less a sequel than an act of self-positioning.
How do Unlearning Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 differ for you personally?
Evidence: Unlearning Vol. 1 was probably the hardest time of my life. I mean though one of the worst times and the best times of my life – having a son and and then losing my son’s mom. And I didn’t know if I wanted to be the artist Evidence or just me as a person, Michael Perretta. Unlearning Vol. 2 then was the reality of that. During the album production I had to put the record down for a minute and went on to produce the album with Blu (»Los Angeles«). So I could get my head right and be around some positive people. And I picked up later on this when I was ready for it.
What does the concept of unlearning mean to you, both musically and personally?
I just wanted to get away from the weather theme and I liked the word unlearning that came up around COVID time. It felt like a restart. I unlearned the audio: made a new sound for myself, relearned mixing and the approach to recording. Then on the lifeside: I’m a father who’s been a solo father. I didn’t know shit about that. The word unlearning just super applies to my whole life.
The idea of Unlearning could also be applied to artificial intelligence. What influence does AI have on your work? Like have you ever written lyrics using AI?
No, I would never do that! I can’t even look at a rhyming dictionary, I swear that. The cheat code just don’t feel gratifying to me and so there would be no »ChatGPT-Evidence«. But the audio side of it, there’s some positive stuff happening in the AI music stuff like stem separation. I think some of those could be useful in certain situations. I think if you’re pimping the AI, I’m with it. If it’s pimping you, I’m not with it – that shit is wack to me.
»For texts, AI is a cheat code without a soul.«
Evidence
When you say, »Making music for me, but got you in mind,« does music sometimes act like therapy for you?
Absolutely. When I’m saying things into the microphone there’s no other person here with me at the time. It feels almost therapeutic saying it and getting things out. I haven’t cried writing something in a long time. But the fact that that can happen, is amazing. So you know, music is highly relatable. A lot of people go through shit and music is what helps.
What’s your secret to making deep messages feel so effortless?
Sometimes you get lucky and it just happens. And sometimes you have enough things floating around that things just land. And when there’s a good beat that inspires you, you’d be surprised on how many things can just come back. So I don’t do the writing down things much as I should, but I do say it in my head. Or it just be the first line that sets off everything else. And the effortless part came with time and experience. Maybe I finally landed in the place where I’m just more like: I just don’t think about that anymore, but just whatever happens, is what’s happened. You know.
What are your main inspirations when writing lyrics?
I would say movies – for sure! Other rappers – for sure. And then everything that falls between that. I’m not one of those people who writes rhymes every day like my friends, who are rap maniacs. I wake up and then I make beats. I’m inspired by the music to write. I’m really like in an art place of my life raising my kid. And just trying to be like (pauses) art! Just „art“, like Westside Gunn. (laughs)
After a seven-year hiatus, you were back touring in Germany last summer. How did that feel?
I was a little scary. I did do some shows here and there, but not a full thing. And the absence in between has not been an absence for a lack of work. I did 18 releases in between the „Unlearning“ records on my label – all as me as a producer. I couldn’t go on tour because my kid was going to school and I really needed to be here for that. But now I really felt like it was time to do it.
How much do you feel the love from your fans?
(He pauses for a moment) I think there’s two kinds of love. One for me as a person and there’s one of the music itself. I think sometimes I get love unfortunately because of my situation that has happened. At certain times it’s been really helpful. And other times, when I’m ready to be strong and they still give it to me, I’m trying to move past that. And then there’s this kind of nerdy love when people approach me about a drum break or a sample that I flipped. So there’s different ones. But I do generally feel it for sure and I’m truly grateful for it.
What’s your secret to getting the best beats from Alchemist every time?
My luck with that is, maybe just being in his studio at a downtime, when nobody else is there. But I don’t think he has like a stash with »these beats have the money sign on« and these beats are »for the lesser rappers«. If you like a beat, he’s gonna give it to you. Sometimes it’s just timing. Like the »Future Memory« beat. Earl Sweatshirt wanted that one too and I think I was just a little bit quicker than him. And then the „Rain Every Season“ beat came with the rhyme from Alchemist and the beat already in my email. So there’s no choice whether I want that beat or not.
A question a lot of fans are asking: How likely is a new Dilated Peoples album?
I really don’t know. Rakaa lives a little far away from me and Babu is doing DJ school – he’s being really successful with that. We’ve been doing shows, the chemistry is still there on stage. Those are my brothers. And so if life finds us all linking up somehow, and we doing it somehow, then yeah. I don’t have a picture of it right now, but the idea is good. But how realistic that is? I don’t know.
