The genesis of the evitaN project is rooted in the traditional spirit of Native Tongues; the movement, the message and the music. Andres “Dres” Titus of Black Sheep, and Jarobi White of A Tribe Called Quest, have joined together to form the group evitaN, a name that pays homage to its inspiration as it is the word “native” spelled backwards. Both Dres and Jarobi were instrumental members of the Native Tongue movement while within their re- spective groups. The marked difference between the artists being that Dres has a body of work to reference, whereas prior to the evitaN releases, no one had yet to hear Jarobi rhyme. In Jarobi’s 20 year affiliation with the iconic group A Tribe Called Quest, he had not appeared on any released music, instead opting to lend his positive energy and creative input to the group in other ways.
Based on their longstanding relationship, Dres was always interested to unleash the MC within Jarobi, and recently invited him to the studio to collaborate on a new project. The result was spectacular, and fireworks exploded in the booth as Dres jumped on the first track with Jarobi, and the duo created an instant classic called “Keep, Keeping On”, and now, 25 tracks later, the rest is and will be Hip Hop history. Releasing their first project on September 21, 2012, titled “Speed of Life”, the dynamic album includes collaborations with R&B sensation Yummy Bingham, heavy hitter female MC Rah Digga, and the infamous him- self, Havoc of Mobb Deep. Described as a “salad” amidst the “fast food of today’s hip hop” by notorious hip hop blogger Big Ghostfase, evitaN’s debut release is already providing a breath of fresh air for those starved for the return of real Hip Hop.
