Reservoir Media has acquired the producer royalties and publishing catalog of the late hip-hop producer-songwriter Deon Evans, professionally known as Big D Evans.
Evans, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 45, is best known for his work with hip-hop artist 2Pac (Tupac Shakur).
Evans produced 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 No.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 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 UK Singles Chart for three weeks.
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.
“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.”
Helen Yu of Yu Leseberg, Evans’ long-time attorney and trustee
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.”
“Big D Evans was a key creator behind the music of one of the biggest hip-hop artists of all time.”
Donna Caseine, Reservoir
Reservoir Executive Vice President, Global Creative Director Donna Caseine added: “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.”
Today’s news arrives two weeks after Reservoir Media announced plans to raise up to $100 million through an offering of various securities.
In February, Reservoir revealed that it had spent $938 million on acquisitions since its inception in 2007 to December 31, 2023. Of the total, $770 million went into investing in acquisitions of catalogs and companies. The company also allocated $168 million since inception into “futures spend,” or signings of songwriters to write new songs.
The company’s notable catalog acquisitions and signings include the Eagles’ Joe Walsh, four of The Spinners’ members, rock artist and songwriter Greg Kihn, ‘Queen of Arab Pop’ Nancy Ajram, Latin Music hitmaker Rudy Perez, Egyptian rap duo El Sawareekh, and Miami Sound Machine co-founder and lead songwriter Enrique “Kiki” Garcia.
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