J.P. Evans

Cotton~Mouth (J.P. Evans) aka J. Peazy,
CEO
Producer/Songwriter

Miami-native J.P. Evans is next in line to underpin music’s newest hot commodity; the producer-slash-artist. Having worked with industry heavy-hitters like Justin Timberlake and Hip-Hop producer Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, 50 Cent), Evans is on the path to a highly-lauded, lengthy career.

Evans was barely out of toddler-hood when he discovered his love of word play. He started recording songs and formed a rap duo shortly into puberty. Evan’s first big break came while he was interning at the office of the Dade County Commissioner, who happened to be golf partners with rap pioneer “Uncle” Luke Campbell. Evans recalls, “I used to bug him all the time and ask him to introduce me, so finally Luke came to visit him at the office. We meet and I let him hear a track, so he gave us a shot.” At the tender age of 13, the group found themselves opening for 2 Live Crew.

Heavily influenced by East coast rap, Evans cites old school lyricist KRS 1 as his greatest inspiration. “KRS One's ‘My Philosophy’ and The Audio 2's ‘Top Billing’ were two of the first Hip-Hop tapes I ever owned.” Evans draws from various genres to come up with a fast-tempo, futuristic-flavored sound he calls “Nu Skool.” He explains, “I draw from Drum & Bass to Heavy Metal or Neo-Soul. You know how most people are like ‘Yeah I listen to everything except Country’? Well, that ain’t me. I listen to Country too.”

Evans, who goes by the stage name Cotton Mouth, explains the moniker has little to do with what the phrase is traditionally known for. “It doesn’t come from smoking too many trees. Everything I spit is like fabric or textile. It has substance and design. I strive to be the Ralph Lauren of Hip-Hop, putting out that quality fabric.”

His first disc, Monday Morning Bombing, was completed in 2007. He is currently finishing up his second disc, Have a Nice Day, on which he covers a myriad of topics. The socially conscious track “P.E.A.C.E.” looks at society’s obsession with image, on which he rhymes, “Now that the gas price is so high/ your Range Rover ain't so fly.” On “Get Right,” he offers a hard-rock sound while relating the antics of club hopping. Tracks like “In Your City” and “That Bounce” are sure to move crowds, offering up a sound reminiscent of T-Pain. However, Evans one-ups the fellow Floridian by ripping a chorus and changing voice octaves without using Auto Tune Software. He spits on the track, “My president’s Obama/my favorite DJ is Drama/that ass that you shaking girl/you get it from your momma.” Evans says, “On this album, I explored both sonically and lyrically. I really stepped outside of my comfort zone,” adding slyly, “Which is why it’s so dope.”

When he’s not wearing his artist hat, the former wealth management/financial advisor is busy at work for his Armeyantz Productions company. The three-man team consisting of Ju-Illa and Kirk Diggler (Julian Ulett & Kirk Richards) have provided quality product for clients such as Time Warner, SOBE Lounge and Adventureseek. After scoring his first professional gig via a beat for an ad for Audi Europe, Evans went on to work with several local artists in Miami, including female neo-soul set Venus 7, Hip-Hop group Buckshot South and R&B vocalist Eugene Gary.

Evans approaches creating music like cooking. “You play with a recipe do your own damn thing to it until you like the taste of it yourself. You just hope to god that other people enjoy your cooking as well.” His lyrics generally cover the gamut of topics, including relationships, global affairs, generational themes or just “bling & B-S.”

Being a producer gives Evans knowledge on both sides of the boards. But while they’re two different entities, his approach to creating music doesn’t waiver in either medium. “I think that’s why I work so well with artists, because at heart I love to spit lyrics or sing over a track. The reason I became a producer in the first place is because I got tired of waiting on producers or musicians to give me a medium or outlet. So I was like I'm gonna learn how to do beats, because I can't stand depending on other people.”

Most recently, he worked with Justin Timberlake, co-penning a track for Free Sol, a Memphis, Tennessee act signed to Timberlake’s Tennman Records. Just one week after being released from active duty with the U-S Army, he got a call to come by Miami’s illustrious Hit Factory recording studio to do some writing for their debut project (Evans and the group’s lead singer Free attended Clark Atlanta University together). “It was a blessing to work with true professionals. In two days of writing with Free, Justin and Mike I learned two years worth of knowledge about songwriting and music production.” "It will be great if the song we worked on makes the album, Even if it doesn't it was the experience of a lifetime."

Now he plans to use that knowledge combined with his intrinsic talent to make his mark on the industry. “My ultimate goal is to run a successful label and put out quality music that challenges the status quo. I'd like to make moves similar to Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre or Timberland -- a dope producer/writer who occasionally emcees.” Yeah, that about sums J.P. Evans up.

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- Jamila Daniel