Phoenix Rapper Richie Evans Shares EP With Guests Rick Ross, Jay Rock, Eastside K-Boy and Vedo

Phoenix rapper Richie Evans releases Highly Favored, a 6-track EP with music ranging from smooth jams to boom-bap rap with production from The Olympicks, Othello Beats, Tariq & Paul Cabbin, TrackPros and Kofi.

Featured guests include Los Angeles rappers Jay Rock and Eastside K-Boy along with platinum artists Rick Ross and R&B vocalist Vedo. The latter two are featured on the Highly Favored new single and music video "Can't Knock The Hustle," a track inspired by the classic from Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt. The music video will debut next Tuesday, 1/24 @ 12PM EST.

"I'm excited for this first release under my own imprint The Evans Administration," explains Evans. "I've learned so much working closely with entrepreneurs like The Game and Rick Ross. One of the most meaningful songs on the project is my latest single "Can't Knock The Hustle."

When I recorded that song I felt that I had similar emotions to Jay-Z when he was hustling to build his own brand and legacy by any means necessary. I'm trying to grab a hold of that American Dream that he achieved with a hard work ethic, strong character and a hustlers mentality."

HotNewHipHop recently declared Evans as "one of Phoenix's most notable rap talents" and described the hard-hitting Highly Favored track "Pressure" (ft. Jay Rock and EastSide K-Boy) as one that delivered "boom-bap heads some solid skill." The song gained over 150K plays on Spotify and landed the #1 spot on their playlist Spilled Ink that has over 1.6 million likes.

While lead single "For You" featuring Vedo and produced by The Olympicks (Rick Ross, Lil Wayne) climbed Urban Radio charts earlier this year earning spins on top radio markets including Power 105 (New York), V103 (Atlanta) and Power 92 (Chicago). "For You" was covered by music sites including AllHipHop, ThisIs50, RESPECT, HipHopSince1987 and Hype Off Life, who said Evans has "undeniable lyricism." MTV and BET both supported the "For You" music video.

Listen to the new EP here:

Photo credit: ShotByDub