The late hip-hop producer-songwriter Deon Evans, professionally known as Big D Evans, is best known for his work with renowned hip-hop artist 2Pac (Tupac Shakur). Evans earned acclaim for producing 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 #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 iconic 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 U.K. Singles Chart for three weeks. The single has also been deemed “conscious hip-hop,” focusing on the cycles of street violence and poverty.

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.