Eve

EVE

Born: Eve Jihan Jeffers; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 10 November 1978

Genre: Rap

Best-selling album since 1990: Eve: Ruff Ryders' First Lady (1999)

Hit songs since 1990: "Gangsta Lovin'," "Let Me Blow Ya Mind"

Female rappers have long had a tougher road to success than men in the male-dominated industry, but the career path of Eve Jeffers was even more difficult given her surroundings. One of the few women in the macho New York rap collective Ruff Ryders, Eve not only rose above the rigors of the rap business, but she also became a superstar with a mixture of street-tough rhymes, soulful singing, and fashion-savvy panache, earning the nickname "pit bull in a skirt."

An award-winning short story writer by the third grade, Philadelphia's Eve Jihan Jeffers performed in local talent shows as a teenager with the all-girl singing group Dope Girl Posse in the mid-1990s, later performing in the female R&B group EDJP (pronounced Egypt). After splitting from the quintet and adopting the name Eve of Destruction, Eve practically dropped out of high school to hone her rapping skills, gaining notice on the local scene for her skills at talent shows and as a warm-up act for local hip-hop concerts. While working briefly as a dancer at an adult club in New York in the late 1990s, Eve was reportedly encouraged by one of the patrons (retired rapper Ma$e) to consider a career in hip-hop.

A short time later a friend arranged for her to have an impromptu audition for the legendary rapper/producer Dr. Dre, who liked Eve's rapping enough to sign her to a one-year contract with his label, Aftermath. Though her contract expired before she was able to record an album for the label, Eve did complete the song "Eve of Destruction" for the soundtrack to the Warren Beatty comedy Bulworth (1998). While in Los Angeles working with Dre, Eve made the acquaintance of the up-and-coming rapper DMX, with whom she kept in touch after her return to Philadelphia, often traveling to New York to spend time with the rapper and his crew, dubbed the Ruff Ryders.

In 1999, Eve became the first female artist signed to the male-dominated, testosterone-heavy label, also named Ruff Ryders, appearing on their first multi-artist compilation, Ryde or Die Vol. 1 (1999), and releasing her solo debut, Eve: Ruff Ryders First Lady, five months later. The number one-charting album mixes gritty, profane, boast-heavy rapping with girlish, sweet pop choruses on the breakout hit "Gotta Man."

Not content to be the token female in a male crew, Eve took control of her career, co-writing all of the album's songs and developing a distinctive style that melded tough-as-nails rapping ("Tried to break us / But we broke through / Got the job done") with controlled, come-hither singing ("Ain't Got No Dough"). The album also features a strong feminist vibe, with Eve vowing to avenge a battered friend in "Love Is Blind," which alternates the rapper's blunt rhymes with her mellifluous R&B singing on the chorus.

The formula was one that Eve would use to great effect, not just in her singing, but also in her appearance. While sporting close-cropped, dyed blonde hair and a pair of menacing tiger paw tattoos above her breasts, Eve was frequently dressed in high fashion ensembles and tasteful makeup, earning her another distinction as "a gangsta and a lady." This image was contrary to such other successful female rappers as Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown, who gained popularity through a mix of sexually explicit lyrics and revealing clothing. Eve's debut went on to sell more than 2 million copies, a bona fide hit for a first album.

Eve Blows Minds with Hit Single

While Scorpion (2001) featured a number of raw, biting tracks, it was a duet, "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," with a pop singer, No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, which thrust the rapper into superstar status. Over a slinky funk beat that ranks among Dre's classic productions, Eve raps about people who put on airs, while Stefani adds a sing-songy rhythm and blues chorus. The hit song was accompanied by a very popular music video and gained a wider audience for the rapper.

In "Cowboy," Eve, rapping over a country-western beat, strikes out at people who would denigrate her skills; "You Had Me, You Lost Me" aims for revenge over rock and roll guitars. The album features a wide range of styles (Latin horns, reggae) and guest vocalists, from funk singer Teena Marie to rappers DMX, Da Brat, Drag-On, Trina, the LOX, and reggae singers Damian and Stephen Marley.

Like many hip-hop artists, Eve longed for more than music stardom; she branched out into the movies in 2002 with well-received supporting roles in the action drama XXX and the comedy Barbershop. Focusing more on smooth R&B than hard-core rapping, Eve-Olution (2002) presents a shift in direction for Eve. Though still possessing a stinging, in-your-face rhyme style, Eve embellishes more of her third album's tracks with seductive rhythm and blues beats and choruses, singing as much as rapping and featuring scaled-back cameos from guest rappers.

In the fashion of her hit with Stefani, the alluring hip-hop/pop song "Gangsta Lovin'" is a duet with the hot rhythm and blues performer Alicia Keys singing a seductive chorus to Eve's smoothly delivered boasts. Both "Irresistible Chick" and "Satisfaction" hark back to old-school hip-hop with simple, bouncy rhythms and elemental funk bass and guitar lines. On the latter, Eve sings a bewitching, girlish chorus in which she vows never to go back to her former financially strapped state: "Anything I want, I'ma get it cuz you know I need it / . . . Gotta have it, bet I'm gonna grab it."

With poise and grace the Philadelphia rapper Eve catapulted from struggling musician to world-renowned pop star and high-fashion jet setter in just a few years. Her combination of rough-and-ready lyrics, classic beauty, and spirited feminism proved that although sex can sell, sometimes strength is sexier.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Eve: Ruff Ryders' First Lady (Ruff Ryders/Interscope, 1999); Scorpion (Ruff Ryders/Interscope, 2001); Eve-Olution (Ruff Ryders/Interscope, 2002).

WEBSITES:

www.ruffryders.com/eve.

gil kaufman