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EVE Interview
RnB/Hip Hop | Wednesday 12th June 2013 | Alex
Right now we’re blessed to be with a true hip hop legend! On the way to selling 8 million records, she gave you classic hits ‘Who’s That Girl?’, ‘Gangsta Lovin’ and Grammy Award-winning ‘Let Me Blow Your Mind’. She’s collaborated with A-List artists Alicia Keys, Sean Paul, Mary J. Blige and Dr. Dre and has acted alongside Vin Diesel and Daniel Craig. She’s had her own sitcom and record label and to top it off she’s stunningly attractive! She might be the most successful female rapper ever – Eve!
Eve: I need that before everything I do! That whole introduction was incredible!
Mr Wonder: Well, you’ve done some incredible work! I don’t think any female rapper’s done what you've done and you’re still a young lady!
Eve: I’ve been truly blessed.
Mr Wonder: Are you still working now? It really impresses me that after the success you’ve had – 8 million records, Grammy Awards, you’re still motivated to get out there! You’re in the UK right now?
Eve: Yeah, and I’m promoting my new album ‘Lip Lock’. It’s been real good but it’s a lot of work, I ain’t gonna lie! If you want to get in the business understand that, but I do enjoy it, my music is my first love and I feel blessed I’m able to still do it.
Mr Wonder: So you’ve got this new single ‘Make It Out This Town' feat. Gabe Saporta, and you’ve got your own independent label ‘From the Rib’. I compared the Ruff Ryder’s Eve to the Eve of today and so much is different! You went from Major Label to Independent, Living in the US to living here, in the UK. Is this the most challenging stage of your career?
Eve: Er… I dunno… Yeah, I guess at this moment. It is challenging being a young female artist with your own label! (She laughs!)
Mr Wonder: And on top of that you don’t live in the US anymore, you’ve come out of your comfort zone?
Eve: It’s true, but I’m that kind of person – I don’t like to be too comfortable. I mean, I like the finer things! But in life you’re supposed to push yourself through challenges and it helps you grow as a person and artist, so even on my worst days I say ‘Thankyou, God!’. Even when I’m stressed or depressed I enjoy it.
Mr Wonder: Ok. So ‘Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady' was certified double platinum. My favourite track is ‘What Ya’ll Want’ - I’d bang that in the club when I was DJing and it’d jump off!
Eve: With the Ruff Ryders everything just kinda happened! (Laughs). Everybody’s in the studio… some beat comes on, someone starts writing, an idea happens and bam! It’s a song in an hour. Especially with Swizz, I always say he’s a bouncing ball – Bing! Bing! Bing! – he gets stuff done so fast and that was one of those records like “Yo, I got this idea, there’s the beat, let’s write a song”, and the song was done!
Mr Wonder: It’s a classic! Obviously you stepped up again with ‘Scorpion’ and became a household name. ‘Let Me Blow Your Mind’ was a Grammy winning song.
Eve: I was in the studio, wrote all the verses but to this day I actually hate writing hooks! Dre didn’t’ let me go home, he was like “I don’t care what you do, I’ll be upstairs and you gon’ write a hook to this song!” I was just mad and wanted to go home but it turned out kinda nice, and he was like “See, I told you!” so I was happy! I was a fan of Gwen and she was the only person I could hear on the song. People challenged me and said us two on a record wasn’t gonna work, but I fought for it and I’m happy I did, she was down to do it. ‘Let Me Blow Your Mind’ is one of my favourite records to perform.
Mr Wonder: You’re going down in history with that one, you’re the first person to win that inaugural Grammy! Your third album Eve-Olution featured Alicia Keys on ‘Gangsta Lovin’, how did that hook up come about?
Eve: It was Murder Inc. Irv brought me this track like “Yo! I’m telling you this is how it’s gon’ be! The hook is like this and Alicia Keys should sing it!” That’s how Irv talks! I was a fan of Alicia’s – I went to her concert when she was just blowing up and it made sense that she was down to do a record. I’ve been really lucky being able to work with so many cool females.
Mr Wonder: Eve-Olution was back in 2002! I understand there were some issues with your record label, do you wanna expand on that?
Eve: Yeah, so I was supposed to have an album after ‘Tambourine’ and it took me a few years to convince Interscope to let me go, and then when I got signed to EMI it just didn’t work out. I was like ‘You know what, let me do this independent’.
Mr Wonder: You control your own destiny now! In those 11 years it’s not like you weren’t doing anything, you did the film and a sitcom - how did that come about?
Eve: Erm, the sitcom thing… my manager at the time came up with the idea and I wasn’t into it. We were talking about moving to L.A for a career change at the time and I was like ‘I dunno, unless I read the script and fall in love with the girl I’m supposed to play – then I’ll do it' and a couple months later this girl sent the script and I loved it! It was a girl from Philly who moves to Miami and loves fashion, I was like ‘Alright! I could play this girl!’
Mr Wonder: Alright, let’s face it, you’ve acted alongside some stars – Vin Diesel, Kevin Baker and Daniel Craig, how did the whole film thing happen?
Eve: That was another idea that people sent me scripts for and I kept sending them back because I didn’t wanna act. Then my manager was like “Well, why don’t you go get an acting coach and see what happens”, I did and she was like: “You know every time you do a video you’re acting.” I was like “Duhh!” and then I got into it – TripleX was actually my first movie, right before Barbershop.
Mr Wonder: You looked like a professional! Anyway, one thing I’ve noticed: you’re always dressed fashionably but never revealingly, and your lyrics are sexy but never explicit – there’s a balance there. You have songs on your records with a message of empowerment. What do you think of successful female rappers today and do you feel you have a social responsibility to listeners to encourage them?
Eve: Absolutely. I mean, I think every artist has the right to do whatever they want to do and I don’t have any judgement there, it’s just not for me. I do feel a responsibility. Some other artists are like “I never wanted to be a role model” but at the end of the day you’re in the public eye and (as a personal choice) I feel like I have to align myself with an organisation that is doing something different in the world because I don’t just wanna be known for my music; I really hope people say “She made a difference, she did something to touch someone’s life!” But that’s just me! (She laughs again)
Mr Wonder: Let’s bring it up to date now: obviously ‘Lip Lock’ is your album out now (Eve yells “OUT NOW!”) and you’re doing the whole iTunes/Amazon thing?
Eve: There’s no Reason not to go get it - it’s everywhere! I think people will really love it, I’m really happy with it.
