Queen of Rap Eve Looks Back At Her Chart Smashes From “Who’s That Girl?,” To “Hot Boyz.”
Eve chit-chatted down the yellow brick road with Billboard as she reminisced about the behind-the-scenes tales from her decorated career. She goes through style wardrobes and plot narratives, giving us a peek into her creative evolution.
Her official crossover into Pop came with the smash hit “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” a collab with Gwen Stefani that cemented her versatility. “I didn’t want anyone else,” Eve said. “I felt like it had to be her ’cause I could hear her voice on it.” The track, produced by Dr. Dre and featuring Scott Storch on keys, became a defining moment. Gwen didn’t even change the lyrics: “She was like, ‘No, I think it’s perfect. I’m just going to sing it.’”
Eve also spilled her writing skills on mega ginormous hits like her verse for Missy Elliott’s “Hot Boyz.” “I wrote that verse in like 2.5 seconds ’cause I was so excited,” she recalled. “It was a verse that helped my career. It definitely made people in the industry pay attention to me a bit more.”
She reflected on her early days in Harlem and the Bronx, where her short blonde hair earned her the nickname “Rubia.” “They all thought I was Dominican for the longest time,” she laughed. “I had to start the song off that way because it’s like, you know, a Latin track.”
From salsa lessons for music videos to studio sessions with Gwen, Nas, and Missy, Eve’s journey is full of vibrant memories. “Writing is therapeutic. It’s my diary,” she said of her verse on Mary J. Blige’s track produced by Dre. “All those words I say are coming straight from the gut.”
Even when label execs doubted her genre-bending choices, Eve trusted her instincts. “People were saying it’s not urban enough, that it was too Top 40,” she said of one track. “But now people love this record. It just blew.”
Eve’s latest moves and legacy, watch the full interview below!
