The Quiet Storm Roars In From The East

03/01/2001 3:00 PM, LAUNCH
Marci Kenon

Eve is no-nonsense. You've got to love her for "keepin' it real" as she explains the title of her latest album, Scorpion. "I wanted something that would describe who I am," says the 22-year-old Philly native of her Ruff Ryders/Interscope sophomore effort. "I'm like a true Scorpio in every sense--moody, passionate about things I love, loyal to people who I love, loyal to friends. But I will sting if somebody gets on my nerves."

The platinum-plus success of Let There Be Eve--Ruff Ryders' First Lady was a major sting to her some of her male counterparts who used to underestimate females in hip-hop. "When my album first dropped, I had a male rapper say to me, 'Yeah, congratulations on your album. I hope you go platinum,'" she recalls. "I said, 'I'm trying to go double- or triple-platinum.' He said, 'You know, females don't get that type of run in this game.' That right there tells you that males don't really think of female rappers being [as good] or better than them. But I proved n-ggas wrong. When he said that to me, I didn't boast or brag about the album. I prayed, mostly. I saw him later, and he really couldn't say anything."

If Eve--whose full name is Eve Jihan Jeffers--sounds bitchy, that side of her is reserved for very special occasions, like when she's had to defend herself against preconceived notions based solely on gender. "Guys now have a newfound respect," she concedes. "Before I got [up to bat], it was like, 'All right, who is this, and is she going to turn out to be a groupie or just another artist who has a year run?' I have to be extra-bitchy or extra-strong, so cats can know I'm really about my business and that's it. I let them know I'm not impressed by y'all--at all. Now, it's like, 'OK, [females] can do what we do...and maybe they can do it better.'"

While Eve has scored major points in the battle of the sexes, for a while, the responsibility of fame itself began to get to her. She admits that she through a bout with depression--though it didn't last very long, she assures. "One of the biggest challenges is not being able to do exactly what I want to do as far as going out," she explains. "Some days, I just want to chill and watch what's going on, like other people watch what's going on. But I can't really do that, because people are watching me now. Some days that gets annoying and I can't relax. "

Despite these drawbacks, Eve feels blessed and says she wouldn't change her life for anything in the world. But she does send a warning: "Definitely, be careful of what you wish for. No one knows what goes along with this until you are actually in it. I can sit and talk to new artists who are in the studio recording and they are like, 'I can't wait to do such and such.' I can tell them things that I have been through, but they will never fully understand it until they go through it themselves."

Today, Eve is refreshed and ready to deal with the hustle and bustle that comes with stardom and the promotions of her 16-song album led by the Teflon-produced single "Who's That Girl?" The artist formerly known as Eve Of Destruction worked well with a variety of producers, including Stevie J, Swizz Beatz, Dame Grease, Shok, and the one and only Dr. Dre, who at one time had Eve signed to his Aftermath label. Dre produced the cuts "Let Me Blow Your Mind" (featuring Gwen Stefani of No Doubt) and "Piano Stabs" (featuring Styles of the Lox). Eve says that her reunion with Dre went very well. "We never got to work closely before," she recounts. "It's great. He's very creative and he's very excited about the project."

Elsewhere on the album, Eve teams up with labelmate Drag-On on "Got What You Need" and with DMX on "Scream Double R." And veteran songstress Teena Marie joins Eve on the Shok-produced "Livin' Life Is So Hard," a heartfelt tune with very strong single potential. Eve also sings on a remake of Dawn Penn's reggae classic "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)," produced by the Marleys, sons of the legendary Bob Marley.

Eve is pleased with the result of her months of hard work, and feels she's developed as an artist and a woman. "Scorpion is more grown-up," she boasts. "It's a little more musical. It's not to the left or anything. It sounds like a grown-up Eve. I've been through a lot this year and I grew up a whole lot this year. I learned a lot about people and about myself from different things that have gone on. I learned to trust myself more than anyone else and not to put too much trust in people."

Though Eve sees herself as having grown and developed, critics and fans alike have held her up as a positive role model for women in hip-hop from the moment she hit the scene. Her record sales prove that women can be strong and sell without compromising their dignity. Nonetheless, Eve still tries to understand the views of her female rap peers and the controversial images some of them project.

"I still think we have a lot of work to do--honestly," she sighs. "I don't agree with some of the images I see. But I can't judge anybody, you know what I'm saying? I can't look down on anybody. Everybody is doing what she feels comfortable with doing, so I can't really say anything about it. I do wish that we would come together as women and be strong as a unit--especially in this business. We are the minority here, and we should get together to capitalize and build something strong. And that's hard. That's hard because women are so catty towards each other. I wish that attitude would change--definitely."