American rapper Eve first garnered international fame in the late 90’s with her debut album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady. Hailing from Philadelphia, she developed a keen interest in singing during her early childhood. Growing up, she was a member of numerous choirs; at one point, she even formed an all-girl music group called Dope Girl Posse, which covered various songs from Color Me Badd and En Vogue. Interestingly enough, it was her manager then that first suggested the idea of rapping. Following the group’s disbandment, she performed briefly with a rap group before embarking on a solo music career under the stage name, “Eve of Destruction”. After collaborating with various artists such as DJ Clue and The Roots, she released her debut album in the fall of 1999, which to her surprise became a huge hit. A chart topper on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B Albums Chart, it has since sold more than 2,000,000 copies within the United States.
After being featured on Missy Elliott’s Hot Boyz (Remix), Eve released her second single album, Scorpion in 2001. Although it only managed to reach number four on the Billboard 200, it still proved to be a commercial success nonetheless; the album has since also gone Platinum in the US. To date, Eve has come out with a total of four full length albums, including Eve-Olution (2002), and Lip Lock (2013), both of which reached the American record charts. Additionally, the female rapper has released 29 music videos and 32 singles throughout her career thus far- some of her most popular titles include Who’s That Girl? (2001), Let Me Blow Ya Mind (2001), Gangsta Lovin’ (2002), Satisfcation (2003), and Tambourine (2007). Of course, she’s also collaborated with many fellow artists over the years such as Blackstreet, Beanie Sigel, City High, Angie Stone, Mary J. Blige, and Nate Dogg.
A talented rapper, Eve has received numerous industry awards including three ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards, a BET Award, an ASCAP Pop Music Award, as well as a prestigious Grammy, among others. Like many recording artists, she has also appeared on film and television on several occasions- in 2002, she made her motion picture debut in the popular comedy drama, Barbershop. From there, she appeared in xXx (2002), Third Watch (2003) and Spider-Man (2003) prior to being given her own sitcom, Eve in 2003. Although reviews were mixed, it earned her several accolades including a Teen Choice Award in 2005. Since then, Numb3rs (2009), Whip It (2009), Glee (2009), Whitney (2012), Single Ladies (2011), and All Wifed Out (2012), among others, have also been added onto her filmography.
What has the rapper/actress been up to in the recent years? Has she starred in any new movies as of late? What about her music career- will she be putting forth any new albums or singles this year? What can we expect to see from the Pennsylvania-native this year? What happened to Eve? Where is she now in 2018?
Eve’s Early Life and Career Beginnings
After the group’s eventual disbandment, Eve formed another music group- this time, with an emphasis on rap. Following a few years of performing together, they split; subsequently, she decided to embark on a solo music career. Prior to her big break, Eve made several guest appearances in the works of DJ Clue, Janet Jackson, and Blackstreet (e.g. You Got Me, Girlfriend/Boyfriend). When she was eighteen years old, she received an incredible break after a few of her friends organized an impromptu audition for the teen. After rapping for record producer Dr. Dre, she was offered a recording contract on the spot with his Aftermath Records. Despite the opportunity however, she soon fell through the cracks at the company, with no releases to her name. Before long, her contract had lapsed.
Luckily for Eve, she was eventually picked up by Interscope Records in 1997. Picking off where she had left off, she soon came out with her debut album entitled, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady in the fall of 1999.
Eve’s Music Career Throughout the Years
A surprise hit, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady managed to peak at the top of both the Billboard Top 200 and the Top R&B and Hip Hop Albums Chart not long after its release. According to Niel Soundscan, it had sold over 213,000 copies during the first week- which is quite an incredible feat for a new artist. Praised for its quality of lyrics and production, the album garnered a number of positive reviews, although contemporary critic Robert Christgau did give it a two star rating. Regardless, the title has since sold over 2,000,000 copies within the United States, earning it Double Platinum accreditation from the RIAA.
Two years later, the hip hop artist came out with her second studio album, Scorpion on March 6, 2001. Recorded in two years, it came with an hour’s worth of songs including the titles Who’s That Girl, You Had Me You Lost Me, Let Me Blow Ya Mind, Thug in the Street, You Ain’t Getting One, and Got What You Need, among others; altogether, they were sixteen tracks. Much like her debut effort, most of the song also featured guest vocals from artists such as Erex, Gwen Stefani, Styles P, DMX, Damian Marley, and Teena Marie.
A critical success upon hitting stores, Scorpion entered the Billboard Top 200 at number four, having sold over 162,000 copies in the first weekend. Eve’s second album in a row to reach number one on the US Top R&B Albums Chart, it also charted in several other countries overseas such as Austria, New Zealand, Norway, France, Denmark, Canada, and Switzerland. Nominated for a Grammy for the category of Best Rap Album, it later spawned the Grammy Award-winning hit, Let Me Blow Ya Mind. Her second most successful release to date, it has since sold over 1,500,000 copies domestically- earning it Platinum status in the US.
Another success for the artist, it peaked at the the sixth position on the Billboard Top 200 and at number one on the Top Hip Hop Albums Chart. An international hit, it also reached the record charts of Canada, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway, Germany, France, and Australia. Given primarily favorable reviews, it ended up spawning two singles, one of which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 (e.g. Gangsta Lovin). As of 2007, over 720,000 copies of Eve-Olution have been sold in the United States.
Over a decade later, Eve returned to the scene with her latest album, Lip Lock. Her first album in eleven years, it was made available on May 14, 2013 through RED and From The Rib Records. Produced by Bruce Carbone, Blac Elvis, Swizz Beatz, Claude Kelly, and Salaam Remi, among others, it featured twelve hip hop tracks including Mama in the Kitchen, Zero Below, Never Gone, Make it Out This Town, All Night, Keep Me From You, and She Bad Bad; Gabe Saporta, Claude Kelly, Snoop Dogg, Dawn Richard, and Missy Elliott also made guest appearances in the album.
Upon its release, Lip Lock entered the Billboard Top 200 at number forty six, selling over 8,600 copies within the first week domestically; it later sold an additional 3,5000 copies in the second week. On the record charts, it also peaked at number seven on the Top R&B Albums Chart and at number ten on the US Independent Albums Chart. Although it wasn’t as successful as her earlier endeavors, it garnered mostly favorable reviews; for instance, Allmusic gave it a three and a half star rating. Lip Lock eventually spawned two singles, Eve and Make it Out This Town.
Eve’s Career on Television and Film
In addition to her singing career, Eve has also appeared in several television series and in some occasions- film. For instance, she has guest starred in the shows Third Watch (2003), One on One (2004), Glee (2009), Single Ladies (2012), and The Getaway (2013), to name a few.
Having said that, her most well known role on television is that of the title character in the UPN sitcom, Eve (2003). Playing as one of the ensemble cast members, the show revolved around a group of friends who try to navigate relationships with the opposite gender. While the series garnered high ratings from the young Hispanic population, viewership was generally low; after three seasons, it was ultimately cancelled by UPN.
Regardless, it earned Eve several accolades including nominations for a BET Comedy Award, two Kids’ Choice Awards and four Teen Choice Awards.
What’s Eve Doing Now in 2018 – Recent Updates
Although she hasn’t acted since the film Barbershop: The Next Cut back in 2016, Eve recently played a small recurring role in the comedy drama, Daytime Divas (2017), where she appeared for two episodes. Aside from that, it doesn’t look like she has any television appearances planned- that we know of anyway.
On the music front, things are similar; she hasn’t released any new material since her last album, Lip Lock in 2013 (although Eve did collaborate with Riddim Commission in 2014).
With that said, perhaps the rapper has decided to take it easy after a busy 2016- she did join Gwen Stefani on her tour, and appeared in the Barbershop movie after all. Or perhaps she’s simply spending more time at home with her four step children. We’ll keep you posted!
If you’d like to stay connected with the rapper, you can do so by following her on social media- you can find Eve on Twitter or Instagram at @TheRealEve. Don’t forget to also visit her official Facebook page for the latest news and announcements!
