Written By: Wanjiru Waweru
Eve’s debut album enfolded highlighted her crew’s name, and her situation in a bold statement: “Ruff Ryders’ First Lady” (1999) emerges directly advanced her paw-print chest tattoos. More than an occupant woman, she was rapidly their most multitalented member, an extremely warm-hearted transition to perform in the public eye instead of street cliques including Cash Money, or other pop singers such as Nelly, and Jessica Simpson on a 2001 TRL Tour. Eve’s collection caused her to become more marketing, and therefore what Eve provided for women in the Hip-Hop scene was certification of element. All Eve desired for her sophomore album was the appearance of improvement in the male-dominated industry. Eve was not afraid to show her creativity.
Nevertheless, in interviews around that time, Eve began labeling herself a “feminist”, “Scorpion” is one of the most manifested pro-woman declarations of independence in Hip-Hop history. “My goal is to be known as a strong independent woman who stands up for what she believes in, who stands for something other than taking your money or having you pay my bills,” Eve said XXL in 2001. “I’m Eve, and there’s no man in the world who can ever speak or try and write (for me).” Mass-appeal party records including “Who’s That Girl?”, and “Let Me Blow Your Mind” double, and triple as the female empowerment anthem to classify Eve as a driven, business rapper, singer, and pop star with a high emotional intelligent quotient (IQ). The cover image of “Scorpion” combined three picture films of Eve: “a front-facing, a profile, and a closeup of one eye gazing outward.”
In less than three years of Eve’s debut, Philly’s self-determination “Pitbull in a Skirt” went double platinum, and became the first female rapper to debut at number-one on the Billboard 200 pop.
album chart. She started scoring invites to fashion shows including the Chanel boutique opening and financed in stock. She made an income at the age of 22 to purchase her mother a house, and herself: “a lavish three-bedroom in New Jersey that was soon occupied by a live-in boyfriend, Steven ‘Stevie J’Jordan, a member of Bad Boy’s unstoppable Hitmen production squad who’s now better known as a sleazy reality TV player.” Eve’s personal life connects a discord — “her work ambitions, love spats, and efforts toward self-sufficiency—exist in equilibrium on the album.”
Media honored “Scorpion” as a Declaration of Independence for Eve: “The New York Beacon” made a review underneath the headline “You Go, Girl!” And even-handedness, the first half is a whole coming-out party jazzed up by “call-and-response records” such as “Cowboy” where Eve randomly checklist her achievements and balances her future ones. As Swizz Beats participated as hype man above of his enthusiasm production on “Got What You Need”, Eve’s mindful of women to encourage ballers, completing her first verse with a shrug: “If he actin’ cheap then, fuck him, you ain’t need that.” Her movement is persistent and freshly melodic beyond the album – “she harmonizes and sings most of the hooks and proves herself more than capable.”
Pitchfork mentioned other songs from Eve’s “Scorpion” album. “The album’s timeless centerpiece, lead single ‘Who’s That Girl?’ starts with a rhythm that evokes Morse Code: nine short horn bleats, the ninth note elongated, then two quick ones, and the cycle repeats before the beat hardens into a vibrant Mardi Gras-style collision of bells and bass, all produced by Teflon. (The deluxe reissue comes with three additional remixes, the best being a dreamy, mellowed-out version by C.L.A.S.) In this one song, Eve raps enough affirmations to adorn a SheEO merch line. The lyrics might sound like empty slogans in a post-girl boss world, but in Eve’s voice, they become smooth mantras. She can fend for herself financially (‘Eve want her own cash, fuck what you bought her’), that she has influence (‘Power moves is made every day by this thorough bitch’), and the world is her oyster (‘Bottom line, my world, my way, any questions?’). In ‘You Ain’t Gettin’ None,’ she entertains lust for a guy while making it clear that the decision to go further is hers. ‘Should I give in? Ready to open my garage/And let you park in the dark,’ she raps, later deciding, ‘Dinner was lovely, but I really gotta go.’
When Eve mentions her songwriting skills in “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” it confirms between a boast, and reality check: it became a full-time career, and her songwriting credit receives royalties. Dr. Dre’s production teamed up with Scott Scorch to develop a classic-pop record. Eve looked forward to collaborating with Gwen Stefani, who later reported Dre was very tough on her that she shed tears subsequently. “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and received a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
Pitchfork also mentioned about other songs that involved Eve’s romantic relationship with Stevie J on the “Scorpion” album. “As always, her music lands firmly on the side of scorned women. Stevie J appears on Scorpion as both a rose and a thorn in her life; he figured prominently in her interviews at the time. (In a Rolling Stone profile in 2001, he gauchely reveals Eve’s spending habits, claiming, ‘She spent a hundred grand real quick.’) The couple’s on-again, off-again tension manifests in a skit and a breakup anthem, ‘You Had Me, You Lost Me,’ where Eve sounds legitimately fed up as she vents about the audacity of a cheating partner. “You fucked around and played around and now you’re feeling sad,” she croons in the chorus above a dub of herself singing the familiar playground taunt ‘na-na-na-na.’ Ironically, Eve had reunited with Stevie by the time the album dropped, making the song’s heartfelt fury more relatably tragic. The song lives on as a document of her growing pains.”
Eve’s “Scorpion” collects the collaborations with a wide range of artists from different genres. It shows the combination of recipe: “a laid-back reggae cut featuring Stephen and Damian Marley sits alongside a duet with soul legend Teena Marie about resilience. The records feel like icing on an already decadent cake, but they’re the sum of Eve’s parts that helped her step so fluidly into pop on her own terms.” On the team’s anthem, The LOX, and DMX participated, and featured on the “Scorpion” album to support her personal journey. She gained independence with that album without any help from others.
Eve – Scorpion
Eve – Who’s That Girl? (Official Music Video)
iEve – Let Me Blow Ya Mind (Official Music Video) ft. Gwen Stefani
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