Ever since Eve broke on the scene in 1999, she’s had a knack for making stardom look easy. Grammy Award winner. Check. Starring in blockbuster films. Check. Achieving elite status as a fashion icon. Check. The “blonde bombshell” is a triple-threat entertainer in the truest sense of the term. Eve was one of a new breed of tough, talented, commercially viable female MCs to hit the rap scene during the late ’90s. Though she could be sexy when she chose, she wasn’t as over the top as Lil’ Kim or Foxy Brown, and as part of the Ruff Ryders crew, her production was harder than Da Brat’s early work with Jermaine Dupri. In the end, Eve came off as her own person; a strong, no-nonsense street MC who could hold her own with most anyone on the mic; and was finding success on her own terms. Following a successful four-year takeover of the Hollywood and fashion scene, The self-professed “pitbull in a skirt” has been getting ready for the release of her fourth album, Here I Am, scheduled to hit stores on September 18th which features the likes of Pharrell Williams, Mary J Blige, Sean Paul, T.I., Robin Thicke and Timbaland and executive produced by Swizz Beatz. She’s tough, straight, talented, and cares about what others think. E-V-E sits down with AllHipHop.com and weighs in on the wonders of her world. AllHipHop.com: So let’s address your recent DUI [Driving under Influence] incident and being ordered to wear a DUI ankle bracelet amongst. Do you feel the punishment was fair or the court made an example of you?Eve: I know I wouldn’t even be wearing this bracelet if all the other things that have happened with all these other celebrities hadn’t the way they have been and because I live in California, well I’m between California and New York, but because the incident actually happened in California, they like to make examples of people there if it was New York then I might have lost my licence for a couple of months which is fine but I wouldn’t have had to wear this bracelet or do the meetings or anything but in L.A. because of these other celebrities and there recent situations, I’m sure I got a tougher deal.AllHipHop.com: Do you witness a lot of sexism in this industry around you?Eve: Definitely. I hang around a lot of guys and so there are times where things are said or situations happen and I have to be like, “Look don’t do that while I’m around, you can do that on your own time but if I’m around then don’t talk too a women like that or act that way.” So I do see it, but not a lot though. The guys I surround myself with are basically respectful, like they’re not pigs. I don’t surround myself with those ignorant kind of guys and so as long as the women are respecting themselves then they are respectful.AllHipHop.com: Comments were made about you dating White men after Sean Penn visited you after the DUI charge. Do you feel its frowned upon more for Black women to date White men in this industry where as it’s okay for Black men to date White women?Eve: It’s most definitely worse if a Black girl dates a White guy, but before I go on, I want to clarify that there’s absolutely nothing going on between me and Sean Penn. I’ve known him for five or six year’s and we are mutual friends and that’s it. Okay, so back to the point: I feel it’s my decision who I am with. If an alien came onto earth and treated me right and I fell in love with it, then it’s my business. This isn’t the first time comments like this have been made though. I went to a basketball game with a friend and there was a picture of us and someone posted it on a blog and wrote “Eve dates White guys,” and it wasn’t true, the guy was just my friend but even if it was true there must be bigger thing’s going on in the world for them to report on. And I see a lot of Black athletes with White wives or White girlfriends, so what’s the problem? Because I’m a Black girl in this industry, I can’t date a White guy? I’m going to love whoever loves me back and it’s my business. I think people get so caught up on all this s**t, and it’s ridiculous.AllHipHop.com: Could you comment on the recent rumors regarding you ordering a female prostitute at a hotel?Eve: [Laughs] Yeah, my assistant actually told me about that. First of all, I think that’s ridiculous and number two, if I wanted to have sex with somebody, then I definitely wouldn’t order a prostitute. I have enough people around me that either work for me or that I know that if I really felt like I needed to have sex with somebody then I would be like, “Hey, could you go find me somebody,” and number three, I was in New York with my mom and my little brother at the time, and so I don’t even know where that came from. That’s one of the most ridiculous rumors I’ve ever heard about myself. I think people can just be stupid, somebody was really bugging to start that. AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about the Internet, because these kind of rumors can be posted on one site and within the hour be news on websites all around the world?Eve: It’s so bad as the world right now is so celebrity-driven and everybody is so obsessed with celebrities’ lives even celebrities are obsessed with other celebrities’ lives. I would hope that people would think about what they read and figure out for themselves if something sounds stupid and too ridiculous too be true.AllHipHop.com: Let’s move on. How do you feel about Hip-Hop music currently?Eve: I think a lot of Hip-Hop music right now is stupid, a lot of it is very disposable, like ABC lyrics. It feel like “Really, how long did it take you to write that?” You know what I mean? Did they even care about thinking about what they were saying. I feel like a lot of it is a joke. AllHipHop.com: What’s your take on all the Hip-Hop beefs?Eve: It’s f**king stupid. At the end of the day, a lot of these people become rappers or entertainers to get out of their neighborhood and to get away from stupid s**t and then it seems like the same people are bringing this negative energy into the industry. Honestly, I feel like is the only way that you feel you can prove yourself or be noticed? It’s a crap way to be noticed, like if you’re talented, then prove it with the music, you don’t have no need to worry about the next person. Beef to me is basically you taking too much time out thinking about that other person when you could be thinking about your next move. It’s ridiculous too me and they need to grow up, it’s very childish. R&B artist, producers everyone’s beefing. It’s really silly.AllHipHop.com: So if someone called you out right now, would you choose to ignore it?Eve: I have been called out before by two female MCs almost at the same time a few years back, and I did ignore it. Actually, I also just heard from a friend of mine that there’s someone right now who is actually trying to say my name or whatever, but first of all, I don’t get involved in beefs as my life’s too busy and I got a lot of things going on so that’s number one and two, I feel if I respond I’m not doing anything but helping blow them up. If I’m saying they’re name on tracks then I’m giving them free publicity, people are going to be like, “Who’s this chick that she’s talking about?” and I don’t have time too blow somebody else up, I got to worry about my own career. AllHipHop.com: Are you going to tell me who the other female artist is who’s calling you out?Eve: You probably wouldn’t even know her name because I think I didn’t even know here name. It’s some girl, honestly I can’t even think of the name right now. I got to ask my friend to remind me. You know that was what shocked me, it’s someone who doesn’t even have any music out in the States at all. I mean I think she was out along time ago and then she went away and now she’s trying to resurface and for some reason she’s using my name to try and resurface but she’s really not a good rapper so I don’t even know where’s she’s going or what she thinks she can accomplish. AllHipHop.com: You’re singing an entire track on Here I Am, right?Eve: I sang a Reggae song on Scorpion before, but that was more like a fun, whatever kind of thing that I felt like doing for myself. [The] song on this album Pharrell produced, and I went in the studio with him and I didn’t actually want to sing and he kind of talked me into it, but now I’m happy I did it and it’s one of my favorite songs on the album, it’s not like a Alicia Keys or a Mary J. Blige song but it’s a basic song over a crazy track, it’s defiantly a club track, it’s a fun song [called “All Night Long”]. AllHipHop.com: Are you feeling pressure with this album as you’ve been away from music for a while and especially with the current climate in album sales?Eve: Yes, there’s definitely some pressure. I try not to let myself think about it because if I did, I’d have anxiety attacks like every day. [Laughs] It’s been like five years since I put out my own album but thankfully I’ve still been visible on other people’s music. I think if I had gone away totally for five years and not been seen at all doing anything, it would be even harder to come back. The state of Hip-Hop, actually the state of music – not just Hip-Hop right now is so different, so I definitely have been sitting down with my label and having meetings but at the end of the day it’s going to do what it’s going to do and I can only work as hard as I can work and put out the best music that I know that I can make, and whatever else happens, is going to happen. AllHipHop.com: What is your actual label situation right now?Eve: [Laughs] There’s a lot going on with the label. I am still with Interscope, I’ve been with them for 10 years now. The original plan was for me to go to Aftermath, but [Dr.] Dre has a lot going on so Swizz [Beatz] basically took over the reigns on the album and is executive producer. Then Geffen also took over because they’re really good on the marketing and promotion aspect of the albums and they didn’t have anybody on the label like me and it seemed like something new and fresh start while still being able to stay with Interscope, so it all just fitted together. AllHipHop.com: Everything is all good with you and Dre then? No problems?Eve: Oh yes. Never any problems between me and Dre. AllHipHop.com: Finally, I wanted to touch on fashion. You come across as very fashion-forward, is fashion a big part of your overall package?Eve: I love fashion. I think that it is definitely an obsession of mine. I really have a problem. It’s not just the label stuff for me, it’s also cute stuff. I shop in all kind of stores. I literally get headaches from shopping. I love clothes, so if something is sold out or not in my size, I will have to hunt for it. AllHipHop.com: How’s your line ‘Fetish’ coming along?Eve: It’s going well. We’ve revamped the whole line. It’s more contemporary, more grown up, more sophisticated but still funky and still has an edge. The last line was kind of juvenile and stuff that I didn’t really want to support in wearing, but every piece in the new line, I really do want in my closet. It re-launches end of September, so will probably be in all store in the States in October.
