# Eve (rapper)
**Eve** (born Eve Jihan Jeffers; 1978) is an American rapper, singer, and actress from Philadelphia who rose to fame as the "First Lady" of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop collective and became the third female rapper to top the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200 album chart, after [Lauryn Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/lauryn-hill) and Foxy Brown.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/eve-rapper-biography) • [2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-eve) Her debut album, *Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady* (1999), entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, and her duet with [Gwen Stefani](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwen-stefani), "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2002.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/27/eve-looks-back-interview-musician-actor-rapper) • [4](https://abc.com/cast/cedfdfac-6038-449b-80e0-56554188d62d)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Eve Jihan Jeffers, 1978, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/eve-rapper-biography) |
| Debut album | *Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady* (1999), Interscope/Ruff Ryders; entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/27/eve-looks-back-interview-musician-actor-rapper) |
| Sales | Debut certified double platinum, with Billboard reporting 1,977,000 copies sold[2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-eve) • [6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-06-09.pdf) |
| Grammy Awards | 2 wins from 6 nominations: Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (2002) and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for The Roots' "You Got Me" (2000)[7](https://www.grammy.com/artists/eve/3320/) |
| Signature image | Platinum buzz cut and paw-print chest tattoos; self-described "pit bull in a skirt"[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/) |
| Acting | *Barbershop* (2002) and its 2004 and 2016 sequels, *xXx* (2002), and the UPN sitcom *Eve* for three seasons[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/eve-rapper-biography) |
| Memoir | *Who's That Girl*, published in 2024[8](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/18/eves-memoir-whos-that-girl-and-other-questions) |
## Early life and start in rap
Eve grew up in housing projects in Philadelphia, the daughter of Julia Wilch-Jeffers and Jerry Jeffers, and knew by the time she graduated high school in 1996 that she wanted to be a rapper.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/eve-rapper-biography) • [6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-06-09.pdf) • [9](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/eve-through-years) She has said she started rapping at 11, and four years later told her mother she wanted to pursue music rather than go to college.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/27/eve-looks-back-interview-musician-actor-rapper) Her plan had been to be a singer: as a kid she toured Philadelphia talent shows in the all-girl singing group Dope Girl Posse, switching to rapping at 13 on her manager's suggestion.[10](https://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2004-Di-Ko/Eve.html) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/19/eve-i-thought-of-rap-as-a-sisterhood-it-was-not-like-that) She came up as a battle rapper, hitting cyphers all around Philadelphia.[12](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=1200034675)
## Aftermath and the move to Ruff Ryders
**A false start with Dr. Dre.** After a chance encounter with the rapper Mase at the Bronx strip club where she briefly worked, Eve auditioned for [Dr. Dre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-dre)'s Aftermath Records, flew to Los Angeles, and was signed almost on the spot, recording under the name Eve of Destruction.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/) About eight months into the collaboration, Dre met Eminem, and Eve was sent back to Philadelphia; she later told Newsweek, "Dre did not know what to do with me."[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/eve-rapper-biography) A song she recorded for the label was released under that name and appeared on the soundtrack to the 1998 film *[Bulworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/bulworth)*, and by late 1998 it was still the only credit to her name.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/)
Interscope, Aftermath's parent label, introduced her to the Ruff Ryders, the New York label and collective built around [DMX](https://www.edgepedia.org/dmx), The Lox, Jadakiss, and producer [Swizz Beatz](https://www.edgepedia.org/swizz-beatz).[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/eve-rapper-biography) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/27/eve-looks-back-interview-musician-actor-rapper) She joined the previously all-male crew in the late 1990s and described the preparation as boot camp: "They made me write and recite, write and recite... You had to prove yourself to them, and that's what made me a better MC."[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/) In 1998, the same year DMX released two platinum-selling albums, she got to work.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/)
## Recording career
In 1999 Eve appeared, uncredited, alongside [Erykah Badu](https://www.edgepedia.org/erykah-badu) on [The Roots](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roots)' single "You Got Me" from *Things Fall Apart*, and joined [Blackstreet](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackstreet), Janet Jackson, and Ja Rule on "Girlfriend/Boyfriend."[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/) "You Got Me" won the 2000 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, credited to The Roots, Erykah Badu, and Eve.[7](https://www.grammy.com/artists/eve/3320/) In January 2026, the Los Angeles Times reported that Eve had received Grammy recognition for the song: when it was released in 1999 it was the first time the world heard her voice, but no one knew it was hers.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-01-30/after-26-years-eve-receives-grammy-recognition-for-you-got-me) Her debut single, "What Ya Want," featuring Nokio of Dru Hill, appeared on the Ruff Ryders compilation *Ryde or Die Vol. 1* and led her first album.[10](https://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2004-Di-Ko/Eve.html) • [9](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/eve-through-years)
**The debut.** *Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady* was released in September 1999 on Interscope/Ruff Ryders and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, making Eve the third female rapper to reach the top spot, after Lauryn Hill and Foxy Brown.[14](https://www.etonline.com/eve-talks-looking-back-on-her-early-rap-days-in-ruff-ryders-chronicles-exclusive-151632) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/27/eve-looks-back-interview-musician-actor-rapper) • [2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-eve) It went platinum twice, and Billboard later reported its sales at 1,977,000 copies.[15](https://www.mediabistro.com/wp-content/uploads/freelancers/684282/684282_Gx8NxCmQyssA_DecY6d3Nafl0.pdf) • [6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-06-09.pdf) Eve co-wrote all of the album's songs, and the release presented a distinctive image: a platinum-blonde buzz cut, paw-print tattoos on her chest, and a persona she declared herself in "What Ya Want" as "the illest, vicious pit bull in a skirt."[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/) • [8](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/18/eves-memoir-whos-that-girl-and-other-questions) Pitchfork's retrospective described the record as "an album of self-determination, where she effortlessly bests the guys at what they think is their own game."[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/)
**Scorpion and Eve-olution.** Her second album, *Scorpion* (2001), was platinum-selling and produced "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Gwen Stefani, which won the inaugural Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2002; the album was also nominated for Best Rap Album.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/27/eve-looks-back-interview-musician-actor-rapper) • [7](https://www.grammy.com/artists/eve/3320/) • [4](https://abc.com/cast/cedfdfac-6038-449b-80e0-56554188d62d) Her third album, *Eve-olution* (2002), debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and spawned the hits "Gangsta Lovin'," with [Alicia Keys](https://www.edgepedia.org/alicia-keys), and "Satisfaction."[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-06-09.pdf) Rather than push forward with music, she then turned to Hollywood.[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-06-09.pdf)
Her later albums were sparser: *Lip Lock* (2013) was her first in 11 years, and in July 2019 she released the single "Reload," her first new music in six years.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/19/eve-i-thought-of-rap-as-a-sisterhood-it-was-not-like-that) • [4](https://abc.com/cast/cedfdfac-6038-449b-80e0-56554188d62d) In the 2026 Guardian interview she said that in her peak years she was the only girl in the boardroom at major-label meetings, and that "that Philly girl had to come out."[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/27/eve-looks-back-interview-musician-actor-rapper)
## Acting and television
Eve broke into film in 2002 with an appearance in [Vin Diesel](https://www.edgepedia.org/vin-diesel)'s *xXx* and a starring role alongside Ice Cube in the comedy *Barbershop*, and appeared in its two sequels in 2004 and 2016.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/eve-rapper-biography) She anchored her own UPN sitcom, *Eve*, for three seasons.[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-06-09.pdf) She later served as a host of the CBS daytime talk show *The Talk* and appeared in the Netflix show *[Feel Good](https://www.edgepedia.org/feel-good-tv-series)*, and she is a Daytime Emmy, BET, and MTV Video Music Award winner as well as a Grammy winner.[4](https://abc.com/cast/cedfdfac-6038-449b-80e0-56554188d62d) In 2020 she announced a debut podcast for the BBC, *Constantly Evolving*, speaking with cultural figures about life and personal and professional struggles.[4](https://abc.com/cast/cedfdfac-6038-449b-80e0-56554188d62d)
## Memoir and personal life
In 2024 Eve published her memoir, *Who's That Girl*, which opens with an anecdote about a phone call from Jay-Z in 1999, on the day her debut album went on sale; she recalled him congratulating and then consoling her, saying female hip-hop albums do not do that well.[8](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/18/eves-memoir-whos-that-girl-and-other-questions) • [16](https://community.thefemalelead.com/p/rapper-eve-being-one-of-the-few-women) The book covers her path in hip-hop, her acting in the *Barbershop* franchise, and her co-hosting on *The Talk*, as well as moments of personal struggle.[16](https://community.thefemalelead.com/p/rapper-eve-being-one-of-the-few-women) She lives in [West London](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-london) with her husband, the British race-car driver Maximillion Cooper.[8](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/18/eves-memoir-whos-that-girl-and-other-questions)
## References
1. [Eve - Songs, Albums & Career, Biography.com (A&E Television Networks)](https://www.biography.com/musicians/eve-rapper-biography)
2. [In Conversation With Eve, Numéro Netherlands](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-eve)
3. [Rapper and actor Eve looks back, The Guardian (2026)](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/27/eve-looks-back-interview-musician-actor-rapper)
4. [Eve | Queens cast biography, ABC](https://abc.com/cast/cedfdfac-6038-449b-80e0-56554188d62d)
5. [Eve: Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady Album Review, Pitchfork (2019)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eve-let-there-be-everuff-ryders-first-lady/)
6. [After A Hollywood Sojourn, Eve Puts The Spotlight Back On Music, Billboard (2007)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-06-09.pdf)
7. [Eve Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/eve/3320/)
8. [Eve's Memoir, "Who's That Girl?," and Other Questions, The New Yorker (2024)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/18/eves-memoir-whos-that-girl-and-other-questions)
9. [Eve Through The Years, Essence](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/eve-through-years)
10. [Eve Biography, Newsmakers / Notable Biographies](https://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2004-Di-Ko/Eve.html)
11. [Eve: 'I thought of rap as a sisterhood. It was not like that', The Guardian (2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/19/eve-i-thought-of-rap-as-a-sisterhood-it-was-not-like-that)
12. [Eve, capradio.org / NPR](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=1200034675)
13. [After 26 years, Eve receives Grammy recognition for "You Got Me", Los Angeles Times (2026)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-01-30/after-26-years-eve-receives-grammy-recognition-for-you-got-me)
14. [Eve Talks Looking Back on Her Early Rap Days in 'Ruff Ryders Chronicles', Entertainment Tonight](https://www.etonline.com/eve-talks-looking-back-on-her-early-rap-days-in-ruff-ryders-chronicles-exclusive-151632)
15. [Eve profile, magazine feature PDF](https://www.mediabistro.com/wp-content/uploads/freelancers/684282/684282_Gx8NxCmQyssA_DecY6d3Nafl0.pdf)
16. [Rapper Eve: Being one of few women in hip-hop added 'fuel to the fire' to succeed, The Female Lead](https://community.thefemalelead.com/p/rapper-eve-being-one-of-the-few-women)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › East Coast rap (New York and Philadelphia) › Golden era East Coast rap (1980s–1990s)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license