S. Samuel
With her long-awaited Lip Lock album just a couple months away from dropping, former Ruff Ryders rapper Eve hit up SOHH to give the inside scoop on taking a music hiatus and what's changed over these past 10 years.
When asked what motivated her to get back into the recording booth to add to her already impressive résumé, Eve cited music as one passion she will never abandon for good.
“I’m a musician, you never stop being a musician, it’s just like how artists never stop painting,” E-v-e told SOHH when asked about her motivation for dropping a new album. “Poets never stop writing poetry. I’m a musician, I’m an artist, I’m a hip-hop artist. Music is my passion, it’s my therapy, it’s my first love and I feel like yeah, it took a minute for me to come back out but I needed to be inspired again. And I wanted to make sure the business was right. Right now, it did take a minute, but everything’s so great. I’m inspired again, I’m excited, it feels like I’m a new artist. It just feels right, right now.” (SOHH)
Although a decade has passed since her last full-length studio effort dropped, Eve promised fans could rest assured her lyrical skills are still sharp.
“It’s a huge change, obviously that [Eve-olution] record came out ten years ago,” Eve added when asked about how she’s changed since her 2003 release. “Obviously I’ve definitely grown. Lyrically, I feel people will still be like, ‘D*mn, that’s my girl.’ But, yes, the music is different. I’ve traveled the world now. I travel all the time, actually. I live in London so it’s like my whole ear is different but lyrically, hopefully people will be like, ‘D*mn, that’s my girl!’ That’s the one thing I wanted to keep the same as far as how I flow and things like that. I think the music is more worldly, more global, maybe.” (SOHH)
If all goes accordingly, the Philadelphia-bred rapper’s Lip Lock will hit stores around mid-May.
After several false starts, Eve is finally ready to make her return to music. The Philly raptress has announced an official release date for her first album in over a decade, Lip Lock. Eve’s fourth album will arrive on May 14 featuring appearances from Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, Juicy J, and Chrisette Michele, with production from Claude Kelly, Swizz Beatz, and more. (Rap-Up)
The album’s hit single “She Bad Bad” premiered online a couple months ago.
Ruff Ryders’ First Lady’s much-much-much-delayed fourth studio album has gone through a few incarnations over the last decade, due to some drama with her label and a few underperforming singles; initially it was titled Here I Am, then Flirt and now, finally, it’s been given the official (supposedly) name Lip Lock. The lead single, “She Bad Bad,” dropped back in October, but today marks the release of the video, which is slick with rapid-fire cuts. Admittedly, Eve looks good — although in some shots you could mistake her for Azealia Banks, which probably says something about how gracefully the entertainer is aging — and the video’s attention-deficit visual style compensates for what was likely a limited budget. It’s a good buzzy tease, but we’re guessing she’ll need something radio-friendlier to capture the public attention once more. (Idolator)
Check out “She Bad Bad”:
