| Eve | |
|---|---|
Eve at The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection Fashion Show |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eve Jihan Jeffers |
| Also known as | Eve of Destruction, |
| Born | November 10, 1978 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, R&B |
| Occupations | Rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, record producer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Ruff Ryders, Full Surface, Geffen, EMI, Aftermath |
| Associated acts | Will Smith, Ludacris, Trina, Mashonda, Gwen Stefani, Timati, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Jill Scott, DMX, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Missy Elliott, Drag-On, The LOX |
| Website | eve-360.com |
Eve Jihan Jeffers (born November 10, 1978),[1] is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She won a Grammy Award in 2002 for the song "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", with Gwen Stefani. She ranked number 46 on VH1's "50 Greatest Women Of The Video Era" show list.
As an actress, she is best known for her roles as Terri Jones in the films Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and as Shelley Williams on the UPN television sitcom Eve.
Contents |
Eve was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Julia Wilch-Jeffers, a publishing company supervisor, and Jerry Jeffers, a chemical plant supervisor.[2] She adopted the name Gangsta in high school as part of an all-female group called EDGP (pronounced Egypt).
During her early years in Philadelphia, she was educated at Martin Luther King High School. Eve's first musical interest was singing. She sang in many choirs and even made an all-female singing group (Dope Girl Posse or D.G.P.) with a manager. This group covered songs from En Vogue and Color Me Badd. After the group's manager saw the rap group ABC, they suggested that the group should rap, and Eve stuck with it. She then went on to form a rapping group. After the group split, Eve began working on a solo career under the name "Eve of Destruction." Eve recently moved from LA to New York City.
Eve is featured (along with Erykah Badu) on the song "You Got Me" by The Roots, from their 1999 album Things Fall Apart. The song won a Grammy Award in 2000, which should have been Eve's first. She stated on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in 2009 that she did not receive a Grammy for the track. Questlove, from The Roots, had brought his Grammy to the show that night and showed she's not even credited on the award plaque. Eve would win her own in 2002. She also provided background vocals on the song "Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New" from the same album. In the album's liner notes, she is referred to as Eve of Destruction.
Eve first appeared on the Bulworth soundtrack as EVE of destruction while signed to Dr Dre's Aftermath Entertainment she did not see much action with big releases soon coming from Dr Dre so she grouped up with DMX and the Ruff Ryders on her first single as a ruff ryder DJ Clue's The Professional, along with other Ruff Ryders' compilations. Her next single, "What Ya Want", featuring Nokio the N-Tity of Dru Hill, became a top 40 hit on the U.S. Billboard 200 peaking at 29. Her 1999 debut, Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady, was an unprecedented success, becoming the first female rap artist to enter the Billboard 200 at number one.
The follow-up to Ruff Ryders' First Lady, Scorpion, was released in 2001. Its first single, "Who's That Girl" guaranteed the rapper first international success. The second single, "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (with Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and produced by Dr. Dre co-written by then-boyfriend Stevie J.), became a pop success, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and Eve eventually went platinum.
One of the record's strengths, cited in several reviews, was Eve's exploration of her singing voice in addition to her rapping skills. "I was a singer before I started rapping," Eve said in a Ruff Ryders press release, "so on this album I wanted my audience to hear more of my vocal skills".[3]
Eve's third album, Eve-Olution, was released in summer 2002 (see 2002 in music) and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. In the meantime, the album's first single, "Gangsta Lovin'", with Alicia Keys, became another number two hit. The second and final single, "Satisfaction", only saw moderate success again. Eve-Olution went gold selling 720,000 copies becoming Eve's lowest selling album to date. Eve also appeared on the remixed version of Michael Jackson's "Butterflies".
In 2005, the rapper appeared on Gwen Stefani's cover version of Louchie Lou & Michie One song "Rich Girl", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in March. The same year, she appeared on the remix of Amerie's number one U.S. R&B hit, "1 Thing" the Hitch soundtrack. Eve also was featured in Keyshia Cole's song "Never" as on the Barbershop 2: Back in Business soundtrack and The Way It Is along with the official remix for Teairra Mari's second single, "No Daddy".
In 2007, she appeared on Kelly Rowland's single "Like This". The Punk Cabaret band One On None covered Eve's 1999 song "Love Is Blind". In July 2007, Eve made a guest appearance on Maroon 5's second single Wake Up Call on Live @ 45th at Night, it is unknown if this will be an official remix or if it will even be recorded. In late 2008, she sung the song "Set It On Fire", which was featured on the credits for the movie Transporter 3 and is available on the Transporter 3 soundtrack.
In late 2010, Eve was the featured rapper who wrote the rap and performed it on Australian singer Guy Sebastian's single "Who's That Girl", which reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and has been certified 4x platinum sold.[4]
In December 2010 Eve featured on an Alicia Keys track "Speechless", though the song will not be released as a single or part of an album, it did chart on the US R&B chart, making it Eve's first appearance as a featured artist on the Billboard Charts for quite some time. She will feature on Jill Scott's new song "Shame". In April 2011, Eve featured in Timati's new song and video "Money in the Bank".[5]
Eve is also featured in the remix of Ludacris's song "My Chick Bad". Diamond and Trina are also featured in that song.
In 2007, Eve began work on a new album titled Here I Am.[6] In May 2007, XXL magazine profiled six recorded tracks from Here I Am. Five of them were produced by Swizz Beatz, including singles "Tambourine" and "Give It To You" (featuring Sean Paul). Pharrell Williams produced "All Night Long".[7] In contrast to most of the tracks, Eve sings rather than raps on "All Night Long".[8] XXL published a review of the original Here I Am in July, rating it an L in its "shoe size" rating system ranging from S to XXL.[9] However the album ran into a series of delays due to corporate change at the record label and discontent with the lackluster success of the first and second singles, "Tambourine", released in April 2007, and "Give It to You" (featuring Sean Paul), released later.
The project was delayed to September 11, 2007 and then October 16, but it was never released. Problems at her label, Interscope Records, were responsible for the multiple delays. Although, being renamed twice from Here I Am to Flirt to Lip Lock, the album is untitled is set to be released within 2012. She has stated that the first single will come in the late spring.[10]
Eve appeared in xXx with Vin Diesel, both Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business with Ice Cube, The Cookout with Queen Latifah and Meagan Good, and The Woodsman with Kevin Bacon in mid 2004. She voiced Major Jones in the video game XIII, as well as one of the villains of the short-lived show Spider-Man Animated Series on MTV. She also featured in the 2008 movie Flashbacks of a Fool alongside Daniel Craig.
In 2003, Eve starred in the UPN television sitcom, Eve, as a fashion designer named Shelly. The show lasted three seasons until it was cancelled on May 2006. Eve guest starred as Yvette Powell on an episode of Third Watch. She also was a guest star on an episode of Numb3rs in 2009.[11]
In 2009, she had a role in the film Whip It as Rosa Sparks, opposite Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore.
Eve guest starred on two episodes of Glee, appearing as rival glee club coach Grace Hitchens.[12]
In 2010 Eve appeared as Latisha, a supporting role, in Noel Clarke's film 4.3.2.1.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Barbershop | Terri Jones | |
| xXx | J.J. | ||
| 2003–2006 | Eve | Michelle "Shelly" Williams | TV Series; Main Role Co-Executive Producer (21 episodes, 2003-2004) |
| 2003 | Third Watch | Yvette Powel | Television drama (Episode - "Second Chances") |
| Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | New Angel | ||
| Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | Cheyenne Tate/The Talon | Voice Role (Episode - "Keeping Secrets") | |
| XIII | Major Jones | Voice role | |
| 2004 | The Woodsman | Mary-Kay | |
| Barbershop 2: Back in Business | Terri Jones | ||
| One on One | Ida | (Episode - "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Hip Hop World") | |
| The Cookout | Becky | ||
| 2008 | Flashbacks of a Fool | Ophelia Franklin | |
| 2009 | Whip It! | Rosa Sparks | |
| Glee | Grace Hitchens | Episode 11 ("Hairography"), Episode 13 ("Sectionals") | |
| Good Hair | Herself | ||
| 2010 | 4.3.2.1 ... The Countdown Begins | Latisha |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||