Full Name: Eve Jihan Jeffers
Birth Date: 1979
Birth Place: Philladelphia
Featured On: Bulworth Soundtrack
Eve grew up as a tomboy in Philladelphia. Born to teenage parents, Eve's mother and father separated when she was only 12, leaving her to be raised by her mother and grandmother; though eve had contact with her father after the separation, the two have not communicated since she turned 18. two years after their separation, eve's mother remarried and gave birth to eve's brother, Farrod.
Throughout her childhood, Eve was a performer, earning recognition at school for writing short stories, plays and poems. She began rapping under the moniker gangsta—as part of the dancing/singing/rapping trio edgp—as a teenager. When the fickle group of teens split up after only a few performances, Eve began the pursuit of a solo career, adopting the name Eve of Destruction. On her own, Eve pursued her dreams with practicality and determination; through performances at local clubs, parties and talent competitions she earned recognition. Eve had vowed that she would give up her pursuit of music if her dreams were not realized by the early age of 21 and a troubled youth threatened to keep her from ever reaching that goal. "I was a goddamn delinquent," a reflective Eve explains, "I didn't even think I was going to graduate from high school." Rather than allow poor grades, drug trafficking and the occasional relationship with a certified "gang-sta" halt her career, Eve channeled her experiences into her work and only grew stronger.
After her graduation, Eve was still bitter and disappointed by the re-marriage of her mother. Accompanied by her friends, Eve would make a nightly trek from her Philadelphia neighborhood to the golden lady strip club in new york's bronx borough. Eve managed to keep the job as long as one month without her mom finding out. Although some nights she earned as much as $400.00 a night she was depressed by her job "I knew I didn't have to be there. I had a house that I could always go to. I had my mother. I didn't have any kids." Fortunately for eve, a conversation with retired rap superstar Ma$e gave her the encouragement she needed to give up stripping and establish a career based upon her less prurient talents. "He talked to me for like 2 hours," she explains, "he said, 'you are too smart to be doing this. You wanna rap, you want a career, you need to get away from this'". Eve took that advice to heart, allowing her career as a dancer to serve as nothing more than inspiration for her lyrics, today.
A few years later, a couple of Eve's friends set up a meeting for her to meet Dr.Dre, eventhough HE didn't know anything about it. She walked in the room and put on a tape and started free-stylin'. Dre liked what he heard so much that he flew her to L.A to cut a demo. 8 months later Eve was left without a completed project and unsigned.
Eve met up with rapper DMX soon after her departure from Dre's label. Having long admired DMX's work, Eve jumped at the opportunity to work with Ruff Ryders producer Dame Grease, after meeting DMX at a Los Angeles record signing. Once again, her freestyle skills earned her a recording contract as she held her own against drag-on and infra red in a cipher. "I thought I couldn't hold my own with these guys. I felt like I was nowhere near their level," Eve explains. Yet, in spite of any reservations she or her would-be co-workers may have had about her abilities, Ruff Ryders ceos dee and waah dean were sufficiently impressed to welcome her aboard.
Since signing on with the ruff ryders, Eve has appeared not only on the label's own Ryde or Die vol. 1, but also on the hit singles "baby, you got me" and "girlfriend/boyfriend", by the roots and blackstreet, respectively. more recently, she has appeared with R. kelly in concert and makes a guest appearance on former SWV member, coko's, debut release, hot coko. Eve received further national exposure as part of sprite soft drink's recent kung-fu themed promotional campaign—alongside fellow rap divas Roxanne Shanté, Amil, Mia X, Angie Martinez and Millie Jackson—which aired heavily throughout the source and soul train lady of soul awards ceremonies. Her debut single, "Want Ya Want", is receiving heavy rotation on popular video networks and displays Eve's mambo (as well as her rapping) talents.
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