Eve album Ruff Ryders’ First Lady

Eve
Album : Ruff Ryders’ First Lady
Release Date: September 14, 1999
Label: Interscope Records

Review :

Eve burst on the scene with her controlled flow on the Roots mega-hit `You Got Me’ which featured Erykah Badu as well. Soon after she took the industry by the throat with a super mega song entitled `What You Want’ with its latin tinged beat ( which paved the way for the so called Latin Explosion ) and Eve’s catchy chorus. All this increased anticipation for her debut album. And it delivered beautifully.
After the useless intro the album dives headfirst in to the music pool with `Let’s Talk About It’. This track is a classic...hands down. Following this song is the first single off the album `Gotta Man’ and it was a huge hit, with yet again a latin inspired beat. `Philly Philly’ feat. Beanie Sigel drops hot bars for his and Eve’s hometown and is a tight song. The second single, "Love Is Blind" ,is arguably the best song on the album. With its strikingly real commentary about a friend of a woman who is blinded by love and continues to stay in an abusive relationship which eventually leads to death for both of them. The first line sets it off "I don’t even know you and I hate you".

Those are some strong emotions...I bet that song is based on a true story. Song is a straight up hip hop classic...masterpiece. Scenario 2000 is an excellent posse track featuring the whole Ruff Ryder click; DMX, Drag On, LOX. `My B!tches’ is an excellent little skit song showing love to all her ladies doing their thing. `We On That Shhh’ has Eve lyrically dropping her hottest gangsta verse on the album. "My Enemies’ skit song is also a great one displaying her triple time flow. The album ends perfectly with `Heaven Only Knows’, an excellent track about Eve’s life.

The album suffered a little let down with `Stuck Up’, `Aint Got No Dough’, and `Maniac’ but the good tracks are REALLY good and easily let you forgive these minor slip ups. The bonus track is just that...bonus...should have been left off if you ask me, but I don’t count it as part of the album.

Eve dropped a great debut album and it established her as one of the better female mc’s in the game. The success of this album and the talent and potential displayed allowed her to stay relevant through her two lackluster albums that followed this. Hopefully Eve can get in the studio and really cook up something fresh like her debut.


Tracklisting :
1. First Lady (Skit)
2. Let’s Talk About
3. Gotta Man
4. Philly Cheese Steak (Skit)
5. Philly, Philly
6. Stuck Up
7. Ain’t Got No Dough
8. BM (Skit)
9. Love Is Blind
10. Scenario 2000
11. Dog Match
12. My Bitches (Skit)
13. We On That Shit
14. Chokie Nikes (Skit)
15. Maniac
16. My Enemies (Skit)
17. Heaven Only Knows
18. What Y’all Want