From Lil Kim to Foxy Brown, female rappers come and go. But one still retains her crown as a true Queen of Hip-Hop, and her name is Eve. This week, she brings her Grammy award winning vocals to G-A-Y. Believe!
Grammy-award winning rap superstar Eve who spawned hits like ‘Who’s That Girl’, ‘Gangsta Lovin’, and her duet with Gwen Stefani, ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’, is back with a brand new long awaited album, ‘Lip Lock’ and will be performing at G-A-Y this coming weekend.
Exhausted from just completing the Gumball 3000 rally the day before – an elite 3,000 mile car race that her British boyfriend Maximillion Cooper created – Eve sounded a little tired when we started our conversation.
The car she opted for in the race was a ‘Morgan’ – a classic British model that she confessed was “very nice in the beginning but maybe it’s not meant for 3,000 mile journeys!” Taking that into account I cracked straight on with the questions…
Your new album is called ‘Lip Lock’. What does it mean?
I love word play, so it means many things. My lips are one of my favourite features. Lip Lock is flirty and sexy and can mean kisses, too. Plus, as a lyricist, I feel like I am locking the game back down.
What excites you the most about your new album?
Everything – this album is on my own label and I am proud of that. I was involved in every step of this album and that feels good. So does the freedom. There’s not a lot of creative spirit at major labels anymore – it’s just a table of number crunchers.
Your music career started 15 years ago. Now that you are older and wiser do you find it is more difficult to drum up the youthful bravado and cockiness that is needed to be a rapper ?
I think for me if anything it’s better – I have never had to be that way really. I am super-comfortable with who and where I am. I think it’s a problem for a lot of dudes in this industry; there is a lot of fronting and faking in hip-hop.
You are performing at G-A-Y, which is traditionally a pop orientated club. However, hip-hop is so mainstream now it’s been re-classed as pop music. Are you surprised how big hip-hop has become since you started?
Yes, I remember before with radio stations, there was a top 40 playlist and a separate chart for hip-hop and R&B that was only being played on urban stations, whereas now everything is played on all stations. I am happy that it’s popular, it’s crazy how mainstream hip-hop is. I’m glad it reached that level.
Do you feel you have a strong gay fan base?
Yeah definitely, I get asked to do gay events a lot – I am doing Pride in San Francisco soon. I always say, if the gays don’t like you, you ain’t really that cool.
“I always say, if the gays don’t like you, you ain’t really that cool.”
What is different about performing for gay crowds?
I think gay crowds are coming to have fun and there is no fronting. If they fuck with you, they fuck with you and you feel it. They won’t scream for you if they are not feeling you. I love that honesty.
With the UK gay community ready to accept a major rapper headlining G-A-Y, do you feel the rap world in the USA will be ready to accept a high profile ‘out’ gay rapper?
Yes, of course, why not? Now, at this time, I think it would be so amazing of a major label to push a gay rap artist – especially for younger kids who are coming up – that would be a huge deal for a gay kid who needs a voice, who doesn’t hear music out there speaking their voice right now.
Would you work with a gay rapper?
Absolutely. Why not?
That’s if you haven’t already and we just didn’t know he was gay!
Exactly! Listen…it’s probably already been done! [Laughs] That’s funny – but it’s true!
At school many children suffer from being bullied for being gay or being seen to be gay. Your recent music video for ‘Make It Out This Town’ has a bullying storyline in it, too. How important is it for you to highlight issues like this?
I think it’s hugely important which is why I put the storyline in the video. I don’t know about British schools, but American schools often have a history of ignoring things until they become a huge problem. Kids are now committing suicide because of bullying – we need to step up as adults and teachers and do something about it.
We need to look at bringing different programmes into school and do whatever it takes – nothing can be changed without being talked about, and I feel schools are not speaking up enough for these children who don’t have a voice, and who are being bullied. Some of the teachers need educating, too.
They don’t understand what it is to be a gay teen or may have never come across this situation before and these teachers must reach out to programmes to help them understand so that they can help these kids.
You have lived in London for three years now. How different is it to Philadelphia where you grew up?
Oh, so different. Geez, two different worlds. I am so happy I am from Philly, thank God I am from Philly, I don’t want to be from anywhere else! But one of the biggest differences that I love about London is how diverse it is.
No two streets are the same, you might see Moroccans on one block sipping tea then two blocks down you might see some Rasta’s playing reggae music, Indians here, Africans there, it’s amazing and I love that vibe of London. Considering how many cultures are together, everyone gets along so well in general.
It’s so cool, such a good vibe. I tell everybody, “London is a place you have to come to at least once in your life”. There’s a lot of inspiration here.
What are your favourite hang outs in London?
My favourite neighbourhood is down by Shoreditch where I shot my music video ‘Eve’ featuring Miss Kitty, and I love East London in general, but beyond that I love Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill.
I have been looking at past photos of you and the eve-olution of your style, and I think you look better than ever right now. Do you think London’s fashion sense has rubbed off on you in some way?
Thank you. Oh yeah, definitely! Another thing I also love about London is the “I don’t give a ‘F’” attitude, which is across the board with everything; the fashion definitely has that, too.
There is a definite style but it’s more relaxed, it’s not trying so hard, and there is so much expression here, too. If you see ten people walking down the street they all will be wearing something unique and different. London definitely has influenced me in many ways.
• The new album Lip Lock is out now.
• Eve performs at G-A-Y (Heaven, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG) on Saturday 6th June.
