Open share drawer
On her second album, recently reissued for its 20th anniversary, the lone woman of Ruff Ryders took the reins and made the loudest statement of her career.
Eveâs debut album cover emphasizes her crewâs name and her position in bold type: âRuff Rydersâ First Ladyâ looms right above her paw-print chest tattoos. More than just their resident woman, though, she was easily their most versatile member, a hardcore softie adaptable enough to perform beside street cliques like Cash Money or with pop acts like Nelly and Jessica Simpson on a TRL tour. Her range made her marketable, but what Eve really offered for women in rap was proof of dimension. All she wanted for her second album was the freedom to show it.
Exclusive – Eve Jihan Jeffers Cooper better known as Ruff Ryders legend Eve almost can’t believe her sophomore album Scorpion is turning 20 on Saturday (March 6). Released in 2001, the project marked the Philly native’s second Ruff Ryders effort and sent her on a path to becoming a Grammy Award-winning MC before she even hit 25 years old.
With Ruff Ryders firmly in her corner, the album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop chart, with roughly 162,000 albums sold in its inaugural week (and this is pre-streaming). Her Dr. Dre and Scott Storch-produced duet with No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani, “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” helped catapult the album to platinum status and earn both women a Grammy in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category in 2002.