The first song I remember hearing
MC Lyte – ‘Cappucino’
“That was part of the spark. I didn’t know I wanted to be a rapper then, but there was something about her, something about that song. The video I can remember still, vividly. I loved it. I must have been eight, maybe nine.”
The first album I owned
NWA – ‘Straight Outta Compton’
“I might have taken it from somebody, like an older friend’s brother or something. Again, I was probably nine, 10, 11. I couldn’t let my mother know that I had it. But I remember knowing how impactful it was, especially being from Philly and them being these West Coast rappers and how big of an impact they were having culturally. I also bought Buju Banton’s ‘Stamina Daddy’ – that started my love of dancehall and reggae.”
So this was a very formative time for you musically?
“Yeah, music was something that was always around me as a kid. My biological dad was a neighbourhood, local kind of DJ so he played records in my grandma’s house all the time, and my aunt, Karen, always had the radio on. We had block parties from the time I was five or six. Culturally, in Philly, that was a big thing.”
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The first gig I attended
Shabba Ranks, 1990, Philadelphia
“I was 12, I had pacha braids and it was me and my best friend at the time, Evette. My step-dad took us and it was the best. Concert. Ever! I remember just being like: ‘This is insane. I wanna be onstage.’ That was definitely a moment where I was like: ‘I want this.’”
The song that reminds me of home
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – ‘Summertime’
“This is gonna be super-cheesy, but it is Philly. Will Smith names places and landmarks in that song that I would go to in the summer. That song dominated Philadelphia. It was at every cook-out, it was on every car radio with the window down. It was like [singing]: ‘Summer summer summertiiime!’ It just makes you feel good. That’s what Will Smith is known for – his music just makes you feel happy and good. It was such a great record and it encapsulated what summer was in Philadelphia for me at that time.”
The song I can’t get out of my head
Raye – ‘Black Mascara’
“I get obsessions and my last obsession was Raye’s album [‘My 21st Century Blues’]. That fuckin’ album is great.”
There’s such an inspiring story behind that record, too, given her struggle to release it
“Oh, the best. And you can feel it – she deserves it. She’s such an artist, man. The song I had on repeat – I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have a problem – was ‘Black Mascara’. It’s so good. That song shows everything about her artistry and how talented she is. It’s the wordplay, the melody, the music, the attitude, the authenticity. It’s few and far between that we get these kinds of songs, records, artists.”
The song I can’t listen to anymore
Ginuwine – ‘Pony’
“I don’t know why this came to my mind. I don’t know how I feel about this! [Laughs.] I’m just gonna go with it. It’s just what popped into my head. It’s a tune! It’s not a shitty song. I’m kinda shocked at myself.”
The song that makes me want to dance
Busta Rhymes – ‘Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See’
“That is a fuckin’ tune. It’s a great record. That beat is ev-ery-thing. It’s insane. Then you have Busta – it’s the way that he lives on the track with all of his inflections and everything. He’s the best. I’ve gotten to see him perform a few times over the years and he just brings that same exact energy. That’s a banger.”
The song that makes me cry
2Pac – ‘Dear Mama’
“It doesn’t make me cry as much as get in the feels, with him being who he was and representing Death Row and whatever, and then he comes out with these songs that are just so beautiful and poignant, and so real and heartfelt. Talking about your mum, your mama – for a Black man to be able to do that in that way, and at that time… there’s just so much there. It’s a beautiful record.”
The song I do at karaoke
The Eurythmics – ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’
“I’ve only seen it in LA, but they have these live band karaokes, which are insane. It makes everyone feel like: ‘Yes!’ I once performed this song with a five-member band for a Hollywood crowd at one of those Oscars parties in a private club. It did good. I think it shocked people! But of course it doesn’t matter if you sound good or not. You just have to give it your all.”
The song I want played at my funeral
TBC
“It’s too soon to think about that. I think funerals are morbid and weird. I just wanna be cremated and spread somewhere. I told my husband I want a beautiful Rose Quartz urn that’s in the front room on the mantle, so I’m always part of it.”
‘Who’s That Girl?: A Memoir’, Eve’s autobiography written with Kathy Iandoli, is due via Hanover Square Press on September 26