Eve Looks Back At Her Hits: “Who’s That Girl?,” “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” | Chart History | Billboard - video Dailymotion

Billboard

Eve sits down to reflect on her biggest chart-topping hits, including how she originally envisioned Gwen Stefani for “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” and their first meeting, her crossover into pop with Gwen Stefani on “Rich Girl,” writing her verse for “Hot Boyz” in just 2.5 seconds, and more!  What’s your favorite Eve song? Let us know in the comments!

Transcript

00:00What's up, y'all? It's Eve here, and this is my Billboard Charts History.

00:18Yeah, it was a lot of preparation for that video. I remember the video a lot more than the actual

00:24song. It's so funny. One thing that was important for me when writing the song, I had to start the

00:31song off with Rubia, hanging out in New York. I was always in Harlem. I was always in the Bronx,

00:37and I had my short blonde hair then, so guys will always be like, Rubia, Rubia, Rubia.

00:43And I used to be like, what? They all thought I was Dominican for the longest time. I was like,

00:47oh, that means blondie. That's blondie. So I was like, I have to start the song off that way,

00:52because it's like, you know, a Latin track. I had to take salsa lessons as well for the video,

00:57and the man was very mean. He was so mean. It was my entry, but also like my first experience

01:03with doing a video and how big it all is and the pressure behind it, but it was great.

01:09Darren Dean was always the one that kind of was like, could see in the future. He was like,

01:14this is, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, this is the one that's got to be the first single.

01:17So I didn't really understand it in that way. I kind of was just like, damn, this is a great record.

01:22But they knew 100%. He knew. Him and Wilde, they knew. They was like, this is the one.

01:28This is a great entry for you. It's different than any other female that's out. So they knew it.

01:32Yeah.

01:33That record. I mean, I love that record. And we kind of took over the hit factory like Rough Riders.

01:51We were having like writing sessions and there were tons of producers and Teflon actually was

01:56one of the up and coming producers of Rough Riders. And he kept like bringing us beats and it kind of

02:02was like, no, that's not it. No, that's not it. But he was like, I'm going to get you a single.

02:06And he came with this and we was like, that's it. This is the single. And we knew this one was one

02:11that I feel like actually we, we all kind of like, this is out of here. This is a great single.

02:16People are going to love this. That song takes me right back to my end. You know, I'm on tour now

02:20and it's the song I opened the show with. I used to do it at the end. Then we decided to put it at the

02:26beginning because I was like, it's the perfect opener. Everybody knows it. It's a big record for me.

02:31Like it's a fun record. It just, it sets the tone and it's a celebratory record.

02:35It's a very, like to me now, it's a very celebratory record. I love it.

02:40Yeah.

02:52Ah, I remember Swiss and Meshonda actually played this track for me and I loved it immediately.

03:02And I knew exactly, as soon as I heard it, I was like, I know exactly what I want to write about.

03:06And the little girl in the beginning is the daughter of my then A&R ice pick who is no longer

03:19with us. And he rests. And she was obviously a baby then. So yeah, I really do remember that.

03:25I remember being in the studio and writing it. And as soon as I heard it, I loved it. Like,

03:30as soon as I heard it, I was like, yeah, this is great. This is great. But again,

03:34it's one of those tracks that, did we know it was going to do anything? I didn't. I kind of was

03:39just like, this is a dope record. You know? Yeah.

03:41That is probably my favorite record. It's my favorite record to perform for sure. And I

03:59remember that whole thing. You know, obviously Dre did the beat. Scott Storch on Keys, who I've

04:05known Scott Storch since I was 14 in Philly. And then of course, Gwen Stefani. She was the only

04:11person that I wanted on this record. I did not want anyone else. I felt like it had to be her

04:16because I could hear her voice on it. I mean, it's a great record, guys. Sorry. I mean, someone

04:23can see it, but it really is. It just has all the right elements from top to bottom. And that has a

04:30lot to do with the way that Dre produces. I mean, it's why Dre is Dre. Because as I was writing,

04:37it's not so much that he jumps in to say, write this or that. It's how you say certain things,

04:43how you deliver certain things. And that actually, it makes a difference. So yeah. I was a huge fan

04:49of No Doubt and of Gwen. We were label mates. And I was like, yo, why not? Let's try it. If it sucks,

04:55nobody ever has to hear it. But I knew it wouldn't. People tried to bite me on it. And she was super

05:01down. And I remember we didn't do the song in the studio together. We didn't meet until the video

05:06on set. But we talked on the phone. And I said to Gwen, I was like, yo, you know, you can change

05:12the lyrics. I know she likes to write. And she was like, no, I think it's perfect. She's like, I don't

05:15want to touch them. And I was like, oh, that's really nice. I was like, that's dope. Yeah. She was

05:22like, no, I'm not going to touch the, I'm not going to touch it. I love what you wrote.

05:25I'm just going to sing it. And then it's perfect.

05:40I love that record still. It is just like the beat, the everything, the energy, everything.

05:45I was so honored to be asked to be on that remix. Like I was, this was my first, you know,

05:55I was new, new. I was baby new in the industry. So to be asked to be on a record with Nas,

06:02Missy Elliott. Oh my God. And it was a Hype Williams video. Like this was like, oh, I've

06:08made, I've, I've arrived. I think I wrote that verse in like 2.5 seconds. Cause I was so

06:14excited. Like I was like, it's gotta be, I mean, the hottest verse ever. Um, I wrote that verse

06:19very quickly. Yeah. And again, just honored. Like, you know, I was like, wow, you know,

06:24people like that I've listened to that to me are heroes of mine before coming in the industry,

06:30asking me to be on a record like this is amazing. When I think back on certain moments,

06:35I think things were happening so fast that even if you heard it, it kind of was like, you still,

06:41all right, onto the next, like, yo, this song made it. You get a, you get a minute to kind

06:45of be like, oh yes. And then you onto the next one, right in the next record into the

06:49next studio session or whatever. But I do remember the impact of it because it was a

06:55verse that helped my career. It was a verse that definitely made people in the industry

06:59pay attention to me a bit more. Yeah. It probably was one of the manager to manager

07:03things, but I do feel like I did speak to Missy because we all used to be in the same

07:07studios all the time. And then it was an immediate yes. What? Yeah, of course.

07:25Swiss, my brother, of course, bringing all the energy as he does always. Immediately,

07:31when he played me that record, I was like, this is crazy. I have to be on this record.

07:35But it's funny because I remember after we wrote the record, there were people at

07:39the label that weren't really into it. They were, people were saying it's not urban

07:43enough that it was too top 40. And weirdly, it was a slow burn, this record. This was a

07:48slow burn. And funnily enough, Urban Radio picked it up more than I think top 40 did

07:54or whenever it happened. But yeah, there were people that were really not happy about

07:57this record, which I was so confused about. I was like, it's a good record. What are you doing?

08:01And now it's like, people love this record, man. It's just fucking blue.

08:05That's such a good record. Again, me and Gwen, we just do good shit together, guys. And it

08:24was one of those things where it was exactly like that. Like, okay, she's doing a record,

08:29you got to get on my record, you know. And we wrote, we actually wrote in the studio together

08:32for this one, which was really nice to see. This was the first time I'd gone in the studio

08:37with a woman, especially in a different genre, to watch a different writing style, which was

08:42kind of cool. She actually introduced me to the rhyming dictionary. Did not know that

08:46that existed. So yeah, we had a good time writing that record together. With Blow Your Mind,

08:52it, obviously having Gwen on the record is what crossed me over in a way.

08:57It peaked at number seven 20 years ago. So it sounds like you guys better run it back.

09:02Yeah. I mean, you know, I never say never. We make good music.

09:07Yeah.

09:08I mean, Mary J. Blige, come on. I mean, again, Dre. Oh, I love that fucking record. I love

09:28that record. Also, when I wrote that verse, I kind of was in a situation where I was getting

09:35rid of a piece of shit, dude. All those words I say are, they're coming straight from the gut.

09:49I love writing that too, because it was like, you know, when I write, it's therapeutic. It

09:54is my diary. It is my, like, so yeah. I'm being on a song with Mary. Come on. Like,

10:01she's the queen. I think that was kind of one of those label things as well. She had done the

10:06record with Dre, and I think he had suggested a Jimmy Iovine or someone, or she asked for me.

10:11It was one of those kinds of things, but happy that whoever made it happen, made it happen.

10:24Kelly Rowland. God. I've been really lucky, man. I've been really lucky in my career,

10:35being able to, the songs, the collaborations that I've done with some incredible artists.

10:41Kelly's amazing. And this track was just one of them shit talking. We hear, like, ladies,

10:48what's up? Like, liberation records. Like, you know, it's just one of them, like, yeah,

10:53we don't need men. We're just here doing it for ourselves. Pay attention. Yeah, it's a great record.

11:09I love that record. Again, Dre. And I'm laughing because I got so mad at Dre with this record.

11:18He made me say, and I've said this a long time ago, the word block. He made me say it 16 times

11:26because he needed to hear it a certain way, and I couldn't hear it. And then when I did it,

11:31like he said it, it changed. It changed, like, the cadence, my cadence, and it made it different.

11:37And I was like, oh, okay. But I had fun writing this record. I loved writing this record. This is,

11:43to me, this is my Philly record. It's a very Philly record. Dre kind of, when we did work

11:49together, he would come in, kind of play the beat and just lead me to my own devices and come in and

11:56out. So it was just me really in there bopping. And then when we went in to record it is when he

12:04kind of, that's where he comes in. Like I did a lot of, a lot of ad libs, but real different

12:10than I've ever done them before. Almost like harmonies in certain places. So the recording

12:15was, was grueling.

12:30I love this record. The other women that were out just weren't, it was a different sound. I actually

12:36was shocked that Rough Riders was into this record. When I wrote this record, they was like, oh yeah,

12:42this could be a single because of the subject matter, because of domestic violence, but also

12:48because it was slow. But then again, you know, their forethought thought, Darren, of course, was

12:55like, we need to get Faith Evans on this record. And then it's official, which I also, again, was

13:00shocked that like, yo, Faith is going to be on this record. Like, you know, cause I, again, I was still

13:05young, but I'm so happy that this song came out. This was an important song for me. And I

13:12think it also kind of solidified what kind of artists I was going to be kind of, you know,

13:18storytelling and things like that. And the first two verses were a poem, was a poem because it was,

13:23it's a real story about a friend of mine that I used to hang out with that used to get beat by this

13:29guy. And when I heard that beat, those lyrics immediately, like those words immediately went to

13:33that beat. Yeah.

13:47Love it. Love it. And Alicia's voice is so perfect. So like, just, I mean, it's Alicia. And then again,

13:55this was one of those records that after, once we were doing it, she was the only person as well.

13:59Like this was a collaboration. It was Murder, Inc. and Rough Riders. We were all in the studio

14:04together and they played this beat and we were like, it has to be Alicia period. That's it. And

14:09she sounds perfect. That's perfect. I love this record. It's funny. Cause now I'm, I'm again,

14:16I'm on tour and I'm like doing the choreography in my head. And it's now one of my favorite records

14:20to perform. And before I would do like just a short part of it, just cause of the tempo.

14:25And now it's like one of my favorite records to perform.

Eve Looks Back At Her Hits: “Who’s That Girl?,” “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” | Chart History | Billboard

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