Customer Reviews

Ruff Ryders' First Lady

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Ruff Ryders' first lady has delivered a nice installment to the Ruff Ryders' series. This CD could be called Ruff Ryders' Volume 2, but the listener can get over that. Eve starts out with one of the best songs on the CD, "Let's Talk About" with Eve and Drag-On flowing in true Ruff Ryder fashion. Eve also has a few " make you think" songs on the CD like "Gotta Man" and "Love Is Blind". Eve's best songs , however, is when she picks up the mic and just starts flowin. For example, "Philly, Philly" w/ Beanie Seagel, Dog Match w/DMX and the "Scenario 2000" joint with all the Ruff Ryders' making quality contributions on one song. With all the talent that the Ruff Ryders' has, backed with Swizz Beatz, it's going to be hard to stop RR for many years to come.

I can't stop listening to this albumn. Intelligent lyrics; good beats; catchy tunes.

Almost makes me want to chuck my Lauryn Hill.

My favorite song on this record is "Love Is Blind" because I like the messages it sends. It tells you don't let no man dominste and beat on you.

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. 5 stars.

Eve has the hottest lyrics of all the female rappers. Eve is real and tells it like is and not how it should be. She got all the hottest artists to co-star on the CD. All my friends got the CD. All yall should get too. I'm out.

EXPOLSIVE! This CD is now my theme CD. Her flow is very impressive and she really has something to say. She is truely a lyricist. I have to give her some props. You go girl.

EVE is the best female rapper out.All her songs is off the hook.All ya'll haters out there hatin on her,let me see you do better.She represents philly all the way and no less.Keep on doin what u do eve,don't let these haters get to u.They ain't doin no better.HHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTTEEEEEEEERRRRRRSSSSSS!

When I first heard Eve's song "Gotta Man," I was amazed. Never had I heard anything like it before and it was so unusual for something on radio. While nothing like it has ever quite come up- I may not have had the same reaction on today's horrid radio climate where the idea of rapping with a sung hook is played out. However, Eve's version of the genre shows true affection and the fact that she sings her own hook and chorus makes it a keeper.

Another reason I had to have the album was for the megahit, "Love Is Blind." I must say, the album version is not the same as the single version I heard on the radio. The single version had clean lyrics and had the hook sung, rather than rapped. As it turns out, the radio re-mix also had Faith Evans singing it whereas she's MIA on the album. Don't let that stop you- the album version is far more sublime, and allows Eve to have more space for the raw, vicious emotion. There's also a rather sad interlude that predecesses it and makes the track all the more emotional and tear-jerking.

Outside those tracks, the rest is rather questionable. With 5 interludes, way too many guests and a whole lot of filler, the album isn't really an album you can keep listening to front to back.

However, the album's big stand out track is "Dog Match," one of my all time favorite rap tracks. The action has a rampant, pulsating beat that puts you directly into the song, and the sound of very angry, blood-thirsty dogs to go along with it and drag the story to the center. The lyrics fit the rampant theme, and are very spiteful and vicious. The storyline constantly switches between DMX's views to Eve's and is all very action-packed and dramatic.

"We On That," although not as good, keeps a similar theme and is yet another great pulsating, action-packed track. The "My Enemies" skit is nice, but the rest is pretty much cheesy crap.

Overall, the tracks that are good will keep your heart racing. I've owned the album for several years now and it still maintains this effect. The good tracks most than make up for the bad. I highly recommend this album!

I think Eve is becoming very popular with the "Ruff Ryders" and I hope she continue to do good. There are many people that try to hate on her. But I hope she stay on top and continue to make those g's. I hope she have alot of fame.Her cd is too tight and I think that if you like Eve then you should go and buy it.

If you look up the word "hypocrisy," you should see a big photo of Eve's debut release.

On most of the songs, including "Gotta Man," "Stuck Up" and "Ain't Got No Dough," she praises thugs and hustlers to the fullest. Then, on the track "Love Is Blind," she criticizes -- and eventually slays -- a man who batters his girlfriend and sends her to an early grave.

Given her fascination with hoodlums, the sentiments of this song, poignant as they may be, are hard take seriously.

On her first effort, Eve does, however, show potential as a lyricist. The only problem is that to notice it, you have to cut through the lame sing-song choruses ("Gotta Man," "Philly, Philly," "Love Is Blind") and way-too-long list of guest appearances.