Customer Reviews

Scorpion

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This new one from Eve is far from a sophomore jinx. Overall I like this album better than the first. The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars is because some of the beats could have been better. She gives us a lot more lyrically this time around with tracks like "Be Me", "Life is so hard" and "Let me blow ya mind". The best duets on the album are with Dmx and Gwen Stefani of No doubt. These 2 tracks should be released. Dr. Dre hooked up the track with gwen with a tight beat that will probably be a big hit for eve. After hearing this you imagine what her album would be like if dre produced the whole thing. Dmx and Eve run through it on Double R. It sounds like it could be another ruff ryders anthem. There is a lot of different kinds of music on this. Soul, reggae, calypso, hip-hop, R+B, and some down south music. I think she was going for a cross-over album with this one. The songs I like the most are: 2,3,4,16,14,13,11,10, and 11. This album grows on you so the more you listen I think the more you will like it. Dont sleep on this album any longer...get it!

I actually own this Eve album and not her debut.

Funny thing is, somebody in Eve's camp told her to soften her image and go pop to sell albums. If that's all you want from hip hop, party/club/radio-friendly music (not meant to sound condescending or belittling, but just stating facts) then buy THIS album.

However, even though I wasn't a fan and never was a hardcore Eve fan, I recognize game.

Eve was on a whole 'nother level on her debut "Ruff Ryder's First Lady (1999)."

She was still down with DMX 'n crew, and her music, in my opinion, was better 4 it.

Hearing tracks on her debut album like "Love Is Blind" (which also had a great video to match the song's tale of women not toleratin' domestic violence), it's hard to hear her rappin' along side Gwen Stefani (great artist) on the poppy, popcorn-flavored "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."

She just totally went from one extreme to the next and her music lost the edge and the sociopolitical bite it otherwise had.

I don't mind the pop, crossover kinda music (it does have its place), I just find myself purchasing and championing more of the underground, real hip hop stuff b/c it doesn't get played on the radio anymore if a rapper's not maintaining the radio status quo.

If there is one thing to say about most follow up albums is that they [stink]. Eve's doesn't [stink], but contrary to what I have read other places, it is not the best I have heard. I am starting to get sick of every Ruff Ryders album having lame skits, lame guest appearances, and the same beat, for the most part. What keeps this album alive is tracks like "You Had Me, You Lost Me", "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", and the song that she does with Damian & Steven Marley called "No, No, No". Weak appearances from The Lox, Drag-On, Da Brat, and Trina dilute this album and make it only three stars.

With most rappers, after having a double platinum debut they lose their hunger and become way too cocky. This is not the case with Eve. On her sophomore album, she is more hungry than ever before. She is confident, not cocky, and delivers some of the best rhymes ever to come out of the mouth of a female emcee. (And she even does some singing on here! And she can actually carry a tune.) The beats on here, once again, are top notch on every song. There are a few too many guest appearances, but that really proves to be this album's only flaw. This album is a huge improvement from her okay first, Let There Be Eve... In my eyes, this is a hip hop classic and everyone should at least give it a listen. I bump this one start to finish. I highly recommend.

i couldn't even make it through the whole cd. the singles were supa-hot, but the rest of the CD is a disappointment. it's unfortunate. eve has a lot of talent and potential, but this album mixes too many styles and doesn't do it well. the result is an incredibly inconsistent, amazingly disappointing follow-up album. please let #3 be better.

After Eve was featured on songs such as The Roots' "You Got Me", DMX's "Ruff Ryder's Anthem" (Remix) and the Ruff Ryders' "Ryde Or Die", you knew that sooner or later she would come out with a CD of her own. "Ruff Ryders' First Lady" was an impressive debut and it featured classic rap songs such as "Let's Talk About" w/Drag-On, "Dog Match" w/DMX and "Scenario 2000" w/DMX, The LOX, and Drag-On. The CD went on to go double platinum and it paved Eve's way to success in the rap game. Now she is back with her 2nd CD, "Scorpion". The first single, "Who's That Girl" is tight and it will remind you off her radio friendly songs of before especially "Got It All" w/Jadakiss on the Ruff Ryders' Volume 2 compilation. Eve shows a lot of versatility on this CD. She's rapping, singing, making you listen and making you think on different tracks of the CD. Swizz Beatz does his share as well but producers like Dr. Dre & Stevie J get a chance to represent as well, which is good. The songs to listen to are the Dr. Dre produced "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" w/Gwen Stefani and "That's What It Is" w/Styles of The LOX. It gives a listener a chance to see what things would have been like if she would have stayed with the good Dr. "Cowboy", "Scream Double R" w/DMX and "Life Is Hard" w/Teena Marie are tight songs as well. My personal favorite has to be the Swizz Beatz produced, "Thug In The Street" On this track, Drag-On, The LOX and Eve are on a lyrical free for all and Eve definitely holds her own next to her Ruff Ryder fam. Overall, this is a good CD from Eve and it shows her versatility in the rap game. She isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Eve, a tough uncompomising rapper combinating female anthems and non-nonsense uptempos, had great success with her debut album "Ruff Ryders First Lady" that was produced mostly by Swizz Beats from just the Ryff Ryders group, hence the name. The album was one of the best Hip Hop albums of that year, and was also critically acclaimed, but she didn't get alot of hits from that one. 2 years later in 2001, comes her sophmore album that is quite simular acually. But Swizz Beats had less impact on the songs this time, producing only 5 and letting other Ruff Ryder Protegés (Teflon & Dj Shock) and then Dr. Dre and his crew shining on some songs. Like other reviewers already mentioned, If you liked Eve's debut you'll like this one too, It's an equally strong effort with great songs combinating both street credability/commercial appeal and great lyrics that sometimes are quite deep aswell. First song "Cowboy" is a decent starter, but it's song number 2 and 3 that made Eve a hit-machine. The first one being the Latin inspired Swizz Beats song "Who's That Girl" (bigger hit in Europe then in Usa) and then "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" a commercial beat orineted song that reached a fantastic #2 position on the Bilboard charts. That song feautured Gwen Stefani and production from Dr. Dre and his protegés Mike Elizondo and Scott Storch (both of them are today top producers on their own). The album moves on with a rendez-vu from her last album called "You Had Me, You Lost Me" a female anthem about leaving a man that can't behave. A super catchy Swizz Beats song called "Got What You Need" with Drag-On, why wasn't it a single?. Two other female rappers Da Brat and Trina joins in on "Gangsta B__ch" a decent song aswell while Dre's crew shines again on "That's What It Is" where Styles P appears. We'll find DMX again on "Scream Double R" a thug song, and ditto with "Thug in the Street" with Lox and Drag-On. The oddest song on this album is a reggae cover of "No No No" with Bob Marley's son Damien, it Feels abit out of place actually. "You Ain't Gettin' None" is more girl power. One of the best and deepest songs however is "Life is So Hard" with Teena Marie that makes a spectacular performence. Closer is called "Be Me", a cut that feautures Mashonda (now married to Swizz Beats) It got great beats but lyrics that mostly seems to deal about materialism and her own archivements. But based on what happened to her during these two years, you could understand her reactions. Conclusion is: Eve plays safe and makes a second album with simular concept, what differs the two albums most is the two standouts singles that helped her get big chart success. Other then that, there's many simularities between the two albums and if you liked her first you like her second to. There isn't much else to say then to give her props for a another good album.

Eve takes it to the edge with Scorpion! She writes her own lines and you can tell with the emotion and the truth she speaks, she tells it like it is. THe 2nd track/1st song 'Cowboy' is a great opening andshe keeps it up throughout the whole album. I definatly recommend this to anyone!

i remember purchasing this album back in late 2001 a few months after it came out. i bought it completely for the beats and to hear some LOX. swizz beats does an awesome job on this one as well as dr dre on his two songs. "gangsta b's", the two singles, "that's how it is" and "cowboy" have great beats and should be blasted at high volume levels. however, eve is clearly not as great as people proclaim her to be. hands down she was outshined by da brat on her track "gangsta b's" (and most other female as well as male mc's can't mess with brat) but the shock of the hour was that trina had better more clever lyrics than eve. on trina's first album, i said she was the worst female lyricist of all time but eve had the predictable lines. neither is eve cute at all, far from it. on "who's that girl" and "cowboy" she shows some promise but she falls victim to rhyming "b!@&h" with the "s" word which has never ever rhymed before yet rappers still use it. "you had me" she has some dull rhymes and an annoying "nanana" in the chorus. "that's how it is" shows that styles p can quickly steal the show from eve. same old rhyming on "scream RR" and "life's so hard". well the way things are looking maybe she can marry 50 cent and dabble in poor lyrics together.

I bought this album back in 2001 and it was pretty good. I was really into commercial hip-hop at the time and Let Me Blow Ya Mind is why I chose to buy it. I hadn't listened to Scorpion for probably two years and after listening to it again I like it even more. Even though I'm into old school hip-hop now I really think this is a good album. I still like some of today's rap but for the most part it's garbage to me. I don't turn away from commercial hip-hop but I just dont enjoy a lot of it as much. Eve really did a good job of making Scorpion appeal to a mainstream audience without going too commercial. It's not a classic but all in all it's a very good effort from Eve. She has good lyrics and at time really has great flow.

Overall-8.5/10

1. Intro- N/A

2. Cowboy-9/10

3. Who's That Girl-9.5/10(great song when it came out and it still sounds fresh today. Teflon's production was amazing on this song.

4. Let Me Blow Ya Mind-9.5/10(Great production by Dre and Storch. With the exception of G-Unit I like everything Aftermath has been putting out the past 5 years.)

5. 3 Way(Skit)-N/A

6. You Had Me,You Lost Me-9.5/10(I love the sample from Eric B. is President during the chorus. Good lyrics from Eve.)

7. Got What You Need-8/10(Chorus get's extremely annoying. Everything else is good too even though nothing important is said)

8. Frontin(skit)

9. Gangsta Bitch-9/10(funny thing is that I hated it when i bought the cd. i love the beat but lyrics arn't anything special.)

10. That's What It Is-10/10(amazing production by Dre. What more do I need to say.)

11. Scream Double R-8.5/10(nice guest appearence by DMX.)

12. Thug In the Street-7/10(ok)

13. No,No,No-7.5/10

14. You Aint Gettin None-7/10

15. Life Is So Hard-9.5/10

16. Be Me-8.5/10