Eve Reflects on Stripping, Quitting Music, and Joining Ruff Ryders in Memoir
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Photo: HarperCollins Publishers
Rapper and actress Eve, born Eve Jeffers, recently opened up about her teenage years as a stripper and how she transitioned into becoming a Grammy-winning artist. In an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, Who’s That Girl?, Eve detailed her experiences working at a Bronx strip club at just 17 years old and how those early struggles shaped her journey to success. Ahead of the memoir’s release on September 17, she shared these candid reflections with PEOPLE, recalling the highs and lows of that pivotal period.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Eve had a passion for music from a young age, but when her rap career didn’t take off as quickly as she’d hoped, she found herself looking for other ways to support herself. At 17, Eve moved to New York City to pursue her music dreams, but with fame not immediately attainable, she ended up working at both a retail job and a strip club to make ends meet. Reflecting on her decision to strip, she said, “In my head, I was thinking, ‘I need to be grown now, and it’s the quickest way I can get out of the house.’ But I was so bad at it. I was lazy.”
Her brief stint as a stripper lasted only two months, but it would lead to an important turning point in her life. During that time, she met rapper MA$E, who encouraged her to leave dancing behind and refocus on her rap career. Eve admitted that MA$E’s words had a profound impact on her. “He was my prophet that day. I needed that extra push,” she shared.
Eve’s love for music was evident even before she moved to New York. By the age of 14, she was battle-rapping her male classmates in high school cyphers, knowing that rapping was her true calling. After quitting the strip club, her talent caught the attention of music mogul Dr. Dre, who signed her to his label, Aftermath. However, after just eight months, Eve was dropped from the label. While this setback could have derailed her career, she now sees it as a blessing in disguise.
“I needed to be humbled,” she explained. “I think a lot of the reason why I got dropped by Dre is that I was so, ‘When is it my turn? When are you going to put me on?’ So extra Philly feisty. I needed to be sent back home to be like, ‘OK, well, if you got this opportunity again, who do you want to be? What do you want to show the world?’”
Not long after her departure from Aftermath, Eve found her true home with the Ruff Ryders, a rap collective based out of Yonkers, New York. In order to prove herself to the crew, she had to battle every man in the room during her audition. Recalling that intense moment, she said, “I was like, ‘OK, this is a ride or die situation. I’m rapping for my life right now.’ I had to kill them all, lyrically.”
Her talent shone through, and soon after, she released her debut album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, in 1999. The album, which featured hits like “Gotta Man” and “Love Is Blind,” was a major success, making Eve the third female rapper in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. However, despite her triumph, she found the industry to be more isolating than she expected. “I thought it was a sisterhood, and as soon as you get signed, everybody’s like, ‘Hey, Barbie!’ It was not like that,” she admitted. “I remember feeling like, ‘Damn, this is freaking lonely, man.’”
Her success continued with massive hits like “Who’s That Girl” and the Grammy-winning collaboration “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” with Gwen Stefani in 2001. Eve also ventured into acting, appearing in the 2002 film Barbershop and later starring in her own sitcom, Eve. Since then, she has built a life beyond the entertainment industry, enjoying time with her family in London, where she lives with her husband, Maximillion Cooper, and their children.
As she reflects on her journey, Eve finds peace in what she calls the “soft life”—a lifestyle that rejects hustle culture and embraces balance. “There’s something to be said about the ‘soft life,'” she told PEOPLE. “It’s what you make of it.”
Eve’s memoir, Who’s That Girl?, promises to delve deeper into her life’s journey, from her early struggles to becoming one of the most iconic female rappers of her generation. The book is available for preorder and will be released on September 17.
Shivam Kumar
Hi, I'm Shivam Kumar. I'm pursuing Journalism honors from the IP University. I love the skill of writing and looking forward to learn more of it. Also I love traveling and experiencing new things every day....
