This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
There are plenty of women who call themselves the first lady of rap. Eve might have the most legitimate claim to the title — and not just because of her Biblical name.
The former protege of Dr. Dre and member of DMX’s Ruff Ryders crew shows she’s also got plenty of game on her self-assured third solo joint Eve-olution. Over a funky shag carpet of soulfully bumptious grooves by ghetto superstars like Dre, Swizz Beats and Irv Gotti, Eve spins the usual tales of gangsta-bitch bravado and bling-bling excess. But along the way, she injects some solid rhyming prowess, strong vocal delivery and — most importantly — enough smarts and confidence to know when to lay back and let the tunes (and guest stars like Snoop Dogg and Alicia Keys) strut their stuff. Whether that makes her the first lady of rap is still up in the air, but in my book it definitely makes her the queen of the castle.
