Eve

Hip Hop can easily be viewed as a male dominated genre. And while there have been many female MCs who’ve attempted to break that mold, only a few have been successful. And Eve is one of those women.
Initially known as the Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, Eve Jihan Jeffers boasted herself as a strong, independent woman who doesn’t take bull---- from anyone. With rhymes that can eat you up and spit you out on songs like ‘Who’s That Girl?’ and ‘Gangsta B----es’ off her 2001 album, ‘Scorpion,’ Eve came off as the MC you don’t mess with. However, as she proved later on in her career, the super short platinum coif, dog paw tattoos on her bust and sexy yet tomboyish style, Eve started to soften her image and look and even record songs that aren’t as rough around the edges including ‘Gangsta Lovin’’ with Alicia Keys and ‘Never Gone’ with Chrisette Michele. Despite the more feminine look these days, Eve showed that she hasn’t lost the edginess of performances such as her Gramercy Theatre gig in New York. Performing to a packed house, Eve, dressed in black leather with fringe, took fans on a journey through her song catalogue. From her first album, ‘Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders’ First Lady,’ to her more recent ‘Lip Lock,’ she brought me back to my childhood. Listening to her since primary school, finally seeing her perform these songs brought a new meaning to me. Back then, I used to do everything in my power to learn every lyric though it probably wasn’t proper for me to do so at that age. But now, songs like ‘Love is Blind’ and ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’ are a bit more relatable, and as the cliche goes, it was like she was performing them directly to me.
What makes an Eve show even more fun is the fact that she loves the crowd participation. During her performance of ‘She Bad Bad,’ she invited two men onstage to dance for her and naturally joined them. With a pretty successful career and a slew of hits to back it up, Eve is an artist that won’t only bring you to your feet but will also keep you going till the next morning.

Admittedly, I assume like many others in my generation, scenes of John Dorian of popular TV show, Scrubs, dancing around a hospital room filled with red balloons, a Goldfinger cover or my parents stumbling across old Top of the Pops videos on YouTube is more or less how I best know of Nena’s music. Maybe more recently she’s known for her involvement with Germany’s take of The Voice, however, this shouldn’t fool you into even thinking that she might be past it. Nowadays, Nena rarely performs outside of her homeland, so I’ve never caught her live. Then again, now I can see why. A sold out Deutschlandfest at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate set the scene for a real spectacle. The main highlight being a different take on ’99 Luftballons’ with Sammy Deluxe mashed with The Beatles "Hey Jude" where the entire crowd sang back to a still overwhelmed Nena. Among her more recent material, Nena also performed others from her backlog such as "Leuchttrum" and "Irgendwie Irgendwo Irgendwann." Despite the fact that I can speak no more than two words of German, this didn’t take away any enjoyment whatsoever. The sheer energy conveyed by Nena and her band underpinned by a crowd that knew each song word for word was incredible enough. A set rife with hits from her entire back catalogue, filling the air with a nostalgia that was almost tangible. If you ever get the chance to see her play to a home crowd, I strongly suggest you take it.