Eve Clarifies Jay-Z's Comments on Female Rap Success Were Misinterpreted, Not Discouraging
In her new memoir, Eve recounted Jay-Z telling her that female rappers "don't really do that well" after her debut album was released.
In a short segment from her new memoir, Eve revealed that Jay-Z warned her about the opposition that she’d face in her early career. But somehow, the part was misinterpreted as the Roc Nation founder telling Eve that she wouldn’t thrive as a female rapper.
In clearing the air and promoting her book, Who’s That Girl?, Eve was on Hot 97 this week, where she was questioned about the story by host Ebro Darden.
Around the six-minute mark of the video below, Ebro brought up how the situation was “framed” in the news, although Eve actually took his comments as a “challenge.”
But Eve shared that the situation with Hov was taken out of context. “Obviously, it’s Jay. I knew somebody was going to try that,” she told Ebro. "I didn't think in that moment that that man was trying to discourage me.”
Instead, Hov was trying to prepare her for the “challenges” that the Philadelphia native would face as a rising female rapper at the time.
She continued, "For me, I took it as, ‘Okay, I hear you, but also, let me see.’"
Eve added that she “got a phone call” after the story began circulating, but called Jay “the biggest supporter of who he supports."
“It was nothing like that and it's such a small piece of a chapter,” she concluded.
In the specific chapter, Eve recounted Jay-Z giving her a congratulatory call on the release of her debut album, Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady. It was during the call that he warned Eve to not have heightened expectations due to female rappers not selling as much as their male counterparts.
Eve also clarified the part of her book on The Breakfast Club, saying around the 12:20-minute mark of the video below that Hov didn't tell her that "out of malice or [to be] mean."
