Eve Recalls Frustrating 'Uphill Fight' Against Music Execs On Road To Stardom: 'It Was Frustrating'

Rapper Eve got candid about her experience in the music industry as a female rap artist, calling the journey an "uphill fight."

Eve, real name Eve Jihan Jeffers, got in depth with 'Page Six' regarding the pushback she faced when embarking on new endeavors, pitching new ideas, and standing on her creative opinions.

The Grammy Award winner admits those moments were "frustrating," so much so that at one point she questioned herself, admitting that she was beginning to "feel crazy."

"It was very much an uphill fight," Eve, 45, told the media outlet in an interview. ​​"Back then, you had to physically go out and build your audience and just going into these rooms, which were very male-dominated, completely male-dominated."

"I think because there weren't as many female voices, and for us it was the old-school way of going out and having to build your audience one by one, show by show," she added.

Although the Philadelphia native was well known for her solidified position in the rap collective and record label, Ruff Ryders, the 45-year-old revealed that most of her frustrations happened during meetings in the boardrooms where she often received a "lot of pushback."

"It was very frustrating," the musician admitted. "I faced an obstacle because I wanted Gwen on that record, and I had a few people say, 'That's never gonna work. People are not going to believe this.' And I was just like, 'Believe what? We are two artists,' " she said of No Doubt's Gwen Stefani who joined her on the 2001 single "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."

She continued: "I was a fan of No Doubt, and we were also label-mates. So I was like, 'Why can't this work?' So I got pushback on that, and thankfully I won that battle."

Eve's frustrations didn't stop there. The lyricist — who is currently promoting her upcoming memoir "Who's That Girl" — admitted that she often received what she deemed "condescending" feedback from A&R and music reps.

"Sometimes you start feeling crazy when you're pitching in these rooms and people are pushing back at you, and you're like, 'Do I suck? I didn't think I sucked this much,' " she told the media outlet.

That said, it wasn't till years later that she received an apology and positive feedback on her endeavors as an artist, which she admits was a relief, adding that it let her know that she "wasn't crazy."

"One of my old A&Rs, who is not with us anymore, called me years later and just apologized to me and said, 'I wish I would've listened to you a bit more. I just want to apologize to you that I didn't.' And it actually helped me," she expressed.

Today, the proud mother of one — who was barely out of her teen years when she landed her first hit back in 1999 — is also an actress. She played in Ice Cube's 'Barbershop' film franchise and her own television series, 'Eve,' which ran for three seasons on UPN from 2003 through 2006.

Eve, who has been married to Maximillion Cooper since 2014, is looking forward to celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut album, "Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady."

Tags

Eve, Memoir