Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady

Last updated

Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady
RuffRyder'sFirstLady.jpg
Studio album by
Eve
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1999 (1999-09-14)
Recorded1996–1999
StudioPowerhouse Studio
Genre
Length57:09
Label
Producer
Eve chronology
Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady
(1999)
Scorpion
(2001)
Singles from Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady
  1. "What Y'all Want"
    Released: June 1999
  2. "Gotta Man"
    Released: August 31, 1999
  3. " Love Is Blind"
    Released: December 9, 1999

Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady is the debut studio album by American rapper Eve. It was released by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Interscope Records on September 14, 1999. All of the songs on the album were written by Eve herself. It sold over 200,000 copies in the first week. [1] The album has sold over 2 million copies and was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. [2] The album features singles such as "Gotta Man", and "Love Is Blind" with Faith Evans. Eve became the third female hip-hop artist to have her album peak at number-one on the Billboard 200 (Lauryn Hill's debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill , being the first to top the chart in 1998 and Foxy Brown's second album, Chyna Doll achieving the feat earlier in 1999).

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [4]
Muzik Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
NME 7/10 [6]
Pitchfork 8.1/10 [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [8]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Source Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]

AllMusic editor Theresa E. LaVeck found that "Eve's conviction and passion make her noticeable no matter what the subject, but she truly stands out when the stories become personal, examining the cost of the hard life she champions in other songs. "Love Is Blind" is a painful look at domestic violence. Self-respect and positivity are the moral of "Heaven Only Knows." Both tracks are backed by beautiful arrangements with acoustic guitar and lush vocals. Eve maintains her hardcore image in these tracks, but with a subtle vulnerability that promise lots of interesting things to come from this Philly prodigy." [3]

Track listing

Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady track listing [10]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."First Lady" (Intro) Kasseem Dean Swizz Beatz 1:36
2."Let's Talk About" (featuring Drag-On)
Swizz Beatz3:31
3."Gotta Man" (featuring Mashonda)
  • E. Jeffers
  • K. Dean
Swizz Beatz4:24
4."Philly Cheese Steak" (Skit) (featuring Swizz, Eric and Fuquan) Swizz Beatz1:37
5."Philly Philly" (featuring Beanie Sigel)
Swizz Beatz3:57
6."Stuck Up" (featuring C.J.)
  • E. Jeffers
  • George Cantres
  • D. Dean
  • K. Dean
Swizz Beatz3:53
7."Ain't Got No Dough" (featuring Missy Elliott)
Swizz Beatz4:17
8."BM" (Skit) Icepick1:01
9."Love Is Blind" (featuring Faith Evans)
  • E. Jeffers
  • Anthony Fields
  • K. Dean
Swizz Beatz4:20
10."Scenario 2000" (featuring DMX, The Lox and Drag-On)Swizz Beatz3:50
11."Dog Match" (featuring DMX)
  • E. Jeffers
  • E. Simmons
  • K. Dean
Swizz Beatz4:19
12."My Bitches" (Skit)
  • Jay Jackson
  • D. Dean
  • E. Simmons
  • K. Dean
Swizz Beatz1:08
13."We On That Shit!" (featuring P. Killer Trackz)
  • E. Jeffers
  • A. Fields
  • D. Dean
  • K. Dean
P.K.3:25
14."Chokie Nikes" (Skit) (featuring Eve, Diona, Eric and Grimy) Icepick1:04
15."Maniac" (featuring Swizz Beatz)
  • E. Jeffers
  • D. Dean
  • K. Dean
Swizz Beatz4:22
16."My Enemies" (Skit)
  • E. Jeffers
  • K. Dean
Swizz Beatz1:43
17."Heaven Only Knows"
  • E. Jeffers
  • Michael Gomez
Shok4:29
18."What Y'all Want" (Remix) (bonus track)
  • E. Jeffers
  • K. Dean
  • M. Gomez
Shok4:05

Personnel

Credits for Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady adapted from AllMusic. [11]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [20] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [21] 2× Platinum2,000,000 [22]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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