Rapper Eve has opened up about the unusual sense of protection she experienced early in her career, recalling how DMX and the wider Ruff Ryders collective helped shield her from unwanted advances and predatory behaviour in the male-dominated music industry.
Looking back on her rise to fame, Eve said the crew became a safe place after she had already experienced uncomfortable encounters with men who appeared more interested in flirting with her than taking her music seriously. For the rapper, being surrounded by the Ruff Ryders was about far more than making records.
Eve Says Ruff Ryders Became Her Safe Place
Eve recalled travelling to New York during her early career to play her demos for producers, only to find that some men were more interested in asking her out than discussing her music.
She described these encounters as part of the 'bullshit that all women go through in most industries.' Her experience changed after she joined Ruff Ryders, the hip-hop collective that included DMX, The LOX, Jadakiss and Swizz Beatz.
'Ruff Ryders were my safe place,' Eve recalled, describing the group as the opposite of the producers who had previously made her uncomfortable.
The collective also helped shape her image. Eve said she enjoyed wearing short outfits and heels at the time, but the men around her would encourage her to dress differently, jokingly telling her to put on a vest and Timberland boots.
DMX and the Crew Treated Her Like Family
Eve has previously described the Ruff Ryders as her 'big brothers,' saying they made her feel 'really, really protected and respected and celebrated' while she navigated an overwhelmingly male industry.
In another interview, she described herself as being 'the most protected woman on the planet at one point' because she was constantly surrounded by members of the collective. That sense of security became an important part of Eve's early career, particularly because she was often the only woman in rooms filled with male executives and artists.
Her debut album, Let There Be Eve... Ruff Ryders' First Lady, arrived in 1999 and immediately established her as one of the collective's biggest stars.
She Was Still Fighting for Respect in Boardrooms
While Ruff Ryders made Eve feel protected, the music business itself remained much more difficult.
She has recalled being the only woman in major-label meetings and dealing with executives who dismissed her ideas or treated her suggestions as insignificant. 'Oh, that's cute. We're not doing that,' was the kind of response she said she frequently encountered.
That frustration eventually became part of what drove her to become more assertive. One example involved her suggestion that Gwen Stefani should appear on 'Let Me Blow Ya Mind.' Executives initially questioned the pairing, but Eve pushed for it. The collaboration became a huge hit and eventually earned the pair a Grammy.
Ruff Ryders Also Helped Turn Eve Into a Star
Eve's relationship with the collective went beyond protection.
After she was dropped from Dr Dre's Aftermath label, she spent a period depressed at home before being encouraged to meet the Ruff Ryders. The group helped her develop from a battle rapper into a more complete recording artist.
Eve described working with them as a kind of 'hip-hop boot camp,' saying they taught her how to structure songs and helped refine her abilities.
The experience ultimately led to her breakthrough with Let There Be Eve, followed by Scorpion and some of the biggest hits of her career.
A Different Side of the Hip-Hop Industry
Eve's memories offer a more complicated picture of the late-1990s hip-hop world.
She has spoken openly about the sexism and dismissiveness she encountered from executives, but her experience with Ruff Ryders provided a contrasting environment where she felt supported by the men around her.
That distinction appears to have stayed with her decades later.
Rather than remembering the collective simply as a group of intimidating male rappers, Eve has repeatedly described them as family, the people who helped her find confidence, develop her craft and feel protected while navigating an industry where she often had to fight to be taken seriously.
For Eve, being Ruff Ryders' 'First Lady' was therefore about more than a record label title. It represented belonging, loyalty and having a group of people around her who made her feel that she did not have to face the industry's darker side alone.
