From The Vault: Eve – ‘Let Me Blow Your Mind (Ft. Gwen Stefani)’

Long before Rihanna’s arrival to the music industry, Eve’s blazing red hair shined in all its glory such as in this week’s From The Vault selection, ‘Let Me Blow Your Mind’. Released on May 15th 2001 as the 2nd single from her platinum-certified ‘Scorpion’ LP, the song featured Pop sensation Gwen Stefani.

‘Let Me Blow Your Mind’ was the 1st song ever to win the Grammy Award for ‘Best Rap/Sung Collaboration’ when the category was established for the 2002 ceremony. Peaking in the top 5 several charts around the world including at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, the record remains Eve’s biggest hit to date.

Back when the Hip-Pop (Hip-Hop mixed with Pop music) movement pioneered by Mariah Carey was still young, this track was a definite standout. Eve delivered rhymes that would make even the most successful male MC blush and Stefani’s vocals on the hook were subtle yet quite effective.

What was most impressive about Eve was that in a era where female rappers – Lil Kim and Foxy Brown – relied on their sex appeal to help them generate airplay, she stayed focused on her craft. That is the key reason why she will always be remembered for her talent and not because of Diana Ross played with her breasts at an award show.

Thoughts?

Comments 35

Please Post Your Comments & Reviews

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. carl January 23, 2011

    Well too bad, cos the QUEEN of hip-hop Nicki Minaj snatched your wig…. here is your change… would u like a receipt?

  2. b**** please January 23, 2011

    Trent, you’re so right about Eve but you’re also a hater to lil Kim…..SMDHLOL!

  3. Thats Actual and Factual January 23, 2011

    Oh Trentisha You must be very PALE with all that SHADE You live under….

    (Keep in mind your most TALKED about “from the vault” in recent times was Lady Marmalade which Featured Lil Kim. The song went to NUMBER ONE all over the World, AND won a Grammy the Year BEFORE this won a Grammy….)

    So why don’t you say Kim was the FIRST Female Rapper to hit number one in the WORLD…

    Be Positive one day in your life….

    Keep it up and Maybe Nicki will grant y’all an interview b4 she leaves for Paris….

    Oh wait….

  4. Late January 23, 2011

    The shade toward Rihanna & Lil Kim was so unnecessary. Kim will always be known for more than the titty grab from Diana Ross…her bars in “It’s All About The Benjamins” alone are legendary, not to mention other songs like “How Many Licks”, “Crush ON You” and “Lady Marmalade”
    In the batte between Kim & Nicki, I gotta rock with Nicki, but I also have to give honorable mention to Kim, cuz if not for ppl like Kim doing it as big as they did and garnering as much success, Nicki wouldn’t be here now shutting it down, selling over a million copies of her debut cd.

  5. EVE, Missy, Lauryn > Kim’s Life January 23, 2011

    @THATS ACTUAL AND FACTUAL

    Kim didn’t go #1 around the world because of her own work; she was featured on a song with 3 huge Pop stars. How many times has Kim ever had a major wolrdwide hit as a solo artist? Eve is BY FAR better than Kim. Even Nicki Minaj is doing better than Kim ever did. Get over it!

  6. Thats Actual and Factual January 23, 2011

    @ Trent under the Name @EVE, Missy, Lauryn > Kim’s Life

    Whats your Point…Eve made it into the Top 5 with one of the biggest pop stars at the time.

    Kim Made it to number one with TWO major pop stars and Mya…Don’t get it twisted. That’s the same damn thing.

    Also, show me a Nicki Top 5 ANYTHING in the Hot 100 since you want to bring her into this.

    And Lil Kim is one of THREE female rappers to have a DOUBLE-PLATINUM album.

    Go back to your homepage (Wikipedia) and get your facts straight Hunni!

  7. OKKK THEN January 23, 2011

    lmaoo trent, I like eve and to the first comment…EVE HAD HER TIME AND SHE HAD GRAMMY NOM, A SHOW, A CLOTHING LINE AND MAD TALENT….I LIKE NICKI U NEED TO SEAT DOWN…..

  8. Fish n chips January 23, 2011

    EVE! I love this b****.

    LOL @ the Kim shade. That loose p**** b****

  9. FUTURESTARdelux January 23, 2011

    LOL You can always count on 3 things from an article written by Trent.

    1. Rihanna shade.

    2. Kim shade.

    3. Mariah praise.

    Even when the article is nothing to do with any of them, next thing Trent will be saying Mariah Carey influenced Marilyn Manson or Ozzy Osbourne lol…

    I love EVE and this track is hot i was just playing it lastnight actually so please hurry with the new album EVE, Kim, Missy albums all in 2011 (hopefully) the titans are returning.
    As for the Kim shade @THATS ACTUAL AND FACTUAL said it all. #StayPressed

  10. getting_licked_out January 23, 2011

    TOO MANY TYPOS IN THIS POST – GET CHECKING ON YOUR GRAMMAR BITCHASS.

    ‘and not because of Diana Ross played with her b****** at an award show.’ HUH???

  11. Thats Actual and Factual January 23, 2011

    Ageed! @FUTURESTARdelux

    I don’t understand how these people can HATE folks they have NEVER met before. Like is your life THAT miserable?

    I’m a fan of GOOD MUSIC and LEGENDS!

    You can’t SHADE people that are making good/hit Music (Beyonce/RiRi/Gaga/Nicki)

    and SHADE the people that paved the way (Mariah/Madonna/Kim)

    That just makes you look BITTER! and it’s a never ending Cycle….some of y’all need to get out of your Dungeon Shady Lair and go out and enjoy the sunshine….*Coughs*……Trent!

  12. LIFE January 23, 2011

    Without KIM, there wouldn’t be no Eve. Eve recently said KIM insipred her and she looks up to KIM. Now.. I LOVE Eve, but don’t shade Kim as if she was only s** appeal because that only shows that you really don’t know s*** about her. Yes her first 2yrs of her career was all about her s** appeal but it defiantly changed as time went on.

    ..Foxy who?

  13. Dave January 23, 2011

    @FUTURESTARDELUX
    January 23, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    “Mariah Carey influenced Marilyn Manson or Ozzy Osbourne lol…”

    Exactly! He finds any & every reason to bring up Mariah Carey in like each article. I mean damn, did she birth him? He so far up her c***, maybe I mistakened. Anyway.. this track slays, Eve is 1 of the baddest. I can’t wait for her return, & Gwen & or No Doubt need to make a return too.

  14. Jer January 23, 2011

    LMFAO. very funny but quit with the bitchiness. Quit making unnecessary references in every post. A reference to someone’s accomplishment is great, remembering theri accolades. Making references to artists you hate is so passe. You never reference BeYAWNce because yal are up her coot so far, how about referenceing “Before BeYANWce’s dad bought her First #1 song on radio, Monica was duking it out with Brandy” anyything…

  15. QueenofPopJanet January 23, 2011

    Hey Trent, remember “Games” by New Kids on the Block? Remember “Strike It Up” by Blackbox? Hip-Pop, while Mariah was still singing that corny s*** about how she didn’t wanna cry. That b**** didn’t “pioneer” s***, so stop acting like she did. That tramp is a follower, not an innovator.

  16. Nichole January 23, 2011

    Mariah didn’t pioneer the Hip Pop movement, but she did popularize it. Not too much of that was done in mainstream, and Mariah is the reason why so many are doing it now. Which is why she receives credit for it, not just by fans but by the media, and the music industry as well. You can’t be a follower of something you popularized. Jody Watley for damn sure didn’t, and nor did others before MC.

    Anyhow. I never could get into LMBYM, but Eve is a talented “emcee.” Too bad she fell off, which is why I’m glad Nicki is here. It’s been too long, we need another female rapper on the scene.

  17. Dilla January 23, 2011

    Oh the shade. Why so pressed Trent?

  18. QueenofPopJanet January 23, 2011

    Nichole:

    Mariah didn’t popularize the Hip Pop movement. Before Mariah did it, there was Ce Ce Peniston’s “Finally,” Michael Jackson’s “Black or White,” Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract,” Dino’s “Romeo,” Janet’s “Alright,” C+C Music Factory, Blackbox, Technotronic, Cathy Dennis, Snap, Real McCoy. All of whom/which had huge pop hits with the cross breeding of Hip Hop and Pop music, before Mariah jumped on the already moving bandwagon. Hell Sinead O’Connor and MC Lyte collaborated before the release of Mariah’s debut album. The only reason Mariah jumped on board was because it was ALREADY popular. Oh, and Jody Watley for damn sure DID. “Friends” in 1989 with Rakim was the one of the first big pop hits that featured a R&B/Pop singer with a *hardcore* rapper. This was before the world had even heard of a Mariah Carey.

    If Mariah receives credit for pioneering or popularizing Hip Pop, then it’s a very premature, shallow and basically fraudulent credit that — lucky for her — not too many people take seriously enough to *ponder* about too deeply, otherwise, she’d never be credited for it. She’s basically the Pat Boone of Hip-Pop.

  19. Nichole January 23, 2011

    ^^^Desperate and really reaching. Some of those songs can’t even be viewed as “Hip Pop? Paula Abdul, really? NKOTB? Janet Jackson? Get the hell out of here with that.

    Before Mariah came out with Fantasy, there wasn’t too many female singers doing Hip Pop with hardcore rappers.

    Now, we have a legion of female singers in Pop music that are and have jumped on the bandwagon. Mariah clearly didn’t jump on the Hip Pop movement bandwagon, because it was NOT a movement before the Fantasy remix came aboard.

    Left Eye, Missy E, Diddy, Toni B, the media and many others realize this, which is why Mariah was credited for it.

    You people will always try to refute this simply because you are naysayers. There is no point in even trying to debate this. I’m out.

  20. Avenger January 23, 2011

    @QueenofPopJanet… CO-SIGN!

    And long before Mariah, there was Blondie’s “Rapture” in 1981. That was the true pioneering song of pop music infused with Hip Hop; Fab 5 Freddy, KRS-One and various music journalists (and I mean real journalists, not the hacks that run this joke blog) credit Blondie for being the first to merge the two genres, and the result was a big POP hit. Then in 1984, Chaka Khan scored a huge pop hit with “I Feel For You,” which also blended R&B, Pop, and Hip Hop/Rap.

    Only someone born after 1990 could be so dumb as to believe that Mariah Carey was a trailblazer in this regard. A true historian of Hip Hop and music in general would never cite her as having been ‘the one’ who pioneered (or even popularized) it.

  21. Wake Up Six January 23, 2011

    Seems like the Masses as a whole are not feeling Trents SHADE/GRAMMAR/OPINIONS this morning.

    #DoBetter…

  22. Kyle January 23, 2011

    This song is such a f***in classic. I seriously feel like if I had to pick a favorite female rapper it would Eve. I agree with Trent with the fact that she was one of the classier ones to surface over the past decade. She was raw and could hang with the dudes but she acted like a lady at the same time. I hope she can resurrect her rap career. It’s been almost 10 years since her last album was released in 2002…damn, time flies.

  23. TheFuture92 January 23, 2011

    can trent post ANYTHING without throwing shade at rihanna or lil kim and kissing mariah’s ass? smh this site has become so predictable. -____-

  24. JB January 23, 2011

    This is definitely one of the best rap songs, and rap collaboration of all time. This song is what blew Eve up as an artist too.

  25. ayo_ronnie January 23, 2011

    Trent gurl your a shady! I see Rihanna and Kim keep you pressed nowadays. Another thing Mariah trendsetted was the nervous breakdown dont forget that

  26. KaVion January 23, 2011

    For once, everything Trent said was true.
    Eve has raw talent and speaks about subjects with substance.
    That’s why many people compare Nicki to Eve because they both rely on relationships and life instead of s** appeal. Yes Eve is a superior lyricist but Nicki definantly has better delivery. Kim honestly, is NOT that great of an MC. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, if Kim came up during THIS time under Lil Wayne’s wing and Nicki came out under Big’s wing, Kim would be called Wayne’s W**** and you would all be calling Nicki the Queen of Hip-Hop. Kim is only considering the queen of hip hop because she was associated with who many believe was the king of hip hop. Praise by association. Anyone who could ever put Kim before Eve needs to reevaluate their musical identitly.
    As for Nicki’s records, Nicki, Eve, Lauryn Hill, Foxy & Missy have the top 5 first week sales by ANY femcee. Kim failed to even make it in the top 5. Nicki is the first ARTIST to ever have 7 songs on the hot 100 charts simultaneously. Nicki is the first female rapper to perform a Yankee Stadium, sold out. Kim only topped the Rap Charts completely by herself once in her entire career. Kim has never had a solo song break the top 20 on the hot 100, Nicki Did. Nicki’s bound to break EVEN MORE records. Kim accomplished these records for over 10 years. Nicki still has time to do even more.

    Honestly do we really want to look back and see who called the Queen of Hip Hop rapped about nothing but s**? When we have musical Gems like Lauryn Hill, Eve & Missy right her in front of us? Give Nicki a chance to, she’ll pass Kim in lyrical QUALITY very soon.

  27. missy January 24, 2011

    @ THATS ACTUAL AND FACTUAL

    NAME ANYTHING ON THE BILLBOARD TOP 5 ON THE 100? ??

    BEDROCK #2 ON BILLBOARD TOP 100

    WHO MAD?

  28. THATS ACTUAL AND FACTUAL January 24, 2011

    @ Missy

    I stand corrected…. I can admit when I’m wrong….Unlike most of the people on this blog…

    But in all due fairness…I like most of the world forgot this album existed! Lol…

  29. missy January 24, 2011

    @ THATS FACTUAL THE SAME WAY WE FORGOT THAT KIM HAS RELEASED ANY OTHER ALBUM NOT NAMED HARDCORE? LOL

  30. dboy January 24, 2011

    @jer

    really? beyonce’s dad bought her grammy? radio play? fans? money? clothes?air to breathe? mtv vmas? bet awards? shoes? every damn beyonce accomplishment?

    anything that helps u sleep at night

  31. QueenofPopJanet January 24, 2011

    Nichole, I accept your conceding defeat.

    To reiterate: Mariah Carey’s fake ass did NOT pioneer or popularize Hip Pop.
    It was around long before her and has been done much better by others.

    She’s a bandwagoner who only jumps on trends, she doesn’t set them because she isn’t innovative or smart enough to be that creative.

    Your welcome. 😉

  32. daznielle bahamas January 25, 2011

    drop yya glasses shack ya asses the jams just finished listen to this !!

  33. THATS ACTUAL AND FACTUAL January 25, 2011

    @ MISSY

    Since when PLATINUM n GOLD Plaques don’t get recognition!? Lol…

    Chile Please

  34. What’s UP January 26, 2011

    @ Thats Actual and Factual – THAT ain’t factual have u heard of muthaluv’n Bedrock hit number 2 Kay!

    GO BARBZ

Recommended Posts
..**