Scorpion [PA] - Eve

...moment I spin that red SCORPION CD.

'''Rating: 8/10'''


3. WHO'S THAT GIRL (4:42 min)

So on this track, WHO'S THAT GIRL? Well having watched the video, it's obvious that the topic of this track is all about Eve. '''Who's That Girl'''sounds lyrically similar to '''Cowboy''' in that Eve uses braggadacio lines to describe her tough character in the rap game. She also recycles a phrase she used in the ...
...Eve's '''second single''' off her SCORPION album. The video focuses on Eve leading a group of Ruff Ryders on motorbikes into a building that caters only for POSH guests. Gwen Stefani who herself is an informal chick unites with Eve's crew on the streets and both end up performing on stage in front of formal, party guests. Being seen by the high-class public as anti-social offenders, Eve, Gwen and the whole Ruff Ryders crew get apprehended and incarcerated ... more

*************************************************************************** *

THE RUFF RYDERS ALBUMS: SCORPION

The Eve Album Collection - Part I

Author: DJ_primo

Published by DJ_primo for DIJEH inc. / Works of Art

*********************************************************************** *****

(Note: Originally posted on www.epinions.com in my ID name - dr kdj primo ©.)

INTRODUCTION

After I watched Eve's singles, Got It All and Who's That Girl, I always believed that Eve is among the most talented female rappers. Much more than Foxy Brown, Li'l Kim or Trina who rely on their sexual innuendo to sell in the music industry. Eve doesn't fall into this category, she is an intelligent rapper who relies on her skill and imagination.

It was actually that Eve's STINGING performance on Let Me Blow Ya Mind that convinced me 'SCORPION' would be a classic. When I looked on the album cover, I found a range of guests featured on Eve's tracks. Eve included most of her Ruff Ryders companions - including Jadakiss ( real name: Jason Phillips ), DMX ( real name: Earl Simmons ), Styles ( real name: David Styles ) on her album. So it's apparent that Eve is relying TOO much on Ruff Ryders Records to appeal to the fans and I personally think that is unnecessary.

Still, I believed Eve and her 'SCORPION' album would have an exciting sting to my ears like the phenomenal, Let Me Blow Ya Mind. Or did it? Well that's a STINGING question that only the tail of the SCORPION's can answer. So if a Ciao reader want's to find out, I must move on to the next section - WHAT I EXPERIENCED.

WHAT I EXPERIENCED

Entering Eve's branch of the 'Ruff Ryders Territory', I was eagerly anticipating to hear more of Eve's multisyllable rhymes after having been impressed with LET ME BLOW YA MIND. But at the same time, I needed to watch out for Eve's sharp sting that is a combination of her tight delivery, mixed with natural rapping talent.

1. INTRO (0:18 min)

(Not a music track)

Well, the INTRO of the 'SCORPION' album doesn't get off to the sharpest of starts here. Eve wastes 18 seconds of the track just to ask this - ' ....Y'all ni**as think this is a f**kin game?....'. If any music album is to be considered a classic, the Intro should start off with some REAL music that gives an introduction to the artist's subject matter (for example listen to Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt). A brief, introductory talking simply doesn't get a rap music fan interested - but this is what Eve does here. As far as I can remember, most music reviewers do not speak highly of short, pointless intros to an album.

Jay "Icepick" Jackson produces the background sounds of the Intro but his efforts do nothing to help the quality of this track. The sounds centre on Eve walking through a snowy, blustery weather towards a door that she opens and slams behind her before she asks that worthless question. Overall, this is a dull Intro for the beginning of Eve's second, solo Ruff Ryders album.

Rating: Not applicable

2. COWBOY (3:15 min)

After a lame Intro, the 'SCORPION' album gets off to a VERY good start with COWBOY. Swizz Beatz ( real name: Kaseem Dean ) delivers a remarkably good performance in creating the musical theme for Cowboy. He creates a heavily synthesised beat with stinging bass lines, slow drums and deep, stuttering keyboard tempos. The recipe of sounds Swizz Beatz uses, makes his production very commercial but a very good one at that. Plus, the modern Texas-like theme fits perfectly with Eve's flow and the title of this track - Cowboy. This is Swizz Beatz's trademark work for Ruff Ryders Production Inc. as printed on the inside cover for the 'SCORPION' album.

Eve flows perfectly with the quality of Swizz Beatz's beat-making process. She adjusts her rhythm throughout the Cowboy track to make herself sound entertaining to rap listeners. At the same time, Eve manages to STING some imagination in her lyrics, staying SHARP and focused on the subject matter. The subject matter of Cowboy has Eve giving her knowledge about how males exploit women and lyrics to sell records in the modern rap industry. In the first verse, Eve raps about males injecting female rappers with drugs and brainwashing them into making whack records based on lust, money and sex. Now to me, it seems like Eve is passing an innuendo to Li'l Kim and Bad Boy Records (you will understand my point shortly). Eve then brings herself in on her subject matter to describe how she will handle the pressure of writing decent lyrics and how she stands out as a true female rapper. She continues her bragging and storytelling over the second verse about how hard she works herself in the male-dominated rap industry. I like the way she constructs her lyrics throughout from the first to third verses.

The hook is average and doesn't measure up to the great standard of Cowboy. Eve questions the audacity of male rapper's methods of selling records using the lines, ' ....Where my n**gas at?, Where my th*gs at?....'. Swizz Beatz samples male's vocals to return Eve's questions with part of the hook:

[Chorus]
' ....You know where we at
Now where my b**ches at? (WHAT)
Where my hoes at? (WHAT)
Where my b**ches chasin stacks?' (Note: Stacks mean money in street / rap terminology)

Now this is the untidy part of the hook that prevents me from giving COWBOY full marks - that is 10/10. Swizz Beatz could have sampled the chorus better since it portrays women as b**tches or hoes chasing after money. It's not a pleasing to one's ears either.

The witty, lyrical flow from Eve and stinging beats from Swizz Beatz give a pleasant animated feel to this COWBOY track. I was actually expecting Eve to release Cowboy as the THIRD single since it sounds as radio-friendly as Who's That Girl and Let Me Blow Ya Mind. Unfortunately, this track was NEVER released but it has been one of my personal favourites since 2001. Thus, I easily get addicted to Cowboy the moment I spin that red SCORPION CD.

Rating: 8/10

3. WHO'S THAT GIRL (4:42 min)

So on this track, WHO'S THAT GIRL? Well having watched the video, it's obvious that the topic of this track is all about Eve. Who's That Girlsounds lyrically similar to Cowboy in that Eve uses braggadacio lines to describe her tough character in the rap game. She also recycles a phrase she used in the final verse of Cowboy, notably - ' ....Keep it gangsta...' to describe how she keeps her image real before her cowardly rivals. The obvious factor that separates Who's That Girl from Cowboy is that Eve also focuses her subject matter on her background (e.g. coming from Philly, her hometown and hustling to earn money).

Another interesting feature of Who's That Girl (the first single ), is Eve presents her lyrics in street poetry, especially in the first verse. Yet at the same time, her flow remains aggressive, appealling and seriously captivating. Other female rappers like Foxy Brown and Li'l Kim to date, have lacked the ability to incorporate poetry into their rhymes without resorting to too much sex appeal. Given this theory, this is what makes Eve special in the female division of Hip Hop despite being a former prostitute in her time. She has so much creativity, sharpness and talent in her lyrics that she is far above the levels of idiotic rappers like Li'l Kim and Trina (who were also prostitutes).

The beats are created by Teflon ( real name: Sheldon Harris ) for Ruff Ryders Production Inc. Teflon begins his production by sounding off horns like a signal for Eve to begin her personal anthem. He then switches his production to a Latino-influenced beat that consists of bass lines, horns and fast keyboard tempos. Personally, although Teflon's beats are good, I think they are overproduced and they seem to make WHO'S THAT GIRL boring after several listens. The ' ....La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la....' stuff in Eve's chorus can be boring for some listeners and this adds to the relative urge to skip WHO'S THAT GIRL.

The radio-friendly production in combination with Eve's introductory lyrics makes WHO'S THAT GIRL a perfect choice for a first single (released in May 2001 ). While I like Who's That Girl, I much prefer to listen to COWBOY owing to the better production.

The video for Who's That Girl is dope, especially where it pictures Eve acting cool in gangsta attire on a motorbike in one plain scene. In another familiar scene, there is a cartoon image of Eve walking along the streets with people staring at her in the background. This matches Eve's first verse spot on. The video of Who's That Girl ends with Eve's RUFF RYDERS crew - Drag-on, Jadakis, Sheek and styles - showing up on the screen. DMX is absent from the video.

Rating: 7/10

4. LET ME BLOW YA MIND (3:50 min) FEATURING GWEN STEFANI

I'm sure everyone (including pop music fans) is familiar with this track. This was one of the tracks off the 'SCORPION' album that really BLEW music fans MINDS away, convincing us that this is among Eve's sharpest work. One thing that makes LET ME BLOW YA MIND particularly special, is how well Eve's collaborates with the pop-rock artist Gwen Stefani. Eve and Gwen Stefani successfully bridge the gap between two completely different genres of music, rap and rock. The result, was that Let Me Blow Ya Mind appealled to almost every kind of music fan, rocketing to No. 4 in UK's Top of the Pops and #1 in the US Billboard Charts. It is not surprising therefore, that Eve won a Grammy award for this best selling single.

Dr Dre ( real name: Andre Romell Young ) and Scott Storch provide excellent beats to suit the style of Gwen Stefani's singing and Eve's rapping. His production is that typical West Coast, Aftermath style that is normally associated with rappers like D12, Eminem, Obie Trice or Snoop Dogg. The production consists of electronic keyboard loops that play sharply over commerical guitar sounds and deep bass lines. The bass lines sound half, similar to what I heard on COWBOY.

Eve is awesome on the track in that her delivery, flow and her lyrics are perfectly constructed with passion over her verses. The only drawback for Eve is that she doesn't show any particular subject matter in any of her three verses. It's basically Eve telling the public how talented she is in her freestyle and how everyone should stop to listen, relax and enjoy her presence. In short, Eve is asking the peopleand us in her video to - LET ME BLOW YA MIND. In some cases, Eve spits poetry and metaphors in her rhymes and that is quite unusual for a female rapper:

' ....Aint no stress when it comes to stage, get what you see
Meet me in the lab, pen and pad, don't believe
Huh, sixteens mine, create my own lines
Love for my wordplay that's hard to find
Sophomore, I aint scared, one of a kind
All I do is contemplate ways to make your fans mine
Eyes bloodshot, stressin, chills up your spine
Huh, sick to your stomach wishin I wrote your rhymes.…'

Also note from this fantastic verse is that Eve's complex lyrics are multi-syllable and impressively groundbreaking.

While I am NOT a particular fan of Gwen Stefani, this commerical artist handles the hook beautifully with vocals that grabs one's attention. The chorus is well written by Gwen Stefani but only serves to match the concepts of the video of Let Me Blow Ya Mind.

Speaking of the the video, this was Eve's second single off her SCORPION album. The video focuses on Eve leading a group of Ruff Ryders on motorbikes into a building that caters only for POSH guests. Gwen Stefani who herself is an informal chick unites with Eve's crew on the streets and both end up performing on stage in front of formal, party guests. Being seen by the high-class public as anti-social offenders, Eve, Gwen and the whole Ruff Ryders crew get apprehended and incarcerated in jail, until Dr Dre bails them out with cash. In addition, Jadakiss and Styles both rappers and members of Ruff Ryders, appear in the video, sitting beside Eve with their heads down. They are head, nodding to Dr Dre's music and Eve's lyrics.

Rating: +10/10

5. 3 WAY (SKIT) (0:41 min) FEATURING EREX, STEVE J. & EVE

(Not a music track)

Jason "Icepick" Epperson presents a TV soap of Erex, Eve and Steve J for Icepick Productions.............

After hearing a SHARP collabo between Eve and Gwen, I get to listen to a BLUNT conversation between Eve and Erex. It's simply Erex making a phone call to Eve, asking whether Eve's relationship with Stevie J. is okay (BORING). All of a sudden, Eve react angrily at Erex for asking what she takes a stupid question passed on by Stevie J. She then accuses Erex of having his friend Steve J. secretly eavesdropping on Eve's phone line in a trio communication. Hence, the title of this track is 3 WAY. Since Stevie J. does not say one word here, the cover of the 'SCORPION' album should not credit his name for 3 WAY.

Overall the 3 WAY (SKIT) sucks. Jay "Icepick" Epperson wasted his time producing this dull, rubbish skit.

Rating: Not Applicable

6. YOU HAD ME, YOU LOST ME (4:21 min)

Okay so the topic on 3 WAY (SKIT) sets up Eve's subject matter for YOU HAD ME, YOU LOST ME. Still, I don't think that skit was necessary.

Stevie J. ( real name: Steven A. Jones ) steps in as the producer of the beats for Blackjack Productions. His production is good but heavily synthesised and a little overdone on the electronic keyboard cadence and bass lines. The beats are also commercial and make You Had Me, You Lost Me sound suitable as a soundtrack for a movie album.

So far Eve remains incredibly sharp and talented with her lyrics. This time she becomes more emotional as she vents her anger at her ex-husband for having affairs with other women and messing around behind her back. I presume Eve's ex-husband here is Stevie J. but what is weird however is that Stevie J. is also producing this track! Therefore, Eve's lyrics may be for entertainment and not a real story of life. Eve makes You Had Me, You Lost Me sound really dangerous and exciting but the ending of this track kills the quality with the slightly annoying filler, ' ....na na na na na na na na na na na....'.

Rating: 7/10

7. GOT WHAT YOU NEED (3:52 min)

This is arguably the best track on the album and yet it's very commercial and radio-friendly. So I'm surprised that Eve decided not turn GOT WHAT YOU NEED into a single. Had she done so, this club track could have reached No. 1 in Top of The Pops. Ask anyone on Ciao who bought Eve's SCORPION!

Eve's superb lyrics are similar to her freestyle on Let Me Blow Ya Mind. Thus, Eve is asking ladies to have a good time, clubbing and partying. The notable difference in Got What You Need is that Eve is collaborating with her fellow Ruff Ryders rapper, Drag-on not a pop singer like Gwen Stefani. Also, there is no music artist singing or rapping the chorus. Rather Swizz Beatz samples male vocals for the chorus and although it's format seems repetitive, it is incredibly catchy. Drag-on ( real name: Mel Smalls ) is generally a poor rapper but he stages a surprisingly good performance in his flow. However Drag-on as decent as he tries to be in freestyling, sound simply can't match Eve's brilliant skills.

Swizz Beatz creates a synthesised beat that is great for clubbing. He uses decent piano keys, banging bass lines and a slight dose of machine beeps for his production.

Rating: 9/10

8. FRONTIN' (SKIT) (0:43 min)

(Not a music track)

Jason "Icepick" Epperson presents a TV comedy of Mo'nique, courtesy of Icepick Productions.............

Mo'nique acts as a comedian is on stage trying to make some jokes about a man who tries FRONTIN' on women (i.e. mess women about). That is concerning a man who lies to women about having money and owning expensive cars like Mercedez Benz. Unfortunately, I don't find this FRONTIN' (SKIT) funny. It's complete BULLS**T and whack nonsense from Mo'nique. NEXT!

Rating: Not Applicable

9. GANGSTA B****** (4:23 min) FEATURING DA BRAT & TRINA

(Note: GANGSTA B****** stands for gangsta b**tches)

This subject matter of this track is pure GANGSTA trash about three raw slappers hooking up together to excite the male thugs in the streets. The three raw women, or as Eve put's it - ' ...three raw b**ches....' are Da Brat ( real name: Shawntae Harris ), Trina ( real name: Katrina Taylor ) and undoubtedly Eve herself.

Da Brat begins the first verse. She asks us listeners to imagine Eve walking down the streets with two guns in her pockets with herself on Eve's left and Trina by Eve's right. That is a stupid way for Da Brat to start this track off and her lyrics turn for the worse as she raps about herself. She claims to be the hottest female gangster with a FAT bum (i.e. a$$, buttocks etc.) that attracts black men. Herself rapping about splurging money on shiny diamonds (' ...blinding rocks....') and other 'gangsta' clothing is also whack.

Trina follows up as she raps the second verse and lyrically she's no better than Da Brat (or Li'l Kim for that matter!). In fact she is even WORSE or err.... sca.... SCARY! Check out Trina's disgusting lyrics:

' Me, Eve, and Brat, it's banannas sh*t
We aint havin this, I steps on toes
In a pair of hot shorts and eight inch stelletoes
Iced out, drippin in Channell
Prada, Gucci, and all that (Note: Yawn, how uninspiring)
I make 'em fall back
Hair done, fresh metti and peticure, bikini wax
Gotta keep the cat smooth so when my ni**a ask for the p*ssy
It's good and wet
After just one f**k, you won't forget....'

Yuck. Trina is so revolting with her lyrics she should have teamed up with the Bravehearts - Jungle and Wiz (whom I wrote about in my last review). I would rather have a woman wear brass knuckles and do a LOW BLOW on my penis hard than enjoy Trina's awful lyrics.

Eve raps the third verse and this is where GANGSTA B****** really steps up in improvement. Eve's rhymes are thus more creative and sharply delivered compared to those of the other two female rappers. Eve delivers hard punchlines, describing how she keeps her image real in the rap game. She also stresses that females deserve to succeed as professional rappers in the music business. It's a shame that Eve also had to refer to Trina and Da Brat, praising them as being the 'illest' Dames of female Hip Hop. Unlike Trina, Eve goes easy on her looks as she avoids passing any sexual fantasies towards male pimps in her rhymes. Once again, Eve's flow in her verse is good and inspiring.

Eve raps the hook after each verse and she performs this for a further three times at the end of the GANGSTA B****** track. Unfortunately, the hook is GARBAGE:

[Chorus]
' Gangsta b**ch, gangsta ice, gangsta whip
Gangsta clothes, gangsta money, gangsta shows
Gangsta purse, gangsta shoes, gangsta verse
We the b**ches that the gangstas thirst
Gangsta song, gangsta brawn, gangsta thong
Huh, we the b**ches that the gangstas on
Gangsta bottle, gangsta trees
Gangsta Brat, gangsta Trina, and gangsta Eve'

If I may ask - WHAT THE HELL?!?!

Cliched lyrics like 'gangsta bottle, gangsta purse and gangsta thong' written for a hook (i.e. chorus) demonstrates rubbish, commercial Hip Hop. It's seems to me that Eve is trying too hard to fit with Da Brat and the raunchy Trina but this only serves to her damage talents. I don't know what Eve was thinking, hooking up with Trina and Da Brat but she is MUCH better than this.

Swizz Beatz is in charge of the production, creating the background music to GANGSTA B****** for Ruff Ryders Productions Inc. Swizz Beatz varies in his performance as a producer, depending on what sort of sounds he uses to create beats. Sometimes, the quality of his beats are very good (e.g. on GOT WHAT YOU NEED, Styles 'Good Times' or Bravehearts' 'Twilight') while at other times they are crap, horrible, trash or simply wack. So it comes as no surprise that Swizz Beatz laces a weak production for Eve's GANGSTA B******. He forces his production with mixtures of dreadful bass lines, irritating keyboard percussions and drums.

This GANGSTA track is skippable.

Rating: 1/10

10. THAT'S WHAT IT IS (3:40 min) FEATURING STYLES OF THE LOX

Dr Dre steps in again as the producer to offer another beat for Eve's 10th track. But wait there is something strangely familiar about Dr Dre's production. I heard this beat somewhere before. Hang on, these beats came from Dr Dre's 'The Watcher' track (off 'Dre Dre 2001 album') that I remember listening to as a sample on MTV.com- so THAT'S WHAT IT IS. Okay, well I have to admit that Dr Dre's production is good but not that GREAT for Eve's album. All Dr Dre does is stretch the bass lines, eliminate the piano keys and throw in his beats for That's What It Is. His beats are not even as impressive as his original version on 'The Watcher'. Now this to me suggests that Dr Dre is being rather lazy to help out Eve.

Fortunately, Eve and Styles spit a lot of good fire on this track. Their breathtaking flow and amazing lyrics, even makes That's What It Is seem like a CLASSIC. Eve does the first and third verse while Styles is excellent in the second verse in his own gangsta style. Eve uses a subject matter that is similar to Cowboy. She raps about herself being able to sell two million records and that male rappers who have turned gold better watch out for her. Or else, Eve says her rivals better duck if they try to compete with her 'SCORPION' album.

Styles is equally impressive as Eve as he warns rival rappers not to mess with Eve and her SCORPION album. His chorus is average and he could have wrote it better so that he doesn't keep yelling THAT'S WHAT IT IS eight times:

[Styles - Chorus]
' Eve don't give a f**k about you
That's what it is
Eve is the hottest b**tch
That's what it is
But she gon' stay ladylike
That's what it is
But I'ma act crazy like
That's what it is
Think I got your house shot
That's what it is
Think I got your car burnt
That's what it is
Think I got your people robbed
That's what it is
Cuz we don't give a f**k about you
That's what it is'

If Styles had cut 'THAT'S WHAT IT IS' down to TWO TIMES, the chorus and this track could have been among the best on the 'SCORPION' album.

Rating: 7/10

11. SCREAM DOUBLE R (3:41 min) FEATURING DMX

The 'SCORPION' album drops back to hell with the ridiculously corny SCREAM DOUBLE R. Scream Double R is the sequel to Dog match a track off Eve's first album, featuring DMX.

DMX is usually brilliant on his own tracks when he releases his own Ruff Ryders albums. But on Eve's Scream Double R - well I guess he just isn't sharp enough on here. DMX begins the first verse by yelling like a dog rather than rapping and his lyrics lack the bite and grittiness he showed on 'Flesh of my flesh, Blood on my Blood'. He SCREAMS nonsense rhymes like:

' ....Keep the burner in the truck cause well you got to have it (aight)....' or ' ....A dog and his b**ch blowing up the spot....'

That's not the real DMX I know. I am a big fan of the original DMX, but the one I'm hearing on Scream Double R sounds like a FAKE imposter who was genetically cloned in a science lab.

Eve follows up in the second verse and clearly outshines DMX with decent verses. In fact, her lyrics sound far more intelligent and to the point than DMX's. She declares that everyone should be at peace, keeping it real in the music industry like her Double R label (i.e. Ruff Ryders). Unfortunately Eve SINGS the hook while DMX growls / barks over it and it's TRASH:

[Chorus]
' Get that a$$ up and Scream Double R (What!)
We ain't going nowhere we made it this far (Uh -1st time come on - 2nd)
Let me see my, my dogs (growls)
Let me hear my, my dogs (Barks)'

It's simply Eve asking us to stand up and SCREAM DOUBLE R. But what is there to SCREAM about when the beats are awful and DMX is sounding disappointing?

Oh yeah, speaking of the beats, they are even WORSE than Eve's hook and DMX's lyrics. DJ Shok ( real name: Michael Gomez ) for Ruff Ryders Productions Inc. laces the beats with video-game effects and tired drums. The result is a messed up background sound that seems like it came from a lame Spectrum 128K computer, a rusty Commodore 64 or faulty Nintendo video game.

Rating: 2/10

12. THUG IN THE STREET (5:02 min) FEATURING THE LOX & DRAG-ON

Another terrible track - THUG IN THE STREET is a sequel to 'Scenario' on Eve's first album where Eve's talents were concealed by the mediocre lyrics of her featured Ruff Ryders guests. So it is not surprising that Thug In The Streetsounds like a track for a Ruff Ryders crew rather than Eve alone. When I first listened to this track in Summer 2001, I asked myself, where the hell is Eve in all of this crap, THUG lyrics spat by Drag-on and The LOX (Jadakiss, Styles and Sheek)? Then at the end the track, I only get to hear Eve rap for just 33 seconds.

From the beggining, Drag-on delivers an extremely whack verse about playing with guns and knives and teaching himself to stab his rivals. The LOX are also uninspiring, though Styles comes up with the best verses and Jadakiss with the worst. Eve delivers the best verse once again as she raps about female artists acting confused and idle in the music industry. Eve doesn't rap about guns and knives like Drag-on or Sheek ( real name: Shawn Jacobs ) and that proves she is not a real Thug In The Street.

Swizz Beatz samples male vocals for the chorus and his chorus is complete GARBAGE. The beats are also trash as they consist of ugly, male vocals, horrendous drums and chain sounds that came from a youth offender's centre. This is another of Swizz Beatz's corny production, courtesy of Ruff Ryders.

Overall, THUG IN THE STREET sounds like it was pulled off 'Ryde or Die vol. 2' album and added to Eve's 'SCORPION' album to try and get rap fans excited. Even then, THUG IN THE STREET would have been a weak cut on any Ruff Ryders album.

Rating: 3/10

13. NO NO NO (5:37 min) FEATURING DAMIAN & STEPHEN MARLEY

NO NO NO, is an extremely blunt imitation of Dawn penn's reggae-influenced R 'n' B hit of 'You Don't Love Me'. The only advantage of this track, is Stephen Marley's decent production that consists of piano loops playing over deep, Jamaican bass lines.

Now coming over to the lyrics, I really struggled to listen to Eve sing and reggae for approximately 4 minutes. This horrible No No No track where Eve attempts to copy Dawn Penn's singing further masks her brilliance. The adopted Jamaican singing does not quite suit Eve and it sounds fake and clearly forced. Eve's attempt at switching over to reggae freestyle is even WORSE. Her reggae flow is so forced it even fails to fit with Stephen Marley's traditional, West Indian beats. Stephen Marley as a producer would have been better suited for Lauryn Hill or Sean Paul. Eve is practically not naturally talented at singing though she claimed to be in one interview with Vivien Goldman prior to her 'SCORPION' release. Can Eve sing in reggae fashion? My answer is NO NO NO! Can Eve rap? The answer is definitely YES YES YES!

Damien and Stephen Marley follow Eve's reggae verse with their own freestyle and they are not impressive either. Their lyrics centre on making LOVE to Eve and her body!

Rating: 1/10

14. YOU AIN'T GETTING NONE (4:11 min)

YOU AIN'T GETTING NONE is yet another mediocre track with a lame beat and an extremely STUPID chorus. Eve abandons her real character again and this time she raps over a subject matter that leans towards sex. Eve makes You Ain't Getting None seem like some kind of wierd TV programme where she is attracted to a man who wants some of her body. Eve's lyrics later drift into the man sniffing her neck and biting her ears while she keeps her composure. The story ends with Eve fighting the man off saying You Ain't Getting None and that dinner was lovely but I she really has to go.

Now to be honest, You Ain't Getting None seems like the Ruff Ryders / Interscope bosses forced Eve to write these lyrics just to add more variety and make her 'Scorpion' album longer. The uninspiring lyrics even has adverse affects Eve's flow, rendering it blunt and annoying. The chorus is HORRIBLE as it's loaded with background sounds of having SEX in bed:

[Chorus]
' (ah ah ah ah)
you ain't getting none (Na na na na)
his touch it really turns me on
this message comes from me to you
please stop touchin on me (you know you want it)
but I got go'

The ' na na na', ' ah ah ah' and ' I know you want it' are simply TRASH and so is Dame Grease's production for Vacant Lot Productions. Dame Grease ( real name: Damon Blackman ) is disappointing for his standards especially after he created classic beats for DMX's debut album (i.e. 'It's Dark and Hell is Hot'). On Eve's album, Dame Grease laces a dreadful, computer-game beat that consists of ringtones, lacklustre drums and strange bass-lines.

I will quietly regard this song as a filler track.

Rating: 0/10

15. LIFE IS SO HARD (4:55 min) FEATURING TEENA MARIE

The album picks up again with LIFE IS SO HARD that is one of the best tracks of the album. Personally, I think Life Is So Hard is as good as Let Me Blow Ya Mind in it's own fashion.

DJ Shok reverts to his original style of production that made DMX's single - 'Slippin' a passionate classic. DJ Shok produces beautiful beats consisting of piano loops and soft bass lines that gives me the feel of looking at the lives of struggling families. His work is much better than what he did on Scream Double R.

Eve turns introspective as she shows her softer side of life, rapping about all the hard situations she has been through in life. She also pays tribute to her God and friends for helping her to enjoy her life. Eve's lyrics are fascinating and really BLOW MY MIND. Teenie Marie sings the chorus wonderfully with her strong vocals and really turns Life Is So Hard into a classic.

Rating: 9/10

16. BE ME (4:10 min) FEATURING MASHONDA TIFRERE

BE ME is the official closing track of this track of this album. Lyrically it is similar to LIFE IS SO HARD, except that Eve is dedicating her struggle in life and rap to all her haters and rivals. She also declares that she will continue to be herself to deserve respect for her progress. This is how the track is called Be Me.

Unfortunately Mashonda Tifrere's singing kills Eve's efforts on the track. Her girly voice is rather annoying and her ' ....supergirl....' chorus SUCKS! The weak production from DJ Shok is a cartoonish bass line that makes Eve sound blunt.

Rating: 4/10

17. LOVE IS BLIND (REMIX) (3:53 min) FEATURING FAITH EVANS

Produced by Swizz Beatz for Ruff Ryders Entertainment

LOVE IS BLIND (REMIX) is a bonus that does not really belong to this album. It comes from Eve's first album - 'Ruff Ryders First Lady' that Eve decided to put on her second album - 'SCORPION'. It is a good track where Eve uses introspective lyrics to rap about a man abusing and raping her female friend. The beats are beautifully produced by Swizz Beatz and are also guitar driven.

Eve released Love Is Blind as a single for USA (not Great Britain) in 1999.

Rating: 8/10

18. GOT IT ALL (3:47 min) FEATURING JADAKISS

GOT IT ALL is another bonus track that Eve originally put on 'Ryde or Die Vol. 2' album but later decided to include it on 'SCORPION' album. Eve does a good job using her multi-syllable flow in her verses. She stresses in her lyrics, that she has everything she needs to keep her happy and will not accept any benefits from a man. Jadakiss' lyrics are decent, but also appear to be too watered-down and simplified indicating that he is an overrated lyricist. Neveretheless, Jadakiss remains on point with his verses to match the concepts of Got It All and Eve's subject matter.

Teflon produces the cool, refreshing beats for Eve's collaboration with Jadakiss. He uses the sounds of oriental drums, sea horns and dragging bass lines for his Ruff Ryders production.

GOT IT ALL was released as a video in 2000, only in the US.

Rating: 8/10

Well that's the Ruff Ryders story of Eve given in my detailed review of the 'SCORPION'. Hope y'all enjoyed reading the stinging tale.

CONCLUSION

So my examination of each track, leaves one stinging question - is this 'SCORPION' album sharp or blunt? Did I find Eve's album a classic or a failure according to my own experience? Well overall, this 'Scorpion' album is somewhat average. It is simply a mixture of sharp strengths and blunt weaknesses (i.e. good and bad).

The main strength of the 'Scorpion' album appears to be Eve's good rapping skills with amazing flow. Eve can be really SHARP and entertain Hip Hop fans when it comes to writing her own lyrics to rap for a whole track. Take for example, her performance on Cowboy. The main weaknesses that bring down the quality of Eve's ''Scorpion' album are that Eve's true sharpness and fine lyricism appears to be blunted by the mediocrity of some guest appearances and some wack production.

There is a lot of explicit content on most tracks, so there is proof that Eve's album is not for kids. It's definitely for adult fans who like party Hip Hop. However, Hip Hop heads will not be fully satisfied with this album.

APPENDIX

Best beats: COWBOY, LET ME BLOW YA MIND, GOT WHAT YOU NEED, GOT IT ALL

Worst beats: SCREAM DOUBLE R, YOU AIN'T GETTING NONE

Best Video: LET ME BLOW YA MIND

Worst Video: GOT IT ALL (but Teflon's beats are one of the best!)

Overall rating for album: 6/10

Total marks = 84, 15 music tracks * 10 = 150

84/150 = 5.6/10 = 6/10 = 3/5 = 3 stars 

...less