It has been well documented that Eve was signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label before her run with the Ruff Ryders. Although her time at Aftermath was short and did not pan out, Dr. Dre still played a significant role in her career.
Eve later described Dr. Dre as tough and challenging to work with. However, that pressure brought out the best in her and helped lead to some of her biggest hits.
Eve – Recording with Dr. Dre
Initially, Eve had an impromptu audition for Michael Lynn, the A&R and president of Aftermath at the time. He was immediately impressed and flew her to Los Angeles to record a demo with Mel-Man, an up-and-coming producer on the label.
Those sessions produced the track “Eve of Destruction.” Dr. Dre soon signed Eve, and the song later appeared on the Bulworth soundtrack in 1998.
Eve of Destruction – Eve of Destruction (prod. By Mel-Man)
During this period, Dr. Dre was heavily focused on working with Eminem on The Slim Shady LP. As a result, Eve recorded with other producers at the label rather than directly with Dre.
She eventually grew impatient, and Dr. Dre dropped her from Aftermath. Fortunately, Jimmy Iovine, head of Aftermath’s parent company Interscope Records, helped connect Eve with another opportunity through his relationship with Ruff Ryders Entertainment. This moment was later discussed on Eve’s episode of Driven, beginning around the 15-minute mark.
Eve – Driven Documentary
Dr. Dre and Eve reunited on her sophomore album Scorpion in 2001. Dre produced the album cut “That’s What It Is,” which featured Styles P.
He also produced the single “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” featuring Gwen Stefani. The song became one of the biggest hits of Eve’s career and earned her a Grammy Award.
Eve – That’s What It Is feat. Style P (prod. By Dr. Dre)
Eve – Let Me Blow Ya Mind feat. Gwen Stefani (prod. By Dr. Dre)
Following that success, Dr. Dre contributed to Eve’s 2002 album Eve-Olution. This time, he paired Eve with his artist Truth Hurts on “What” and produced the single “Satisfaction.”
The duo later linked up again on “Not Today,” a track from Mary J. Blige’s 2003 album Love & Life. The following year, Gwen Stefani reunited with Eve and Dr. Dre for “Rich Girl” from her album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Once again, the trio delivered a massive hit that earned a Grammy nomination.
Eve – What feat. Truth Hurts (prod. By Dr. Dre)
Eve – Satisfaction (prod. By Dr. Dre)
Mary J. Blige – Not Today feat. Eve (prod. By Dr. Dre)
Gwen Stefani – Rich Girl feat. Eve (prod. By Dr. Dre)
Eve’s career path ultimately fell into place. She has said that the “Eve of Destruction” persona she carried at Aftermath would not have worked long term. It took becoming Eve at Ruff Ryders for her career to fully take off.
Even so, her opportunity to work with Dr. Dre proved invaluable, leading to several of her biggest hits and earning her a Grammy Award.
