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

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).

Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady
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. "Love Is Blind"
    Released: August 31, 1999
  3. "Gotta Man"
    Released: December 9, 1999

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[4]
Muzik[5]
NME7/10[6]
Pitchfork8.1/10[7]
Q[5]
Robert Christgau(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Source[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 DeanSwizz Beatz1:36
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]

  • Adam "Bunnie" Grossman – engineer
  • Adam Gazzola – instrumentation
  • Charles Duffy – art direction, design
  • Chris Theis – engineer
  • Dee Dean – executive producer
  • DMX – performer
  • Eric – performer
  • Eric Smith – engineer
  • Eve – vocals
  • The Icepick – producer
  • Jonathan Mannion – photography
  • Kithe Brewster – stylist
  • Mario DeArce – editing
  • P.K – producer
  • Rich Keller – multi Instruments, mixing, instrumentation
  • Ron Martinez – vocals
  • Shok – producer
  • Swizz Beatz – producer, associate producer
  • Taryn Simon – photography
  • Tony Dawsey – mastering
  • Tony Maserati – mixing
  • Waah – executive producer, art direction, design

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[20] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[21] 2× Platinum 2,000,000[22]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. Boehlert, Eric (September 22, 1999). "Eve Rides to the Top of the Chart". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  2. Eve. "Singer of the Week". AskMen.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
  3. LaVeck, Theresa E. "Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryder's First Lady – Eve". AllMusic. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  4. Walters, Barry (October 8, 1999). "Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  5. "Let There Be Eve... Ruff Ryder's First Lady CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  6. "Album Reviews – Ruff Ryders' First Lady". NME. November 3, 1999. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  7. Kameir, Rawiya (March 17, 2019). "Eve: Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  8. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Eve". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  9. Touré (October 14, 1999). "Recordings: Eve, Eve: Ruff Ryders' First Lady". Rolling Stone. pp. 119–120. Archived from the original on November 2, 2001. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  10. Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady (booklet). Ruff Ryders, Interscope. 1999.
  11. Eve. "Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryder's First Lady: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  12. "Eve Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  13. "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. October 4, 1999. Archived from the original on October 7, 1999. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  14. "Eve Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  15. "Eve Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  16. "1999 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-56. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  17. "1999 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-56. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  18. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  19. "2000 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 53. December 30, 2000. p. YE-52. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  20. "Canadian album certifications – Eve – Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady". Music Canada.
  21. "American album certifications – Eve – Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady". Recording Industry Association of America.
  22. Concepcion, Mariel (June 9, 2007). "A bad rap?". Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 23. pp. 24–25. Retrieved February 3, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
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