Rapper and Mother Says ‘ I Feel So Blessed… My Child is Watching Me Do What I Love to Do’
It’s been 24 years since Eve asked “Who’s That Girl?” on the album “Scorpion,” and with more than two decades topping charts, packing out concert venues, and now juggling life as a wife and mother, the Grammy-winning rapper is still that girl.
“There are people with their kids that know me, or know my music because their mom and dad grew up listening to me and now they have a love for me,” Eve, the only woman headlining the “Where the Party At Tour,” told The Informer a day before her July 23 performance at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia.
Nelly has been going across the world with the “Where the Party At Tour,” also featuring Eve, Ja Rule, St. Lunatics, Fabolous, Jermaine Dupri and Chingy.
“We are taking this tour worldwide,” Nelly said in a statement. “I got my folks with me… so you know it’s [up] all 2025… Let’s GOOOO!”
After admittedly having to readjust to tiring life back on the road, Eve, 46, is still wowing crowds with her engaging, melodic, and smooth delivery that “blows” audiences’ minds— in the words of her famous 2001 hit “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” featuring Gwen Stefani.
“You get to different cities, different countries, the crowds are different and the energy has been amazing,” she said. “Every venue has been incredible.”
However, now that she’s reacclimated to tour life, the multihyphenate artist is throwing another new element into the equation.
“For this American leg, I’ll have my son with me, so we’ll see how that goes,” the Philadelphia-born artist said laughing.
While performing on the stage was her first love, motherhood has been a cherished gift. Now, Eve is combining those worlds, as she shares her love of performing with her son.
“[Motherhood] just makes me more focused on how I give a good show, how I show up to the people that are coming to see me. I always want people to leave happier than they came, that’s such a big thing for me. But that being said I think I do perform with a little more sense of pride because I know my son is on the side of the stage,” she explained. “That fills me with a different type of energy… I feel so blessed and thankful that my child is watching me do what I love to do.”
Using Art to Empower
Since her debut album “Let There Be Eve… Ruff Ryders’ First Lady” in 1999, Eve has worked to empower her fans– particularly women— through her art and performances, and that’s something she is passionate about showing throughout the tour.
“The fact that people still want to come see me, want to hear my music, is huge for me and I’d never take for granted what my life is— where I come from, from Philly, and where I am now,” Eve told The Informer. “I couldn’t have written this story, and so I hope my presence— me just showing up and living the life that I live— hopefully is inspirational to women, and especially young Black women.”
D.C. native Nyame-Kye Kondo, also known by her stage name Meche Korrect, told The Informer that Eve was influential to her as a little girl and young artist.
“I was empowered by her short hair and her willingness to talk about topics that others shy away from, like domestic violence,” said Kondo, who recently donned what’s now become her signature short hair cut while performing at the National Cannabis Festival July 18. “I was inspired by her boldness.”
During the “Where the Party At Tour,” the rapper is sharing personal moments with fans, while also highlighting the hard work and talent of others.
“A lot of my visuals reflect my journey through this business. It reflects my journey just as a person. One of my songs, there’s a picture of me and my mom when I was a kid in Philly,” she said. ”For ‘Who’s that Girl?,’ we actually… found tons of footage of women of color that play the horns.”
In addition, Eve is keenly aware of the uneasy social climate in the United States, particularly since the start of the second Trump administration, with the elimination of thousands of federal jobs, diversity, equity and inclusion programming, and federal threats for teaching certain aspects of Black history, among other policy changes and shifts.
“I started the tour in Europe, and then coming to America, it is at the front of my mind, what’s going on in our country, in our world. And I think that’s why, for me, it is important that if people are coming to see me, if you’re spending your time, your money, to come out…. I just want to be your light for that night. I just want to bring you some happiness,” she said. “I want to bring you back to a time that hopefully was a light time for you, but also in the moments that I’m on stage, just let go and be free and [don’t] think about what is going on.”
She noted that enjoying live music can be healing.
“I think everything is so heavy, sadly, everything is so crazy that it’s just time to let go a little bit, and dance,” she said.
Continuing to Create, Staying Grounded through it All
With more than a quarter-century in the entertainment business— having rapped, starred in her self-titled television series from 2003-2006, authored “Who’s That Girl?: A Memoir” (2024) and numerous other projects— Eve has no plans of slowing down her creativity.
Even while balancing being a wife and mother, Eve is always finding new ways to flex her artistic muscles, such as recently curating “Visual Symphonies,” with the London gallery Nahmed Projects.
“I don’t like to be bored, so I let myself walk through these doors when opportunities come up. I’m pretty much a yes person first. Probably too much, to be honest,” she said, explaining how she, a musician, got involved in a visual arts show. “I’m very much about the ‘yes’ and learning things as I go as well.”
While the artist hinted at new music potentially on the way, she noted saying “yes,” to projects, such as writing her first book alongside Kathy Iandoli, has also opened the gateway for new interests.
“There’s a lot more there,” she said. “I’ve already started talking about the second book.”
In order to balance her personal life and career, Eve ensures she stays healthy and focused, such as prioritizing her overall wellness. However it was not always crystal clear how to remain mentally and physically fit in the fast-paced entertainment industry.
“I went through a lot. You know, I was doing a lot of drinking, not taking care of myself, and had a lot of anxiety. And so now it’s so important to me that my tools that I use now when I am stressed or anxious, just are healthier,” she explained. “I definitely try to meditate when I can and the food that I eat is really important.”
In addition to snacking on healthy food backstage, Eve said she always prays before hitting the stage.
The Grammy-winner emphasized why staying grounded is important beyond her career.
“Me being healthy is better for me, is better for my kid,” the artist said before adding a joke with a dose of truth, “and it’s better for my husband, so I’m not getting on his nerves.”
As she continues the “Where the Party At Tour”— eating her rice cakes and peanut butter backstage and attending to her young son’s wants and needs— Eve also is thinking about her fans, hoping to leave audiences with a clear and encouraging message.
“You can be born where you’re born, but you take yourself where you want to be, and that is up to you,” she told The Informer. “You can have anything and all the things that you want, and hopefully, I am an example in that way.”