The many facets of Eve

If you think you knew Eve Jeffers - the 29-year-old Philadelphia rapper, actress and clothing-label maven that her fans know simply as "Eve" - think twice.

Hip-hop's gangster goddess started her working life selling clothes at Gilley's Jeans on South Street before dropping hip-hop hits under the tutelage of Dr. Dre in 1998.

But the First Lady of Ruff Ryders, as she became known in 1999, has been making raw rhymes with a ferocious flow since she was a kid. Eve sang, too - church choirs, girl bands. And that's why it's no shock to hear her sultry singing voice alongside that of producer/crooner Pharrell Williams on "All Night Long," one of the tunes on her new CD, Here I Am.

Shame that new album isn't coming out this week, as it was supposed to. But that won't stop Eve's parents from hosting a party for their daughter today, where Eve will do a little rapping and singing. Nor will it stop Eve from performing at Powerhouse 25 with Kanye West tomorrow night. Then again, nothing stops Eve.

Question: Most people's parents throw their kids parties at Micky Ds. Your folks rented World Cafe Live. What's that about?

Answer: (Laughs) Wouldn't that be weird if my parents brought me to McDonald's? Originally, it would've been an album-release party. But I decided to push Here I Am back to make it more cohesive. It wasn't what it should be yet. But my mother and stepfather still wanted to throw a welcome-home party, because I haven't been back to Philly in years. The good thing is that my mom's birthday is on the 18th.

Q: What wasn't right about the record? I've heard "Give It to You," "Tambourine," and "All Night Long." They sound great.

A: I know. They got a great response. But the stuff I recorded toward the end of the sessions just didn't match up. Everybody - me, management, label - wanted a collected movement. I didn't want to just put out a record. I wanted to put out the best record.

Q: You've got Pharrell, Dr. Dre, Swizz Beats, Scott Storch and Timbaland producing. Do these guys make it all incredibly expensive? Can you make a trade?

A: I wish these guys took coupons. (Laughs) But you can trade relationships. For instance, Tim, Pharrell and Dre are on Interscope like I am. There's negotiation. You do this, I'll do that. It's not always crazy-costly.

Q: Civic and religious groups along with the government want to legislate rap lyrics. At the very least, they want to gripe about them - the violence and degradation in regard to women. They want to get the N-word out of hip-hop. What say you?

A: Look, there're a lot of words in the English language that need to be gone. I grew up with the N-word. It's not a word that's ever been threatening to me, unless it's been said to me by another race. Which, as I've gotten older, makes me think that it's offense no matter who says it. At the end of the day, though, taking it away is against free speech. You don't want to go there. It's a personal decision to use it or not use it. I don't say it often. Or ever.

Q: You've certainly said it before - and words like ho.

A: I have in the past. I've been writing since I was 12. Any word can be derogatory. Bubblehead can be derogatory.

Q: Does that language - specifically the N-word - show up on the new album?

A: Probably. (Laughs) Honestly, I've got to listen again. It is what it is. I'll bet one of those words is on my new record. But when I write, I don't censor. I don't think anyone should.

Q: Are you driving while you're talking to me?

A: I am - along with doing 97 other things. (Laughs)

Q: So the ankle bracelet's off finally. (Eve got a DUI in April and had to wear an alcohol-detection monitor.) What was that like?

A: It's been off three weeks now. At the beginning, it was confusing because here's this thing . . . on my leg . . . that I had to shower with, sleep with and live with. But I appreciated it because it made it me think.

Q: And it's a fashion accessory.

A: Know what - it messed up my summer wardrobe. Anytime I wanted to wear a dress, that thing'd show. That made me more frustrated than anything - that it loused up my outfits. But seriously, I learned my lesson the night it happened. I'll never be inebriated when I drive again. Ever. I'll never drink and drive.

Q: What's the best memory you have of Philly?

A: The celebrity basketball game at Temple where I got to meet Kool Moe Dee and Big Daddy Kane. And when I was a kid, my girlfriend and I used to go to the Caribbean festival on Penn's Landing. We'd be there all day from sunup to sundown, dancing and sweating. I looked forward to that every year.

Q: There're a few reggae things on Here I Am. Is that the connection?

A: Definitely. Always loved reggae. I listened to that more than anything growing up. I still do. It influences my melodies. Most of my Philly friends come from the Jamaican community. Most of my old boyfriends were Jamaican. (Laughs) The music has always been good to me. And the food. I'd love to go to Jamaica and do a straight reggae record.

Q: It's nice hearing you croon on the new album. What made you want to sing out finally?

A: I was singing before I ever started rapping. Ever since I've been signed to Interscope - 10 years - they've wanted me to do more of that. Pharrell pushed me. He said he had this song. But that I had to sing the whole thing. I thought he was crazy. But once we did it, I wanted more. Why not give people something different for the fourth album? Roll the dice, you know?

Q: What's the biggest influence on Here I Am?

A: I'm more mature now. This is my woman record.