Eve Says She’s Glad Dr. Dre Dropped Her & Shares Why (Video)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC Eve has had one of the most successful careers in Hip-Hop history, but as some well know, her path to superstardom began with a rocky road. As a teenager, the future Grammy Award winner was signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath imprint, but the partnership lasted less than one year. The experience didn’t stop her flow and, to date, Eve has two platinum-selling LPs to her name, a filmography that boasts roles in hugely successful film franchises like Barbershop, her own television series, and a permanent place in history as the First Lady of the Ruff Ryderz. But DJ Whoo Kid takes it back to day one in a recent episode of his “Whoolywood Shuffle” show with Eve, who graciously shares some of the memories relating to her relationship with the D-R-E.

Without wasting any time, Whoo Kid makes mention of Eve’s oft-forgotten musical relationship with Dre at the very top of the interview, and Eve generously shares some personal insight into the history of the partnership and its eventual dissolution. “That was my first real experience,” she says. “Like for real, that was my first record deal.” At the time, she was still going by Eve of Destruction, the name under which she recorded her work on the 1998 platinum-selling soundtrack for the film Bulworth. Sharing that she was only 17 when getting signed to Aftermath, Eve tells Whoo Kid “I got signed to Aftermath and moved to L.A. And then [Dre] dropped me after like, eight months.”

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It’s at the 2:40 mark that Eve begins to divulge the details about why she got dropped from the label. “I was straight from Philly to L.A. So he dropped me because I kept showing up to studio sessions I wasn’t supposed to be at, trying to get on records. I was feisty. I was doing way too much.” But rather than conjure up any sense of animosity or bitterness, Eve says she appreciates her then-mentor’s decision. “I’m glad he dropped me ’cause if I had put out any music then, I wouldn’t be here. I was Eve of Destruction then, as well, and it was a whole different vibe.”

Eve also goes into detail about the backstory of how Dre first heard about her, which begins around the :40 mark. Other anecdotes shared include how it felt being such a young artist in the studio with an industry heavyweight, working with Scott Storch at 14, the conflict she experienced having married a White man, and more.

Eve is currently on a massive tour with her “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” collaborator Gwen Stefani. Heads can cop tickets here.