Eve Returns With First Album In 11 Years

Rapper Eve hasn't released a new album since 2002's Eve-Olution. After being pushed back several times Lip Lock has finally surfaced. The album blows both male and female rappers out of the water. Eve has brought in the big guns in terms of collaborators on this album. Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship, Missy Elliott, Dawn Richard of Danity Kane fame, Snoop Dogg, Chrisette Michele and Pusha T all feature on the album as well as new or unknown artists such as Propain, Nacho, Miss Kitty and Juicy J get their moment to shine.
There are no bad songs from the uplifting first single "Make it Out this Town" which features Gabe Saporta to the future club anthem "All Night" which features Claude Kelly and Propain. Eve also shines on her solo songs where she can really brag. Promotional single "She Bad Bad," "Grind or Die" and "Forgive Me" are straight up bragging tracks. Eve gets clever with her raps. "My buzz stay strong/ Your buzz never started/ My albums are the shit/ Your career never farted," Eve raps on "Grind or Die." On the Missy Elliott and Nacho assisted track "Wanna Be" the three show haters who's boss. It's good to hear Elliott back on tracks, hopefully this means her album is going to be released soon. Newcomer Nacho holds her own next to two of raps best females.
The album's best two songs are the second single "Eve" which features Miss Kitty. The song is a dubstep-filled hip hop reggae song with just hints of Middle Eastern influences. The song is a reminder of the greatness that Eve is. The other highlight is "Keep Me From You" which features Dawn Richard. The hip-house track is a love song that could easily be on pop radio.
While the album closes with "Never Gone" which despite a great appearance from Chrisette Michele, seems out of place on the album. And the remix of "She Bad Bad" which features Pusha T and Juicy J just seems redundant and could have been another new song.
Despite these few flaws, Lip Lock is a great album and was definitely worth the 11 year wait. After hearing this album people will be saying "Nicki Minaj who?"

Eve is finally back

Rapper Eve has been pushing back her fourth studio album since it's originally intended release date of 2007. Lip Lock will follow up her third album 2002's Eve-Olution. Before that she released her first and second albums, 1999's Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady and 2001's Scorpion. The latter featured Eve's best song and biggest hit "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" which featured Gwen Stefani and won the duo a Grammy Award.
In 2003 the rapper took some time off to star in her own television show and act in movies. She guested on songs by Keyshia Cole, Ludacris and Kelly Rowland and released her own singles "Tambourine" which featured Swizz Beatz and "Give it to You" which was a duet with Sean Paul both in 2007. Eve was later dropped from her label and Lip Lock was pushed back.
Then in 2012 Eve announced that she was working on a new version of her fourth record. The buzz single "She Bad Bad" was released in October and while it was a decent song, it was nothing compared to the greatness that was Eve. Things were looking bad until the rapper announced her single "Make it Out This Town" which features Gabe Saporta from Cobra Starship.
The song is an uplifting song about not letting anything hold you back and keeping your head up through the struggle. The song sounds a tad bit like a Cobra Starship song with more hip hop. While the song isn't a classic, it is a great song that is sure to rejuvenate the hope in Eve fan's hearts that her new album will be worth the almost 11 year wait. Lip Lock will be released on May 14.