[Photo courtesy of Ahmed Klink]

The ability to make a successful career out of doing what you love is a dream everybody strives for, and the thing that Philly native Eve loved was making music. The head-strong and beautiful rapper, real name Eve Jeffers, was first introduced to the world as Ruff Ryders' First Lady, and has since (despite some ups and downs) worked hard to remain an important female force in the game.

To date, she's released three successful solo albums, been a part of a number of radio-friendly hits, and collaborated with a diverse group of artists (including The Roots and Gwen Stefani), but has struggled to find her footing after the release of her 2002 LP Eve-Olution. While waiting for Interscope to green-light the project, Eve took up acting and started her Fetish by Eve fashion line, but she's finally back after a 12-year hiatus tomorrow with Lip Lock.

During her press run through New York City, Eve sat down with XXL and opened up about her feelings about the industry, her legacy a female MC, and how excited she is to show the world her updated, positive outlook.

On the delays that plagued Lip Lock's release: 

"I was supposed to put out an album after “Tambourine” and “Give it to Me,” the song I had with Sean Paul. I think that was 2005. But after “Tambourine,” I started having issues with the label and they weren’t supporting the album anymore. They kind of wanted to go back and revamp the album that we'd already did, that was set to come out, and it kind of threw me. Like, ‘Really? We just worked this hard,’ and whatever whatever. But we did it anyway, and then when I redid the album and when they still weren’t liking it I was like, ‘Y’all need to let me go. This is ridiculous. You’re not fucking with me, you’re not fucking with my music—y’all need to let me go.’ I hated them, I wanted to blow up the building. It was just a bunch of bullshit because I don’t think people were being very honest with me about what the situation actually was. It made me really mad, especially because a lot of those people were people that were holding me down for years. But the label started changing, it was more like the big, corporate side saying, 'We don't know if this is the right direction for you, you need to be doing something else.' It was just too many opinions. Anyway, it took a minute for me to actually get through to them to let me go, that took a few years. Then it took a few years for me to find another label, then it took a few years for me to walk away from that label. So there’s been a lot of shit going on [laughs]."

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On becoming her own boss:  

"I'm releasing this project on my own label, called From The Ribs Music, but I'm distributed through Sony Red in the states and Sony Universal worldwide. It feels really nice, but having my own label is crazy. I was always one of those artists that was like, ‘I would never have a label, I’m never going to sign an artist because I don’t want to be in charge of their shit,’ or, ‘Labels are shit, they treat people fucked up.’ And now I have a label and I’m like, ‘Damn—I be having some dope artists!’ But I think I have to find a partner who eats, sleeps, and breathes label business, because I’m an artist and want to maintain my being an artist. I want someone who can make deadlines happen and can really deal with certain things."

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On finding happiness: 

"I'm in a new place in my life as a person and as an artist, and I feel like you can feel it in my music. I'm in a happy place. I'm very much in charge of my life and I think there's a confidence on this album that comes from me being like, 'Oh shit, I'm in charge and I don't have to ask nobody shit.' It's my project and I got to pick every producer and every feature. I think you can feel that on the record, it just feels happy. Well, not happy—that sounds corny. Just confident."

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On the state of the industry: 

"I think there’s some really good music out, but I think that overall, it’s over-saturated. I think people who are actually music lovers are frustrated, because a lot of the music that's getting played is music that's not really…it just satisfies something for the moment. That’s what I think music is now, and for me—we all love to be in the club. If I’m in the club, I’m dancing, I’m doing whatever. But that’s not the kind of music I put on in my car or at my house."

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On her legacy as a female MC:

"I don't really put myself up there with Queen Latifah, Lil Kim or MC Lyte. I don’t think it’s my job to do that. I think that if my fans want to, if other people want to, that’s fine, but It’s not my job. Also, Queen Latifah is somebody that I admired and looked up to growing up, since I was really, really little. And Kim, I listened to Kim in high school—I love Kim. If it wasn't for them being on this path before me, then I wouldn’t be where I am."

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On the up-and-coming Azealia Banks:

"I think Azealia can do it. Nicki came through and she’s outta here—she’s doing her thing. I think a lot of people are mad at her because she’s doing the dance shit, but let her be who she wants to be as an artist. We all know she can still rhyme, so what’s the problem? I think Nicki took it and ran with it, and I think Azelia can be that as well. Actually, the other night when I was picking out clothes with my stylist, we had her EP on and I was like, 'Damn! I never really paid attention!' What I like about her too is that she mixes it up. It’s not just the hip-hop side. It’s fun, it’s flirty—I think she can go really far."

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On meeting her current boyfriend, mogul Maximillion Cooper:

"He owns a company called the Gumball 3000, it's a driving rally race. So Puma called me and asked if I wanted to drive in the race, and I was like, 'Yes! That shit sounds crazy.' That's my tomboy side: I love cars, bikes, quads—that’s my shit. So I didn’t even know who he was, but we wound up meeting on the red carpet, and think it was lust at first sight. He says it's different, but I know for me, it'd never happened to me like that. The entire night, I was like 'I need to know who that is. Is he talking to other girls?' I was kind of pressed. But we really clicked immediately."

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