Fifty of Hip-Hop’s most notable figures are speaking about their foundational moments as the genre turns 50 this August. Ice Cube and Eve were among the select group who discussed pivotal records and moments that led to them falling in love with rap.
For the West Coast legend, he credited rap as being “the cool thing to do” when he was growing up, according to a recent New York Times report. Specifically, Cube named classic records like Malcolm McLauren’s “Buffalo Gals,” Zapp’s “More Bounce to the Ounce,” Sugarhill Gang’s “8th Wonder,” and Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s “La Di Da Di” as the ones that “turned me on to rap.”
The one rapper, though, who truly influenced the 54-year-old at a young age was KRS-One. The former NWA member explained, “He had a lot of different styles, a lot of different techniques. And he had one of the coldest names ever when you broke it down: Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone. He was an in-your-face rapper who came with style and intelligence. ‘Criminal Minded,’ ‘The Blueprint’ — masterpieces. He’s just one of the best that ever blessed the mic.”
For Eve, she credited the female rap pioneers for why she chose to pursue a career in Hip-Hop.
“A lot of the reason I went into Hip-Hop was the females. What I saw in them was women who were holding their own up against the boys, but still celebrating their femininity,” she shared. “MC Lyte’s ‘Cappucino’ — I can totally remember the video. What was I, 10? I thought she was so damn fly. She had this long black coat on, but then her hair was stacked and shaved in the back. I wanted to get my hair cut like hers.”
Experiences like that even lead her to forming her own girl group titled DGP — Dope Girl Posse. However, once she got serious in high school and began listening to Lil Kim and The Notorious B.I.G., her flow changed for the better.
The former first lady of Ruff Ryders continued, “It was always important for me just to be good — not good for a girl. I looked at those cyphers as honing my skills. I never turned one down… My full name was pretty much ‘Eve, That Girl With the Blonde Hair That Can Rap.'”
With the help of Missy Elliott, Trina, Lauryn Hill, and Queen Latifah, Eve later saw how her career could “transcend” within music and beyond.
Check out other first-hand accounts from Q-Tip, Lil Wayne, Cardi B, Roxanne Shanté, MC Lyte, Trina, DMC, Bun B, LL Cool J, and more.
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