'It's not just hip-hop, and that's the thing that makes me mad,' MC says of finger-pointing after Imus incident.
Eve's still the illest pitbull in a skirt, but nowadays, there might be a little bit more lace on her skirt than before.
For instance, on her forthcoming album, Here I Am - her first project in five years, due August 7 - the Philly native ditches the fierce raps (almost) and goes into R&B mode on the Pharrell-produced "All Night Long."
"I'm singing the whole song," Eve said excitedly while in town last week to preview music from her album. "I just didn't want to sing! Because I've sung hooks before, but to sing a whole song, that's something I actually have to do onstage. I think [about it] in that way. Like, what if I mess up? What if there's a frog in my throat? I made it a point, though, to sing like I might just regularly sing, where anybody can sing it. At a tone where I'm not trying to be Alicia Keys. I'm not trying to blow at all, because I'm not that kind of singer. But it's nerve-racking. I'm used to going in the booth and doing what I have to do and then I'm out. With singing, it becomes a chore. But it's one of my favorite songs on the album now.
"I actually got to sneak back in and put, like, eight bars of rap in [the song]," Eve admitted, laughing.
Another thing Eve was cautious not to overload on was the number of collaborators on Here I Am. Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, T.I., Sean Paul, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz all make appearances, giving the album multiple flavors throughout - from the ragga-inspired number with Sean Paul to the gruff collabo with Tip. Swizz also serves as executive producer of the project and contributes to Eve's lead single, "Tambourine." The pair recently shot a video for the Melina-directed clip in Los Angeles.



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