Eve is making major business moves — specifically by securing a major deal.
According to Music Business Worldwide, Olivier Chastan’s acquisition firm, Iconoclast, announced on Wednesday, Sept. 25, that it acquired the publishing rights to the double platinum-selling Hip-Hop artist’s catalog.
“Eve’s contributions to hip hop and popular culture are unparalleled. She’s not only a great artist but a true pioneer for women in the genre,” Chastan, founder and CEO of Iconoclast, said.
“We are honored to help preserve and elevate her incredible legacy, ensuring that her influence continues to inspire future generations of artists and fans alike,” he added.
Eve’s claim to fame came in the late 1990s with her debut album, “Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady,” which catapulted her to top the Billboard 200 — the third female rapper ever to do so.
Iconoclast described her as a “trailblazer” and a “defining voice in hip-hop, known for her lyrical prowess, dynamic flow, and unique fusion of rap and R&B influences,” MBW reported.
In 2002, Eve won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration alongside Gwen Stefani for “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” a song recently sampled in Central Cee’s July 2022 hit “Doja.”
She has also collaborated with notable artists including Missy Elliott, Faith Evans, and DMX, whom she shared a close friendship with. Like DMX, Eve was a key member of the Ruff Ryders, the record label and collective that launched both their careers.
Landing a publishing rights deal isn’t all Eve has been up to lately. She was recently named the 2024-25 Scholar-in-Residence at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, according to Blavity.
“I want people to get an understanding of who I am as a person outside of music,” Eve said, per Blavity. “I am looking forward to getting to know the community, and meeting in intimate settings to give students a chance to ask me anything they want to ask.”
She released her memoir, “Who’s That Girl?,” on Sept. 17, naming it after one of her biggest hits and timing the launch to coincide with the 25th anniversary of her debut album. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the book tells the story of the Philly native, taking readers on her life’s journey from a young girl to a successful female rapper in a male-dominated industry — and everything in between.
“I’m a different person from that young girl who was rapping like her life depended on it,” Eve shared with her hometown paper. “I’m a wife now, a mother to a beautiful son and four amazing bonus kids. … But most of all, I’m still that girl from Philly who can rap her a-s off.”
