Grammy-winning rapper Eve is pulling back the curtain on one of hip-hop’s most surprising connections: her brief romance with former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight.
In her memoir Who’s That Girl?, released last September, the Philadelphia-born star reveals the relationship was less about love and more about payback.
“I was still in my little mood about Dre even though we made a solid hit together, so having Suge, his former boss at Death Row, stomping around Interscope felt like some sweet revenge,” Eve wrote, as quoted by Hip Hop DX.
The “Love Is Blind” rapper admits she concocted the relationship as a way of getting under Dr. Dre’s skin after creative frustrations and label tensions. However, her Ruff Ryders mentors, Dee and Waah Dean, strongly advised her to end it, fearing the connection could derail her rising career.
“They didn’t like the idea of me hanging out with Suge at all,” Eve recalled. “When my guys said it was time to cut the cord, I didn’t think twice.”
Knight, she says, understood her decision, telling her:
“If I was your little sis, I would tell you the same thing.”
Eve’s Career Milestones
Eve’s career trajectory quickly outshined the controversy. Her 1999 debut album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, went multi-platinum, making her the first female rapper to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In 2002, she won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with Dr. Dre for their hit single “Let Me Blow Ya Mind.”
Beyond music, Eve expanded into television, film, and fashion, later starting a family with British entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper. In 2024, she capitalized on her legacy by selling her music catalog to Iconoclast in a deal estimated between $25 million and $50 million.
While her memoir dives into personal struggles and triumphs, it’s her candid admission about her “revenge romance” with Suge Knight that has reignited conversations about the intricate power plays in hip-hop’s golden era.
