“Now while you grittin your teeth
Frustration baby you gotta breathe
Take a lot more than you to get rid of me
You see I do what they can’t do, I just do me.”
—Eve, featuring Gwen Stefani “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”
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Alas, this is the eighth profound hip hop quote specifically paying homage to Philly with one more to go. There’s so many to name, but you know I’ve got to include another female artist who has made herself known in the early 2000s and still reigns today, Eve, full name, Eve Jihan Jeffers.
Eve is one of the most influential female rappers or rappers from Philly, period, to see national and international success. Actually, she deserves to be lauded for expanding her rap career into television, film and even fashion.
In “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” Eve commands respect from all competitors, haters and listeners while declaring an all-out women’s empowerment movement with the help of Gwen Stefani. What makes her lyrics profound is, as she put it, “I just do me.” She’s not concerned with pleasing or appeasing others and is simply doing what she sees fit, not what others may expect.
Do you allow others to dictate your success or lack of success for that matter? Of course, emulation is sometimes a necessity to do well in life, but emulating greatness and surpassing it is totally different than simply copying someone else. Do you feel as confident in your ability as Eve is in hers to be unyielding in the face of doubters and competitors?
Please feel free to share your thoughts
~Anonomz aka Tanya Harris
Bonus English Lesson:
Whether it be intentional or on a subconscious level, words are not arbitrarily selected in poetry or music. In these specific lyrics by Eve, she utilizes repetition as a technique to show emphasis. For instance, the pronoun “you” is present in each line for a total of four times, and she incorporates the pronoun “me” just two times in the last two lines. From this observation, one could deduce that this song is more so about addressing the competition and letting them know what she will tolerate rather than her justifying who “she” is and why she does what she does.
Journey of Anonomz 