Eve

Eve represented women being empowered and empowering themselves, and not being viewed upon as a sidekick to men. In 1999, the same year that the "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill" picked up an Album of the Year statue at the GRAMMY Awards and Foxy Brown's "Chyna Doll" debuted at the top of the Billboard charts, Philly MC Eve also bowed at #1 with "Let There Be Eve... Ruff Ryders' First Lady." The last of the female MCs to be introduced before the dawn of illegal Internet file sharing, she blended sexiness with hardcore rap skills, all the while hiding a trick you her sleeve. After charting hits like "Gotta Man" and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with pop singer Gwen Stefani, Eve revealed that she could also act. Starting with the 2002 comedy "Barbershop," she worked hard to earn her own sitcom the next year, on UPN (theme music by Missy Elliott).