Eve Says There Are ‘A Lot of Clones’ in Hip-Hop

Eve is weighing in on the state of hip-hop.

While promoting her new ABC show “Queens” on “The Daily Show,” the Philly rapper-turned-actress was asked what she thinks of hip-hop now versus when she was coming up in the late ’90s/early 2000s. Eve kept it real, revealing that she feels there is not enough originality in hip-hop today.

“There’s a lot of clones,” she told Trevor Noah. “I feel like back in the day, uniqueness was celebrated and I think now there’s a lot of the sameness and that to me… It makes it boring a lot of the time, for me.”

However, she does have respect for many of today’s artists. “Not everyone ’cause there are some dope artists out there that I really do love.”

The First Lady of Ruff Ryders said she was fortunate that she was able remain true to herself. “I got lucky. With Ruff Ryders, they never tried to change me,” she said. “The only thing they tried to do was cover me up, actually. They didn’t want me naked. They were like, ‘No, you need to put this vest on now.’”

However, she does envy the freedom and independence of today’s artists. “What I envy is the fact that you don’t need a label. You don’t need a co-signer. You can get out there and find your people the way you want to.”

Eve plays Brianna aka Professor Sex, a member of the ’90s hip-hop group Nasty Bitches, in ABC’s new series “Queens,” which also stars Brandy, Naturi Naughton, and Nadine Velazquez.

She will soon be taking on a new role as mom. Eve recently revealed that she is pregnant and expecting her first child with husband Maximillion Cooper.