Scorpion

The multi-platinum success of Eve’s debut, Ruff Ryder’s First Lady, was proof that women could thrive in hardcore rap without spending all their mic time talking about their asses and simulating orgasms. It’s not that Eve doesn’t have an ass worth talking about; it’s just that’s she’s got more important things on her mind. Scorpion bests her debut, backing Eve’s bold wordplay with production that’s more diverse and more memorable than First Lady’s. Whether it’s the tight, crisp beats on the kiss-off anthem “You Had Me, You Lost Me” or the intoxicating reggae backbone Stephen Marley provides as she croons a cover of Dawn Penn’s “No, No, No,” Eve shows a musical confidence that’s rare for a young artist. She even mends fences with her old boss Dr. Dre, inviting him to bring some slippery, sliding grooves to the funk creeper “Let Me Blow Ya Mind.” Her only misstep is occasionally ceding too much space to guest MCs with nothing new to say (as in “Thug In The Street”), but even that hardly blunts Scorpion’s impressive sting.