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EVE'S RETROSPECTIVE GRAMMY
- Not Rude, Honest
- Feb 3
- 2 min read
You may have seen that rapper Eve won a Grammy in 2026 despite no having released any music in the year leading up to it. Let me fill you in.
The year was 1998 and the rap duo The Roots from Philadelphia have just released a song called 'You Got Me'. The song is a leading single from their upcoming album and since it starts doing well, they decide to shoot a video. As soon as the video is released something becomes very obvious - someone from the track is missing. The song, co-written by the late Jill Scott 🕊️, featured Erykah Badu and a great female rapper who was not credited and at the time, not widely recognised. The video also featured cameos from other up-and-coming Philly legends, Common and Tracy Morgan.
In 1999 a new female rapper from Philly hits the scene and takes the world by storm - Eve. Eve's rapping style is so distinctive that fans quickly piece together that she is the rapper on the second verse of 'You Got Me' and start to wonder why the artist behind such a significant part of the song was not featured in the video. In 2000 The Roots win a Grammy Award for 'Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group' for 'You Got Me', meaning that The Roots, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu all earn a Grammy. A now well know Eve is visibly absent from the recognition.
In 2001 Eve wins a Grammy for 'Best Rap/Song Collaboration' with Gwen Stefani for their hit single 'Let Me Blow Ya Mind', proving that she is indeed a Grammy worthy rapper. Between 2001 and 2026, Eve continued to display signs of greatness through various projects: albums that internationally top the charts, sold out tours, brand deals, magazine covers, tv shows, movies, daytime talk shows and many more. She did all this while looking flawless, finding love and becoming a mother.
In 2025, Eve spoke about the snub on Angie Martinez's podcast 'In Real Life' and I can't definitively say that that's what finally did it, but at a Recording Academy Honors event presented by the Black Music Collective during the 2026 Grammy weekend, the Academy formally presented Eve with the Grammy she should have received back in 2000 for her work on 'You Got Me'.
I am so incredibly happy for her, but I can't help but feel sad for the numerous other artists who's talent has gone uncredited. Had Eve not become successful in her own right, she wouldn't have had the platform to make enough noise about this. The lesson here? Always stand up for yourself and never stay silent when have been taken advantage of.
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