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Rapper Eve was rewarded for her intellectual prowess. The 45-year-old rapper/actress, born Eve Jeffers, was named NYU Steinhardt School of Culture’s scholar-in-residence for 2024-25.

The prestigious honor is awarded to those who display high academic excellence.

The year-long residency kicks off on September 21 with a welcoming event for Eve. It will be followed by a series of meetings, classroom visits, and intimate conversations with students and faculty about Eve’s career as a trailblazing hip-hop rapper.

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“We are thrilled to be hosting Eve as our 2024-25 Scholar in Residence,” says Jack H. Knott, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. “She will share the expertise she’s gained as an award-winning artist in music, film, and television, as well as a philanthropist working with young people in the arts. I know our students and faculty will learn from her engagement and support of our efforts to advance equity, belonging, and innovation,” Knott added.

Eve’s debut studio album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady (1999) peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart and spawned the hit singles “What Ya Want” (ft. Nokio), “Love Is Blind”, and “Gotta Man”.

Eve’s second studio album, Scorpion (2001) spawned the lead single, “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” (ft. Gwen Stefani). The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Eve shares a son (her only child) with husband Maximillion Cooper and she is stepmother to his four children.

As an actress, Eve starred in the comedy drama films Barbershop, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and Barbershop: The Next Cut. And she played the lead role in the UPN TV sitcom Eve.

From 2017 to 2020, Eve co-hosted the CBS Daytime talk show The Talk, where she was nominated for 2 Daytime Emmy Awards.