"Let Me Blow Ya Mind" is a song by American rapper

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

, featuring American singer

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...

. It was released on April 2, 2001, as the second and final single from Eve's second album, ''

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

'' (2001). It became Eve's highest-charting single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (alongside 2002's "

Gangsta Lovin' "Gangsta Lovin is the lead single from Eve's third studio album, '' Eve-Olution'' (2002). The song features R&B-soul singer Alicia Keys. Released in July 2002, "Gangsta Lovin became Eve's second consecutive number-two hit on the ''Billboard'' ...

"), peaking at number two on the week of August 18, 2001. Worldwide, the song reached number 29 in Canada, number four in Australia and the United Kingdom, and number one in Belgium (

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

and

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

), Ireland, Norway and Switzerland. The song was listed at number seven on the 2001

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

. It won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 2002 for

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

, which was a new category at the time. The music video won the 2001

MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Y ...

Composition and lyrics

The song is performed in the key of

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the cont ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 90 beats per minute. The lyrics address those who doubted Eve's ability to maintain mainstream popularity. The song came after Eve who had initially been signed by Dr. Dre at the age of 18 was dropped from his Aftermath label for lack of direction. After her second deal with Ruff Ryders, she was able to reconnect with Dr. Dre. It was a song that was written completely by Eve, usually only writing verses prior she wrote the chorus as well after being instructed by Dr. Dre to do so. Scott Storch was brought in to co-produce who Eve had known since the age of 15. There was an air of doubt from the label that the song would chart, because of the mix between Eve and Gwen Stefani for vocals, their chemistry was strong with an instant connection after meeting each other.

Music video

In the video,

and Eve are shown stopping at a red light. Eve brings in a gang of party crashers, and she tells Gwen to tag along. Gwen gets out of her car and gets onto a

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

. They crash a formal party (whose attendees include actor

Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He h ...

) with their loud music and rowdiness and are subsequently arrested. A

Leona Helmsley Leona Roberts Helmsley (July 4, 1920 – August 20, 2007) was an American businesswoman. Her flamboyant personality and reputation for tyrannical behavior earned her the nickname Queen of Mean. After allegations of non-payment were made by co ...

lookalike appears in the video. She tells police officers about the disturbance as Stefani and Eve disrupt the party. Rapper/producer

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

also makes an appearance at the end of the video when he comes to jail and pays the bail for Eve and Stefani. Fellow

Ruff Ryders Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darin "Dee" and Chivon Dean. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Fontana Dist ...

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

and

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss. ...

appear in a scene in which Eve acts as a bartender. The video won the 2001 MTV Video Music Award for

Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Y ...

, and it was also nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video, losing to Outkast's "

Ms. Jackson "Ms. Jackson" is a song by American alternative hip hop duo Outkast, consisting of André 3000 and Big Boi. It was released on October 24, 2000, as the second single from Outkast's fourth album, ''Stankonia''. It topped the US ''Billboard (magaz ...

Track listings

All versions of "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" feature Gwen Stefani. Australasian CD single # "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (album version) – 3:50 # "Got It All" (featuring

) – 3:48 # " Who's That Girl?" (Akhenaton remix) – 3:59 # "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (video) – 4:15 European CD single # "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (album version) – 3:50 # "Got It All" (featuring Jadakiss) – 3:48 European enhanced CD single # "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" – 3:50 # "Who's That Girl?" (C.L.A.S. remix) – 4:28 # "Ain't Got No Dough" (featuring

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

) – 4:17 # "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (CD-ROM video) UK CD single # "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" – 3:50 # "Who's That Girl?" (Akhenaton remix) – 3:58 # "Gotta Man" – 4:24 # "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (video) UK 12-inch single :A1. "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" – 3:50 :A2. "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (instrumental) – 5:15 :B1. "Who's That Girl?" (C.L.A.S. remix) – 4:28 UK cassette single # "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" – 3:50 # "Who's That Girl?" (main pass) – 3:58

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2000 songs 2001 singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Eve (rapper) songs Funk songs Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Gwen Stefani songs Interscope Records singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Switzerland Ruff Ryders Entertainment singles Song recordings produced by Dr. Dre Song recordings produced by Scott Storch Songs written by Dr. Dre Songs written by Eve (rapper) Songs written by Mike Elizondo Songs written by Scott Storch Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles