Eve Receives GRAMMY for ‘You Got Me’ Verse 26 Years After Original Win

Eve received long-overdue GRAMMY recognition for her verse on “You Got Me” at the 2026 Recording Academy Honors, correcting a decades-old miscredit tied to The Roots' landmark song. The ceremony took place on Thursday at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. It was hosted by the Recording Academy's Black Music Collective, reflecting a broader effort to address equity in credit across collaborative music projects.

“When we recently learned about the story, it was really simple,” Recording Academy president Harvey Mason Jr. said during the ceremony held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Thursday. “We needed to make it right, and it was a chance for us to make it right. So tonight, the Recording Academy is here to offer a much-deserved respect and recognition.”

Despite “You Got Me” winning the 2000 GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Eve was not credited at the time due to a miscredit on the track. That omission affected her early career trajectory, including her departure from Aftermath, before she rebuilt as an artist under Ruff Ryders, where she found creative freedom and support from Philadelphia peers.

Iconoclast founder Olivier Chastan praised Eve as a pioneering force for women in hip hop and emphasized a commitment to preserving her legacy. 

Eve has openly shared her thoughts regarding the impact of exclusion on her first few years through interviews and a podcast, as well as her changing self-perception as an artist. Questlove's public apology on his podcast for miscategorizing her created an opportunity for Eve and the Recording Academy to reconcile by reclassifying her.

“This is actually for little Eve from Philly, the little girl who loved to write rhymes and just wanted to be in the business,” she stated. “I'm truly, truly grateful to be in this room with all of you here, all of the greats, people who inspired me, my peers… I remember when y'all called me — I was a little tipsy, I had a few martinis out with a friend — and I kind of was like, ‘wow, what is yours never can miss you, even 30 years later.' So I'm truly grateful for this.”

Brandy, seated in the audience, encouraged Eve to take the stage, underscoring wider conversations about delayed recognition in entertainment. Eve also highlighted ongoing work, including processing the past while looking ahead to future projects and reimagining Scorpion, as the moment reframed who history remembers — and how credit is finally set right.