Ebony Eyez

Ebony Eyez became the first woman from St. Louis, Missouri, to secure a major-label deal as a rapper when she issued her debut full-length project in 2005 through a partnership with the TrackBoyz. Born Ebony Williams in that city, she first appeared on record in 2004, contributing “Show Your Ass” to J-Kwon’s album Hood Hop while sharing the same management. Following the breakthrough success of J-Kwon’s single “Tipsy,” Capitol Records offered her a recording contract, prompting immediate work with the TrackBoyz duo of Mark Williams and Joe Kent. Those same producers, who had helmed “Tipsy,” reunited J-Kwon and Ebony Eyez for the track “Get XXX’d,” which was commissioned for the 2005 motion picture XXX: State of the Union. Her first album, 7 Day Cycle, arrived later that year and included the singles “In Ya Face,” whose remix featured Trina, and “Take Me Back,” which featured 112. The project achieved only modest commercial traction, peaking at number 137 on the Billboard albums chart, after which Ebony Eyez largely receded from public view.