Eve set herself apart from the fleet of female rappers in the gangsta subgenre by lacing her lyrics and look with a feminine touch. A the "first lady" of the Ruff Ryders label, she held court as the only woman on the roster, striking a balance of toughness and class. In this song, she's after that gangsta love, putting the moves on a guy who's in her sights. It's a role reversal of a common lyrical theme in hip-hop and R&B.
Alicia Keys is the featured vocalist on this song and appears in the video. The part where she sings, "I just want to rock you" is sampled from a 1981 Yarbrough & Peoples song called "Don't Stop The Music."
"Gangsta Lovin'" was the first single from Eve's third album, Eve-Olution. Around this time, she was breaking into movies, with a small role in the film XXX and a bigger role in Barbershop, where she plays the only female barber - a role she felt suited for because she was the only woman on the Ruff Ryders label.
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