What is your recording process like?

When I'm getting ready to record a new album, I basically try to be in creative mode. I'm not just creating a song, but trying to come up with a creative concept. I have to stay interested in the music. I'm a melodic person so a lot of times, I listen to the track and then decide what it's telling me to say in the hook. I like to do a lot of sing-song type hooks. That sets the direction for each song. And with the album, I just try to do something different than I did last time.

'Ridin' touched on police profiling. What type of issues will you cover on your new album?

On the new album, 'Ultimate Victory,' I'm talking about a lot of current events [including] the controversy surrounding the "N" word and hip-hop in general, the war, my view on politics and a lot of little hidden gems. That's been my whole goal: to try to get people to know Chamillionaire, the man behind the name. It's hard getting people to make a connection with an artist nowadays. I want people to connect with me. Last time, I had some deeper messages in a couple of songs and people never remember them. They remember the ringtone songs or the singles. This time I made the whole album moral, so that if you listen to the album, you get the idea.

What do you say to those who believe southern hip-hop isn't lyrical enough?

Well, I guess there's a lot of ammunition out there. There's a lot of songs that come out of the South that are pretty simple, but that's generalizing a region. It's crazy that people would think that everyone [from the South] is one-track minded and simple. Of course major labels sign a lot of acts that do the same kind of music, but there's more out there. And I'm definitely one of the artists that's trying to prove that.

Tell us about 'Finding Forever.'
'Finding Forever' is my new album, which is coming out July 31. I entitled it 'Finding Forever' because I thought about making music that would be here forever. Music that would be timeless and ageless, and would be able to go for generations beyond my physical existence. As I thought of that title, I began to think about forever for all of us -- finding our purpose in life and what our legacy would be, what will our contribution be and how we will be remembered. That's what "finding forever" meant for me; just finding that place where I can create something that will be memorable and timeless throughout life.

How is Common of 2007 different from the Common Sense of 1994?
Common Sense is definitely a part of me still. It's who I was, and I evolved. Common Sense is this little cat who was rolling really fresh off the block from Chicago. Out getting drunk, kicking it, fighting, partying and doing different things but still had a good heart. I still feel some of that youth and fun, and that spirit still exists in me, but I believe that Common evolved once they took the name away. It was a big turning point for me. A group using the name Common Sense tried to sue me for the name in '96 or '95, and when that happened a lot of different things were happening to me in my life that were allowing me to evolve, and that was one of them. Now when I look at Common myself, I say, "Dang, I'm just this dude who's been growing and evolving, but has just been open to change." All of it is still connected, but you always want to grow and want to become better, and I feel like I have grown and opened my mind up to a lot more things. But that's the difference between Common and Common Sense, but I still want people to know I'm Common Sense forever.

How important is lyricism to you?
Lyricism in hip-hop is very important. To be able to rap is a blessing; it's a gift. To get up on the microphone and let your voice be heard by millions of people is an opportunity. Lyricism is important because you're using that opportunity wisely. When you get this time and this gift and this microphone in front of you, what can you say that's original, that's true to you, that has some creativity and imagination in it? That's what lyricism is about. It sparks the minds of the listeners. I think hip-hop was always about inspiring the people, and I think lyricism ties into that inspiration. We need lyricism in hip-hop.

Buy 'Finding Forever' on Itunes

Eve's maturation is not only reflected in her new album, which hits shelves on Aug. 7, but equally as much in the look of her new Fetish collection, due this fall. "It was a juvenile line -- well, a juniors' line -- and it was a line that I didn't want to support because I just didn't think it looked right on me," she says. "So, now that I have new partners, we went from my closet and, in a way, [designed] the kind of stuff that I actually buy. My style has evolved. I've grown. I'm a woman now."

Come back on Aug. 3 to watch Eve's Sessions performance.