Faith Evans

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Faith Evans
Evans in 2005
Evans in 2005
Background information
Birth nameFaith Renée Evans
Born (1973-06-10) June 10, 1973 (age 50)
Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
EducationFordham University (no degree)
Origin
E1
  • Prolific
  • Capitol
  • Bad Boy
  • BMG
    • Spouse(s)
    • ​
      ​
      (m. 1994; died 1997)​
      [a]
    • Todd Russaw
      ​
      ​
      (m. 1998; div. 2011)​
    • ​
      ​
      (m. 2018; div. 2023)​
      [2][3]
    Children4, including C. J. Wallace
    Websitefaithevansmusic.com

    Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American

    112 on Puff Daddy's 1997 single "I'll Be Missing You," which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and became the first hip hop song to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. Her second and third albums, Keep the Faith (1998) and Faithfully (2001) peaked at numbers six and 14 on the Billboard 200
    , respectively, and saw further critical praise.

    Evans parted ways with Bad Boy in favor of

    holiday album—failed to chart and served as her final release on a major label. After a hiatus, she released her sixth album, Something About Faith (2010) independently, followed by her seventh album, Incomparable (2014). With a career spanning two decades, Evans has sold over 20 million records worldwide.[5]

    Outside of recording, Evans is known as the widow of rapper Christopher "the Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, whom she married on August 4, 1994, after meeting the rapper at a Bad Boy photoshoot.

    Wallace's unsolved drive-by murder on March 9, 1997.[7][4] Also an actress and author, Evans made her screen debut on the 2000 musical drama Turn It Up by Robert Adetuyi. Her 2008 autobiography, Keep the Faith: A Memoir was released by Grand Central Publishing
    and won a 2009 African American Literary Award for the Best Biography/Memoir category.

    Biography

    1973–1994: Early life and career beginnings

    Evans was born on June 10, 1973, in

    African American mother, Helene Evans, a professional singer.[4] Her father, Richard Swain, was a musician of English and possible Italian descent who left before Evans was born; Evans has said "I've heard people mumble something about him being Italian, but I don't know for sure".[8] A half-year later, 19-year-old Helene returned to Newark, New Jersey, and left Faith with her cousin Johnnie Mae and husband Orvelt Kennedy, the foster parents of more than 100 children they raised during the time that Faith lived with them. Faith had known Johnnie Mae and Orvelt Kennedy as her grandparents.[4][7] It was not until a couple of years later that Helene's career floundered and she tried to take Evans back home. Faith, however, was afraid to leave what she had "been used to," and instead, Helene relocated next door.[4]

    Raised in a Christian home, Evans began singing at church at age two. At age four, she caught the attention of the congregation of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in

    Bad Boy Entertainment record label during 1994.[10]

    1994–2001: Faith, Biggie, Keep The Faith, motherhood and marriage

    Evans in 1998

    Newly contracted to

    RIAA.[12]

    A year before, on August 4, 1994, Evans married rapper and label mate

    Christopher George Latore Wallace Jr.
    After allegations of an affair with
    rap music at the time. Wallace was murdered in a yet-to-be-solved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California in March 1997.[7] During early 1997, after her separation from Wallace, but before his death, Evans' friend Missy Elliott introduced her to record company executive Todd Russaw. Faith began dating Russaw during her and Wallace's separation and after Wallace died, Evans became pregnant by Russaw. The couple had their first son Joshua on June 10, 1998 (her 25th birthday).[6] During the summer of 1998, Evans and Russaw were married, and on March 22, 2007, they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw.[6]

    After Biggie's murder on March 9, 1997, Combs helped Evans produce her tribute song named "I'll Be Missing You", based on the melody of The Police's 1983 single "Every Breath You Take". The song, which featured Combs, Evans, and the all-male group 112, became a worldwide number-one success and debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart during 1997, scoring that for eleven weeks. It eventually won Puffy, Evans and 112 the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.[4] The next year, she received another two Grammy nominations for "Heartbreak Hotel", a collaboration with singers Whitney Houston and Kelly Price, that scored number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[13]

    Two years in the making, Evans' second studio album,

    Total the following year.[6]

    2001–2007: Faithfully, legal issues, Capitol Records and The First Lady

    Evans' third album on the Bad Boy label, named

    Universal, Evans felt Faithfully received minimum assistance by the company, and during 2004, she finally decided to end her business with Bad Boy as she was convinced Combs couldn't improve her career any more due to his other commitments.[17]
    In January 2004, Evans and Russaw were arrested and charged with possession of
    Atlanta, Georgia
    .

    After leaving Bad Boy Entertainment, Evans contracted with

    RIAA.[19]
    At the end of the year, Evans released
    Christmas songs and original tracks. The effort would become her last release on Capitol Records as the company was bought during 2007.[20]

    2005–2012: Hiatus, arrest, divorce and Something About Faith

    Main article: Something About Faith

    Following a 5-year hiatus, Evans created her own record label imprint in 2010.

    E1 Entertainment later that year. Her fifth studio album Something About Faith was released on October 5, 2010, in the United States,[23] where it debuted and peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Independent Albums chart.[24] Something About Faith has spawned the leading single "Gone Already", which spent over thirty-three weeks on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it peaked at number twenty-two.[25]

    In August 2010, Evans was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunken driving, after being stopped at a checkpoint in Marina del Rey, California. In 2011, Evans filed for divorce against Russaw.[26][27] The couple agreed to spend 13 weeks in a drug-treatment program in exchange for halting any further prosecution of their drug-possession case.[28] In May 2011, Evans and Russaw announced they were getting a divorce, and stated they would like to keep it quiet for their children's sakes.[29]

    2012–present: R&B Divas: Atlanta, Incomparable, The King & I, and The Masked Singer

    In 2012, Evans co-executive produced and became a cast member on the

    TV One reality show R&B Divas: Atlanta alongside fellow R&B singers Nicci Gilbert, Syleena Johnson, Keke Wyatt and Monifah.[30] The show offered an inside look at how the singers balance their music careers and personal lives as they work towards producing an Evans-led compilation album, R&B Divas (2012), in memory of Whitney Houston. Broadcast to rating records for the network,[31] the series produced a spin-off titled R&B Divas: Los Angeles and was renewed for two further seasons. Evans, who left the show following its second season, earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album at the 55th awards ceremony.[32]

    In August 2013, Evans confirmed she had begun work on her seventh studio album

    KeKe Wyatt, B.Slade and Karen Clark Sheard of The Clark Sisters.[33] "I Deserve It", a record featuring recurring collaborator Missy Elliott and her protégée Sharaya J, was released on August 25, 2014, as the album's lead single and peaked at number 19 on Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart.[34] Incomparable was released on November 24, 2014 by Prolific Music Group and BMG Rights Management.[35] It debuted at number 27 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 17 on the US Independent Albums chart.[36]

    In 2016, Evans announced that she was finishing a posthumous Notorious B.I.G. album titled The King & I, featuring duets with her late husband. The album was released on May 19, 2017.[37]

    On July 17, 2018, she married producer and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star Stevie J.[38] The couple released the hit song "A Minute" on July 27, 2018.[39] Between 2015 and 2019 Evans appeared in several episodes of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, and Leave It to Stevie alongside then friend Stevie J.[40]

    In May 2020, Evans was arrested for felony domestic violence against Stevie J. She was released on bond and the charges were later dropped.[41][42] In 2021, Stevie J filed for divorce.[43][44] The divorce was finalized in 2023.[45]

    In 2021, Evans competed on

    season six of The Masked Singer
    as "Skunk". She was unmasked during the Group A Finals where she made references to the loss of The Notorious B.I.G. and her son being autistic.

    Other ventures

    Acting

    Having previously appeared in

    indie film had a short play and became a financial disappointment, gaining US$1.24 million during its U.S. run only.[48]

    During 2003, Evans acted in the

    Beyoncé Knowles, the film garnered mixed reviews by critics,[50] but scored top three of the U.S. box office, resulting in a domestic gross of US$30.2 million.[51] In addition, Evans recorded a contemporary cover version of Donna Summer's 1978 success "Heaven Knows" for the film which her character performs during one of the first in sequence in the film. The accompanying soundtrack scored the top twenty of the U.S. Billboard 200.[52]

    During 2004, Evans earned a brief guest stint on the UPN situation comedy Half & Half.[53] In 2009, Evans announced that she had been working on a synopsis for her own situation comedy that would be based largely on her life but with a more comedic aspect. It is unknown whether she has officially pitched the sitcom to any television networks, as of 2024.[54]

    Evans has had cameos on the reality show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.

    Florence Ballard biopic

    In November 2010, several sources stated that Faith would portray Motown star Florence Ballard of the Supremes in an upcoming biopic, Blondie: The Florence Ballard Story.[55] With the blessing of Ballard's three daughters, Faith later appeared on The Wendy Williams Show to promote this role.[56] In July 2014, Rolling Stone reported that the movie, thought to be titled "Blondie", was in fact a con artist's scam.[57]

    Writing

    Evans released her autobiographic book called Keep the Faith: A Memoir on August 29, 2008. Written with Aliya S. King, it detailed the singer's life, but also discussed Evans' controversial relationship with her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G.:

    "I want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't actually begin or end with Big's death. My journey has been complicated on many levels. And since I am always linked to Big, there are a lot of misconceptions about who I really am. It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself."[58]

    In its initial release, Keep the Faith: A Memoir landed in the Top 20 on New York's Best Seller's List two consecutive weeks in a row. During 2009, the book received The 2009 African American Literary Award for Best Biography/Memoir.[59]

    Philanthropy

    In 2014, Faith showed support for Little Kids Rock by donating items for auction to raise money in support of music education in public schools.[60]

    Artistry

    Faith Evans said that some of her biggest musical influences and favourite singers are gospel singer

    Karen Clark-Sheard (whom she has been often likened to), Shirley Murdock,[61] Chaka Khan, Anita Baker and Aretha Franklin.[62]

    Evans is noted for her "urban-edged honeyed soprano."[63][64] Her vocal range extends from the low note of C#3 to high soprano C#6 .[65] The Washington Post writer Craig Seymour called her "angelic yet hearty soprano" as showcasing emotion that is defined by Evans' personal experiences of tragedy, love, pain and heartbreak.

    Discography

    Main article: Faith Evans discography

    Studio albums

    Collaboration albums

    Tours

    Filmography

    Television

    Awards and nominations

    Grammy Awards nominations for Faith Evans
    Year Nominee / work Award Result
    1998 "I'll Be Missing You" (with Puff Daddy featuring 112) Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group[66][67][68] Won
    1999 "Love Like This" Best Female R&B Vocal Performance[66][69] Nominated
    2000 "Heartbreak Hotel" (with Whitney Houston & Kelly Price) Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal[66][70] Nominated
    2002 "Can't Believe" (with Carl Thomas) Nominated
    2003 Faithfully Best Contemporary R&B Album[66] Nominated
    2011 "Gone Already" Best Female R&B Vocal Performance[66][71] Nominated
    2014 R&B Divas Best R&B Album[66][71][72] Nominated
    2016 "He Is" Best Traditional R&B Performance[66][73] Nominated

    Notes

    1. ^ Evans and Wallace had separated before Wallace's death.[1]

    References

    1. ^ "Biggie Smalls Wed Faith Evans after 8 Days and Had Many Affairs during Marriage — Inside Their Love Story". June 18, 2021.
    2. ^ Daniela Avila (November 9, 2021). "Stevie J Files for Divorce from Faith Evans After 3 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
    3. ^ "Faith Evans Settles Bitter Divorce Battle With Stevie J". BET. July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
    4. ^ a b c d e f Wood, Gaby (July 10, 2005). "Rap's first lady". The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
    5. ^ "Mark Batson Joins Tory Lanez, RedOne And Faith Evans For BMI'S How I Wrote That Song". BMI. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
    6. ^ a b c d e f Chappell, Kevin (April 1, 1999). "After Biggie: Evans Has A New Love, A NEW Baby, A New Career". Ebony. FindArticles.com. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
    7. ^
      Jet Magazine
      . Retrieved March 15, 2009.
    8. ISBN 978-0446199506
      .
    9. ^ [1] [dead link]
    10. ^
      People Magazine
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    11. Allmusic
      . MTV. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
    12. ^ Smaldino, Denise (April 30, 2008). "Sean Combs earns platinum, gold". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
    13. ^ Waldron, Clarence (November 15, 1999). "Faith Evans Tells How She Balances Motherhood And Music". Jet. FindArticles.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    14. Allmusic
      . Retrieved January 24, 2010.
    15. ^ "Singer Faith Evans sheds more than 50 lbs; releases new CD, Faithfully". Jet. FindArticles.com. November 12, 2001. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
    16. ^ Reid, Shaheem (October 9, 2001). "Faith Evans Flips Biggie, Studies Ella Fitzgerald For Faithfully". MTV News. VH1.com. Retrieved January 24, 2010.[dead link]
    17. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem (October 23, 2001). "Faith Evans Talks About Her Drug Arrest on New Single". MTV News. VH1.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
    18. ^ Reid, Shaheem (April 1, 2005). "Faith Evans – Always Changing, Still the Same". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 3, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    19. ^ Harris, Chris (April 13, 2005). "50 Cent Won't Let Go of Billboard's #1". MTV News. VH1.com. Retrieved March 20, 2010.[dead link]
    20. ^ Joszor, Njai (August 13, 2009). "Faith Evans interview". Soultracks.com. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    21. ^ "Faith Evans". Bossip. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
    22. ^ Evans, Faith. "Prolific Music Group, 1st Filing". Trademarkia.com. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
    23. ^ "Faith Evans: Ever Faithful". Blues & Soul. November 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
    24. Billboard.com
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    25. Billboard.com
      .
    26. ^ Dolech, Marc W. (January 28, 2004). "Faith Evans Arrested". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 18, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
    27. People
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    28. ^ Keller, Julie (February 5, 2004). "Faith Evans' Rehab Deal". E! Online. Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
    29. ^ "BREAKING: Faith Evans & Todd Russaw Release Official Divorce Statement". Vibe. May 24, 2011. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
    30. ^ "Exclusive: 'R&B' Divas' With Faith Evans, Nicci Gilbert, Syleena Johnson To Premiere on TV One". Billboard.biz. June 25, 2012. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
    31. ^ "TV One's "R&B Divas" Propels Network to New Ratings Record". TheFutonCritic.com. August 21, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
    32. ^ Faith Evans Earns Grammy Nomination For Album, R&B Divas. Newsone.com
    33. ^ a b "Faith Evans Talks NEW Music, Whitney Houston and R&B Divas LA – Studio Q Exclusive". YouTube.com. August 6, 2013. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
    34. Apple.com. August 25, 2014. Archived from the original
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    36. ^ Kellmam, Andy. "Incomparable – Faith Evans". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
    37. ^ "The King & I". iTunes.Apple (US). Retrieved March 7, 2017.
    38. ^ "Faith Evans Marries Stevie J. in Las Vegas". Billboard. July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
    39. ^ "Faith Evans and Stevie J Showcase Their Love In 'A Minute' Video". Singersroom. July 27, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
    40. ^ Santi, Christina (November 20, 2018). "Faith Evans & Stevie J: B.I.G. Wouldn't Care About Our Marriage". EBONY. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
    41. ^ "Faith Evans Arrested for Felony Domestic Violence: Report". Pitchfork.com. May 31, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
    42. ^ "Faith Evans Domestic Violence Case Dropped". TMZ. June 13, 2020.
    43. ^ "Faith Evans And Stevie J Are Divorcing After Three Years Of Marriage: A Timeline Of Their Relationship". Essence. November 10, 2021.
    44. ^ Diamond Jeune (December 3, 2021). "'He Have Officially Met His Match': Faith Evans Responds to Stevie J Filing for Divorce". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
    45. ^ Vasquez, Ingrid (July 14, 2023). "Faith Evans and Stevie J. Finalize Divorce Nearly 2 Years After Filing". Peoplemag. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
    46. ^ "Turn It Up (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. September 6, 2000. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    47. ^ Koehler, Robert (September 6, 2000). "Turn It Up review". Variety. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    48. ^ "Turn It Up". The-Numbers.net. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    49. ^ "The Fighting Temptations: A musical ensemble comedy – Movie Review". Ebony. FindArticles.com. October 1, 2003. Archived from the original on January 1, 2005. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
    50. ^ "The Fighting Temptations (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. September 19, 2003. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    51. ^ "The Fighting Temptations". The-Numbers.net. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    52. ^ Downey, Ryan J. (August 14, 2003). "Beyonce Teams With Diddy, Destiny On Temptations Soundtrack". MTV News. VH1.com. Retrieved January 25, 2010.[dead link]
    53. ^ "Faith Evans". IMDb. August 14, 2003. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
    54. ^ Reid, Shaheem (January 13, 2009). "Faith Evans Says She'll 'Certainly' Work With Diddy on Next LP". MTV News. VH1.com. Retrieved March 20, 2010.[dead link]
    55. ^ "Faith Evans to Become Florence Ballard of the Supremes". EURweb. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
    56. ^ "Faith Evans Album + Movie News – Brown Sista Online Magazine". Brown Sista Online Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
    57. ^ "'The Lost Supreme' and a Classic Hollywood Con". Rolling Stone. July 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
    58. ^ "Keep the Faith, Faith Evans, Book - Barnes & Noble". Archived from the original on October 21, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
    59. ^ "2009 5th Annual African American Literary Awards Show Winners". African American Literary Awards. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
    60. ^ "Faith Evans | Little Kids Rock". Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014
    61. ^ "Faith Evans Interview (segment)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
    62. ^ "Faith Evans talks about her musical influences". YouTube.
    63. ^ "Something About Faith Review". Soultracks.com. September 24, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
    64. ^ "Keep the Faith Info". Archived from the original on June 29, 2013.
    65. ^ "(HD) Faith Evans - Live Vocal Range (C#3 - C#6)". YouTube. November 8, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
    66. ^ a b c d e f g "Faith Evans | Artist". Grammy Awards. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
    67. AllMusic Guide
      . Retrieved June 12, 2023.
    68. ^ "Faith Evans Nominates Her "Tears Of Joy" For A GRAMMY". CBS News. December 4, 2012 – via KCAL-TV.
    69. ^ "WINNERS 40th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1997)". www.grammy.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
    70. ^ "2000 The 42nd Grammy Award Winners & Nominees". rockonthenet.com. February 23, 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
    71. ^ a b "Faith Evans". BMG Rights Management. October 30, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
    72. Hollywood Reporter
      . Retrieved June 12, 2023.
    73. ^ Chang, David (December 13, 2015). "10 Questions With Grammy-Winning Philly Music Producers Keith Pelzer and Darren "Limitless" Henson". WCAU. Retrieved June 12, 2023.

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