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Faith Evans

 
Gale Contemporary Black Biography:

Faith Evans

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singer; songwriter

Personal Information

Born in Florida ca. 1973; daughter of Helene Evans, a singer; hnnie Mae Kennedy, and Kennedy's husband Orvelt. Married Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls, 1994; widowed 1997; children Chyna, Christopher Jordan, Joshua. Religion: Baptist.
Education: graduated with honors from University High School in Newark; attended Fordham University in New York.
Religion: Baptist.

Career

Hip-hop vocalist and composer. Performed backup vocals for R&B stars Mary J. Blige, Al B. Sure, and others, early 1990s; signed to Bad Boy label, 1994; released debut album, Faith, 1995; with Sean "Puffy" Combs recorded "I'll Be Missing You," tribute song in honor of Smalls, 1997; released Keep the Faith, 1998.

Life's Work

A multi-talented singer and musician, Faith Evans experienced tragedy when her life was touched by the violence that plagued the hip-hop music community through the mid-1990s. She became widely known as the woman who was married to rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered in March of 1997. Her performance on "I'll Be Missing You," the smash hit tribute to the slain rapper recorded by Evans and Sean "Puffy" Combs, made her voice identifiable even to Americans who were unacquainted with hip-hop. However, Evans had worked hard to develop her music career before marrying The Notorious B.I.G., and her two solo albums gained wide acclaim and garnered strong sales. By the late 1990s, it seemed clear that her solo career would outlast the controversies in which she had become embroiled.

Evans was born in Florida around 1973. Both of her parents had a background in music. Her mother, Helene, was singing backup in a rock band when Faith was born, and her father was a white musician in the same band. When her parents broke up six months after her birth, Evans was brought to Newark, New Jersey, to be raised by a cousin, Johnnie Mae Kennedy. Her mother also moved into the Kennedy house. Both women, as well as Kennedy's husband Orvelt, became important people in Evans's life.

Could Listen Only to Gospel

Evans's upbringing was strongly religious. She told Interview magazine writer Dimitri Ehrlich that she was not allowed to listen to the radio unless gospel programming was featured. It was at Newark's Emanuel Baptist Church that she began to develop her love of performing, singing for the first time there at the age of four. "When she got older and sang, people would just stand up and shout," Helene Evans told Essence writer Valerie Wilson Wesley. Later, Evans would credit the Clark Sisters and Shirley Murdock as the gospel singers who had a major influence on her own vocal style.

Evans was an honors student at Newark's University High School. She studied jazz and classical music and appeared in school musicals. She also competed in beauty pageants and won the title of Miss New Jersey Fashion Teen. Evans won a scholarship to New York's Fordham University and planned to work toward a marketing degree. However, she dropped out of Fordham after one year to pursue a musical career. Evans also gave birth to her daughter, Chyna, during this time.

Met the Notorious B.I.G

As a talented vocalist, Evans was quickly able to find work in the music industry. A distinctive songwriter who has composed many of the pieces found on her own albums, she wrote music and did backup vocal work for such major talents of the early 1990s as Mary J. Blige and Al B. Sure. In 1993, her studio vocal work gained the attention of Bad Boy Records chief executive Sean "Puffy" Combs, whose own career was just beginning its meteoric rise. Evans met with Combs and became the first female vocalist signed to the Bad Boy label. At a Bad Boy event in July of 1994, she met The Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, and who often went by the name Biggie Smalls. After dating for only two weeks, Smalls and Evans were married.

Evans contributed vocals to Smalls's first hit single, "One More Chance," and her debut album, Faith, was released in 1995. From the start, Evans's romantic stylings were a stark contrast to the combative nature of hip-hop. As Ehrlich remarked in Interview magazine, "her music balances the rawness and aggression of hip-hop with old school arrangements; she makes sexuality elegant in a way none of her peers can." Evans began work on a second album, and her life and career seemed to be firmly on track.

It didn't take long, however, before the problems that plagued the "gangsta" rap community began to engulf Evans. In October of 1995, she worked with Death Row Records rapper Tupac Shakur. Rumors circulated by Shakur and his friend, Death Row chief executive Suge Knight, linked Evans and Shakur romantically. Shakur also claimed that he was the father of Evans's second child, a son. These rumors added fuel to an escalating war of words between Smalls and Shakur, who were the focal point of a much-publicized feud between East Coast and West Coast rap artists. Evans and Smalls saw little of each other, and their marriage soon deteriorated. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was murdered in Las Vegas, and Smalls met the same fate on March 9, 1997. It is unknown whether the enmity between Shakur and Smalls led directly to their deaths. Asked by Ehrlich in Interview whether Smalls's murder was related to the feud, Evans answered, "I doubt that very seriously."

Added Voice to Tribute

Stunned by the death of Smalls and the demanding task of managing his estate, Evans put her music career on hold. She did contribute vocals to "I'll Be Missing You," a song created by Evans and Combs as a tribute to Smalls. The recording, an imaginative recasting of the 1982 Police hit "Every Breath You Take," ended with Evans breaking into an old gospel hymn, "I'll Fly Away." "I'll Be Missing You" was one of the biggest hits of 1997, and soared to the top of the black and pop music charts.

Evans slowly began to put her life back together. A blossoming relationship with record company executive, Todd Russaw, brought her the stability she needed. Russaw and Evans married and he became the father of her third child, Joshua, who was born in 1998. A heart-shaped tattoo that read "B.I.G." was refashioned into a rose with her new husband's name. Evans also returned to the recording studio and completed work on her second album, Keep the Faith, which was released in October of 1998.

Keep the Faith, which referred indirectly to the trials Evans had experienced, was a huge commercial success. Critics loved the music and noted a new depth in Evans's voice, with some even comparing her to legendary soul divas Minnie Riperton and Chaka Khan. The album rose to Number Three on Billboard magazine's Top R&B Albums chart and to Number Six on its overall Top 200. In the spring and summer of 1999, Evans embarked on a tour with leading acts Dru Hill and Total. Washington Post writer Craig Seymour reveled in Evans's "angelic yet hearty soprano," and noted that "her rendition of `Soon As I Get Home' was an awe-inspiring melismatic ride that had hands in the air and cries of `Sing it, girl' coming from every part of the hall." Evans's life itself had been an awe-inspiring and often terrifying ride, but it once again seemed to be on an upward trajectory.

Works

Selected discography

  • Faith, Bad Boy, 1995.
  • Keep the Faith, Bad Boy, 1998.

Further Reading

Books

  • Larkin, Colin, ed., The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Muze U.K., 1998.
Periodicals
  • Ebony, April 1999, p. 52.
  • Essence, December 1997, p. 74.
  • Interview, December 1998, p. 112.
  • Washington Post, April 12, 1999, p. C5.

— James M. Manheim

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Gale Musician Profiles:

Faith Evans

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Singer

For a woman who was perhaps known more for being the wife of the infamous rapper the late Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans has managed to become a musical success in her own right. Evans was born in Lakeland, Florida, to an Italian musician father, Richard Swain, who left her before she was born, and an African-American blues-singing mother, Helene Evans. Raised by her mother and grandparents in Newark, New Jersey, Evans got her start singing in the church. At age four, she caught the attention of the congregation of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newark when she sang "Let the Sunshine In."

Her grandparents' influence served her well. Evans was an honor student at University High School, appeared in musicals there, and was named Miss New Jersey Fashion Teen. "I was raised in a very, very Christian home," Evans told i-D magazine in a 1998 interview. "It was church, school, church, school. I could hardly go to the corner of my block. It was strict." At 18, she won a scholarship to Fordham University in New York City to major in marketing. After a year, she left to have her first child, a daughter named Chyna, fathered by producer Kiyamma Griffin. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her singing career, and did so with her mother's blessing. "I felt she could always go back to school," Helene Evans told People in 1998. "Because her mind wasn't going to be there. It was going to be on her music." She was in Los Angeles doing backup vocals and working with Al B. Sure!, Mary J. Blige, and Pebbles when she caught the ear of famed R&B producer Sean "Puffy" Combs, a.k.a. Puff Daddy. It was rumored that when he first heard Evans sing, he described her voice as feeling "like rain." He signed her to his label, Bad Boy, in 1994 as the label's first female artist.

Evans met then-up-and-coming gangsta rapper Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G., better known as Biggie Smalls, at a photo shoot in August of 1994. Both barely 21, they married nine days later. "He was charming and funny," Evans told People in 1998. "We both said 'I want to marry you,' and did it." And from that moment on, the two were plagued by controversy. There was the misconception that Evans rode her husband's coattails to fame. In truth, she had already signed the Bad Boy record deal, but her debut, Faith, was released months after his in 1995. There were Wallace's flaunted infidelities with rapper Lil' Kim, and rumors of a romance between Evans and rapper Tupac Shakur, which Shakur made claims to on an album.

Evans's debut, however, met with critical success. She was likened to Minnie Riperton and Chaka Khan. Her influences were gospel singers like Shirley Murdock and Karen Clark-Sheard of the Clark Sisters. "Where some of R&B's male players sound like medieval courtiers with their carefully scripted protestations of adoration," i-D magazine wrote in 1998, "Faith's generous and easy meditations of love feel unconditional." In 1995 Faith went platinum.

In 1996 Evans and Wallace separated. Early in 1997 Wallace was gunned down in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting. Ironically, the two had seen each other earlier that same night, but hadn't spoken. The next time she saw him, it was to identify his body at the morgue. "I don't even remember my reaction," Evans told People of the killing. "It was just blank." In the ensuing months she gave birth to their son, Christopher Jr., and at 24, the newly widowed mother of two had her family as well as her late husband's legal issues to attend to.

Evans's next musical project turned out to be a collaboration between herself, Combs, and the group 112, also on Bad Boy. It was a multi-million selling tribute to Notorious B.I.G., called "I'll Be Missing You." The single topped Billboard's Hot 100 and R&B charts, and won a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

By the fall of 1998, "Rap's most famous widow," as she was called by Ebony, was ready to release her second album. Keep the Faith was released in October and met with mostly critical success. Newsweek's Allison Samuels called it a "lush mixture of thoughtful love songs and boogie downbeats. Evans' edgy church-choir voice and soulful delivery make it clear she was born to sing the blues." And Lynn Norment of Ebony was just as positive: "Evans continues to let her honey-coated voice and heart-felt lyrics tell her stories of love and loss and triumph over heartache and adversity." Craig Seymour's 1998 review of Keep the Faith for the Village Voice praised "Faith's airy yet strong soprano," although he also wrote that he felt the self-written songs from her first album were better suited to her voice.

"Faith Evans is about as close as these letters are pressed together to breaking bad as the next really big thing in R&B and pop," wrote Chuck Taylor for Billboard in 1999. And that seemed to echo industry sentiment. Puff Daddy had given her a strong start, but Evans seemed primed to blaze her own trail.

In 2003 Evans's new husband and manager, Todd Russaw, helped her negotiate an exit from Bad Boy Records. She signed with Capitol, and began working on a new album. However, in 2004 she and Russaw were pulled over in Hapeville, Georgia, where a police officer found marijuana and cocaine in the vehicle. Although Evans later denied that there was cocaine in the car, she did admit to possession of marijuana. She told Aliya S. King in Vibe, "I'll be the first to admit I've experimented with drugs. I don't have to go into detail. I've tried a few things. AmIadrug addict? No. I'm living responsibly, not recklessly." As a result of the arrest, Evans and Russaw agreed to complete a 13-week drug rehabilitation program; when they completed the program in May of 2004, the charges were dropped.

In 2005 Evans released The First Lady, described by King as "arguably her best work since her classic self-titled 1995 debut." On the album, Evans did not shy away from the complexities and difficulties of her life; one single, "Again," even addressed the reports of her drug habit that had spread after her arrest. DeAnne M. Bradley wrote in the Virginian Pilot that on this album, Evans "unveils a wiser sound," and in the Newark, New Jersey, Star-Ledger, Jay Lustig commented that the album was "polished but warm, and often reminiscent of '70s soul classics by groups like the Stylistics and the Chi-Lites."

Though Evans is moving on in life, she is aware that her fans can't seem to stop talking about her past. She told Angus Batey in the London Times, "The turbulence in my career is what people grasp onto. It's not something that I'm ever going to get away from. All I can do is be me and let people know that this is the person I am, not who I was made out to be for whatever reason."

Selected discography
Faith, Bad Boy, 1995.
Keep the Faith, Bad Boy, 1998.
The First Lady, Capitol, 2005.

Sources
Periodicals
Billboard, October 3, 1998; November 7, 1998; January 16, 1999.
Ebony, March 1998; January 1999.
i-D Magazine, December 1998.
Newsweek, November 9, 1998.
People, October 26, 1998; November 16, 1998.
Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), April 3, 2005, p. O10.
Time, November 8, 1998.
Times (London, England), April 30, 2005, p. 17.
Vibe, June 2005, p. 95.
Village Voice, December 1, 1998.
Virginian Pilot, April 8, 2005, p. E8.

Online
"Faith Evans," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (January 5, 1999).
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Faith Evans

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  • Genres: Rhythm & Blues

Biography

In spite of the fact that Faith Evans carved out a lengthy recording career in her own right, her name will forever remain linked in the minds of many to her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G. Evans was an active session singer and songwriter before signing her own solo deal and marrying Biggie, and while she never matched the level of his stardom, she continued to come into her own as a vocalist in the years after his untimely death. Each one of her first four studio albums reached the Top Five of Billboard's R&B albums chart, and she attained twice as many Top Ten R&B singles.

Evans was born on June 10, 1973, and grew up in Newark, NJ, where she began singing in church at the mere age of two. A high school honor student, she sang in her school's musical productions before winning a full scholarship to Fordham University. After just one year, though, she left college to put her jazz and classical training to use in the field of contemporary R&B. It didn't take her long to find work, and over the next few years, she sang backup and wrote songs for artists like Hi-Five, Mary J. Blige, Pebbles, Al B. Sure!, Usher, Tony Thompson, and Christopher Williams. Thanks to her work on Blige's 1994 sophomore effort, My Life, Evans met producer/impresario Sean "Puffy" Combs, who signed her to his Bad Boy label. In 1995, Evans released her debut album, Faith, which went platinum on the strength of the hit R&B singles "You Used to Love Me" and "Soon as I Get Home." The same year, she met fellow Bad Boy artist the Notorious B.I.G. (some accounts say at a photo shoot, others a phone conversation) and married him after a courtship of just nine days; shortly thereafter, she guested on a remix of his smash single "One More Chance."

Over the next couple of years, Evans continued her behind-the-scenes work, performing and writing for records by the likes of Color Me Badd and LSG. She and Biggie also had a son, Christopher Wallace Jr., in late 1996; however, by that point, their marriage had already become strained. Biggie had publicly taken up with rapper Lil' Kim and rumors had been spreading about an Evans liaison with Biggie's rival 2Pac (alluded to on 2Pac's venomous "Hit Me Off"). The couple had unofficially separated when Biggie was shot and killed in March 1997. A grief-stricken Evans was prominently featured on the Puff Daddy tribute single "I'll Be Missing You," which with its cribbed Police hook zoomed to the top of the charts and became one of the year's biggest hits.

Evans' sophomore effort, Keep the Faith, followed in 1998 and spun off several R&B hits over the next year, including "Love Like This," "All Night Long," and the Babyface-produced R&B number one "Never Gonna Let You Go." In the meantime, she worked with Aaron Hall, Tevin Campbell, and DMX, among others, and also made high-profile guest appearances on two 1999 hits, Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel" and Eric Benet's cover of Toto and Cheryl Lynn's "Georgy Porgy." She eventually married record executive Todd Russaw, who took an active role in helping manage her career.

In 2001, Evans released her third album, Faithfully, a more up-tempo record that received her strongest reviews to date; it also produced hit singles in "You Gets No Love" and "I Love You," and her duet with Carl Thomas on "Can't Believe" was nominated for a Grammy. However, it would be her last Bad Boy album. The First Lady, released on Capitol in 2005, missed the top spot of the Billboard 200 by one position. Singles-wise, it didn't perform nearly as well. After a five-year hiatus from recording -- during which she penned the African American Literary Award-winning memoir Keep the Faith -- Evans released Something About Faith on the independent E One label. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Faith Evans

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For the marshal, see Faith Evans (U.S. Marshal).
Faith Evans

Evans performing in April 2005
Background information
Birth name Faith Renee Evans
Born June 10, 1973 (1973-06-10) (age 38)
Lakeland, Florida
Origin Newark, New Jersey,
United States
Genres R&B, soul, hip hop soul, hip hop
Occupations Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Years active 1993–present
Labels Bad Boy (1994–2004)
Capitol (2004–2007)
Prolific/E1 Music (2009–present)
Associated acts Sean Combs, Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige, 112, Lil' Mo, The Notorious B.I.G.,
Website FaithEvansOnline.com

Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B. Sure and Christopher Williams, she became the first female artist to be contracted with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment recording company during 1994, for which she released three platinum-certified studio albums between the years 1995 and 2001.[1] During 2003, she ended her relationship with the company to contract with Capitol Records.[2]

Other than her recording career, Evans is known as the widow of New York rapper Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, whom she married on August 4, 1994, a few weeks after meeting at a Bad Boy photoshoot.[3] The turbulent marriage resulted in Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap music news at the time, and ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California during March 1997.[4] A 1997 tribute single featuring Puff Daddy and the band 112, named "I'll Be Missing You", became Evans' best-selling song to date and won her a Grammy Award during 1998.[2]

Also an avocational actress and writer, Evans made her screen debut in the 2000 musical drama Turn It Up by Robert Adetuyi. Her autobiography Keep the Faith: A Memoir was released by Grand Central Publishing during 2008 and won a 2009 African American Literary Award for the Best Biography/Memoir category.

Contents

Early life

Evans was born in Lakeland, Florida to an African-American mother, Helene Evans, a professional singer.[2] Her father, Richard Swain, was a musician 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").[5] 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 a hundred children they raised in the time that Faith lived with them.[2][4] 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'd "been used to", and instead, Helene relocated next door.[2]

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 Newark) when she sang The 5th Dimension's song "Let the Sunshine In".[6] While attending University High School in Newark, she sang with several jazz bands and, encouraged by Helene, entered outside pageants, festivals and contests, where her voice would be noticed and praised. After graduating from high school during 1991, Evans attended Fordham University in New York City to study marketing but left a year later to have daughter Chyna with music producer Kiyamma Griffin.[1] A couple of months later[when?], she relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked as a backup vocalist for singer Al B. Sure, when she was noticed by musician Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. Impressed with her persona, Combs contracted her as the company's first female artist to his Bad Boy Entertainment during 1994.[1]

Recording career

1994—2004: Bad Boy Records

Newly contracted to Bad Boy Records, Evans was consulted by executive producer Combs to contribute backing vocals and writing skills to Mary J. Blige's My Life (1994) and Usher's self-titled debut album (1994) prior to starting work on her debut record album Faith.[7] Released on August 29, 1995 in North America, the album was a collaboration with Bad Boy's main producers "The Hitmen", including Chucky Thompson and Combs, but it resulted in recordings with Poke & Tone and Herb Middleton. Faith became a success based on the singles "You Used to Love Me" and "Soon as I Get Home". The album was certified Platinum with 1,500,000 copies sold, according to RIAA.[8]

After Biggie's murder during March 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 all-male group 112, became a worldwide number-one success and debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart during 1997, scoring that for eleven weeks. It eventually won Puffy and Evans the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.[2] 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.[9]

Two years in the making, Evans' second solo effort, Keep the Faith, was released during October 1998. Almost entirely written and produced by her, Evans considered the album difficult to complete as she had initially felt discouraged about the progress at first.[3] Upon its release, however, the album garnered generally positive reviews by music critics, with Allmusic noting it "without a doubt a highlight of 1990s soul-pop music".[10] Also enjoying commercial success, it eventually went platinum and produced the top ten singles "Love Like This" and "All Night Long" (released March 30, 1999) prompting Evans to start an 18-city theater tour with Dru Hill and Total the following year.[3]

Evans' third album on the Bad Boy imprint, named Faithfully (2001), involved her working with a wider range of producers, including The Neptunes, Mario Winans, Buckwild, Vada Nobles, Cory Rooney, and others.[11] Her first project with husband Todd Russaw as executive producer and creative partner, the album scored number 14 on the Billboard 200 album chart and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, eventually being certified platinum, but yielded moderately successful singles, with the Jennifer Lopez-written "I Love You" becoming the only top twenty entry.[12] Released amid Bad Boy Records' transition from distributor Arista Records to 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.[13]

2004—2007: Capitol Records

Main article: The First Lady

After ending with Bad Boy Entertainment Evans contracted with Capitol Records company, becoming the first contemporary R&B artist to do so, and started work on her fourth studio album The First Lady, named after her nickname on her former label.[13] As opposed to having an in-house team of producers who supplied most of the previous material, she and Russaw were able to gain more creative control of the album and consulted producers such as Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Mike Caren, Pharrell Williams, and Chucky Thompson to contribute to it.[14] Upon its release in April 2005, The First Lady scored at number two on the Billboard 200 and #1 of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Evans' best-charting album to date. It was eventually certified gold by the RIAA.[15] At the end of the year, Evans released A Faithful Christmas, a holiday album of traditional Christmas songs and original tracks. The effort would become her last release on Capitol Records as the company was bought during 2007.[16]

2008—present: Hiatus and E1 Entertainment

Main article: Something About Faith

Following a longer hiatus, Evans signed a deal with E1 Entertainment - the largest independent record label in the United States - in 2010. Her sixth studio album Something About Faith was released on October 5, 2010 in the United States and December 6, 2010 in the UK.[17] In the US, the album debuted and peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200, number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number one on the Independent Albums chart, failing however to chart oustide the US - making it Evans' only album since her debut Faith to chart in the US only.[18] Something About Faith has spawned the single and music video "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.[19] On February 14, 2011, a high definition music video for "Right Here" was released on Evans' official YouTube account, suggesting that it is the second single from the album, though this is yet to be confirmed.[20]

Other ventures

Acting

Having previously appeared in stage plays as a teenager, Evans began acting with a supporting role in director Robert Adetuyi's 2000 music drama Turn It Up, featuring Pras Michel from the The Fugees, Jason Statham and Ja Rule. Released to generally negative reviews from critics,[21] who noted it "patently absurd in both the details and larger aspects",[22] the indie film had a short play and became a financial disappointment, gaining US$1.24 million during its U.S. run only.[23]

During 2003, Evans acted in the MTV-produced romantic comedy The Fighting Temptations in which she appeared in a brief but major role portraying a single mother and night club singer.[24] Filmed in Columbus, Georgia and headed by Cuba Gooding, Jr. (her character is his mother) and Beyoncé Knowles, the film garnered mixed reviews by critcs,[25] but scored top top three of the U.S. box office, resulting in a domestic gross of US$30.2 million.[26] In addition, Evans recorded a contemporary cover version of Donna Summer's 1978 success "Heaven Knows" for the film which her characters performs during one of the first in sequence in the film. The accompanying soundtrack scored the top twenty of the U.S. Billboard 200.[27]

During 2004, Evans earned a brief guest stint on the UPN situation comedy Half & Half.[28] 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 at this time[when?].[29]

Writing

Evans released her autobiographic book called Keep the Faith: A Memoir on August 29, 2008. 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."[30]

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.[31]

Personal life

Prior to Evans meeting and having a relationship with The Notorious B.I.G., she was involved in a relationship with Kiyamma Griffin. She and Griffin had a daughter named Chyna (born April 1, 1993).

On August 4, 1994, Evans married rapper and label mate The Notorious B.I.G., after having met him at a Bad Boy photoshoot.[3] The couple had one child together, Christopher Wallace, Jr. (born October 29, 1996), but the marriage was turbulent as Wallace reportedly had several affairs during their union, including relationships with fellow rappers Lil' Kim and Charli Baltimore.[32] Additionally, it led to Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap music news at the time, which ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California in March 1997,[4] and made Evans "Rap's most famous widow".[3]

During early 1997, after her separation from Wallace, but before his death, Evans was introduced to record company executive Todd Russaw. Faith began dating Russaw during her and Wallace's separation and eventually, after Wallace died, Evans became pregnant by Russaw. The couple had their first son Joshua on June 8, 1998.[3] During the summer of 1998, Evans and Russaw were married, and on March 22, 2007, they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw.[3]

During January 2004, Evans and Russaw were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine and an improper tag violation during a traffic stop in Hapeville, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. In August 2010 she 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.[33][34] The couple agreed to spend 13 weeks in a drug-treatment program in exchange for halting any further prosecution of their drug-possession case.[35]

In May 2011, Evans and Russaw announced they were getting a divorce, and stated they would like to keep it quiet for the children's sake.[36]

Discography

Main article: Faith Evans discography

Studio Albums

Other Albums

Tours

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ a b c Helligar, Jeremy (1998-11-16). "Mrs. B.I.G.". People Magazine. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20126796,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-14. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f Wood, Gaby (2005-07-10). "Rap's first lady". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2005/jul/10/popandrock. Retrieved 2009-03-14. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Chappell, Kevin (1999-04-01). "After Biggie: Evans Has A New Love, A NEW Baby, A New Career". Ebony. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1264/is_n8_v28/ai_20039489/pg_2. Retrieved 2009-03-14. 
  4. ^ a b c Waldron, Clarence (1999-11-15). "Faith Evans Tells How She Balances Motherhood and Music". Jet Magazine. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_24_96/ai_57800104/pg_2. Retrieved 2009-03-15. 
  5. ^ Evans, Faith; Aliya S. King (August 2008). Keep the Faith: A Memoir. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0446199508. 
  6. ^ "Faith's healing – Faith Evans, singer, mother and widow of rapper Notorious B.I.G – Cover Story – Interview", Essence, December 1997. Retrieved on 2007-07-10 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1264/is_n8_v28/ai_20039489/pg_2.
  7. ^ "Full Biography". Allmusic. MTV. 2006-11-16. http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/evans_faith/artist.jhtml#bio. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 
  8. ^ Smaldino, Denise (2008-04-30). "Sean Combs earns platinum, gold". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117984917.html?categoryid=3067&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 
  9. ^ Waldron, Clarence (1999-11-15). "Faith Evans Tells How She Balances Motherhood And Music". Jet. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_24_96/ai_57800104/. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
  10. ^ Promis, Jose F. (2008-04-30). "Keep the Faith review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r380162. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
  11. ^ "Singer Faith Evans sheds more than 50 lbs; releases new CD, Faithfully". Jet. Findarticles.com. 2001-11-12. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_22_100/ai_80162956/. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
  12. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2001-10-09). "Faith Evans Flips Biggie, Studies Ella Fitzgerald For Faithfully". MTV News. VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1448788/20010910/evans_faith.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
  13. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem (2001-10-23). "Faith Evans Talks About Her Drug Arrest On New Single". MTV News. VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1499639/20050405/evans_faith.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-04-05. 
  14. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2005-04-01). "Faith Evans - Always Chaging, Still the Same". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/bands/e/evans_faith/faith_q&a_050418/. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
  15. ^ Harris, Chris (2005-04-13). "50 Cent Won't Let Go Of Billboard's #1". MTV News. VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1500053/20050413/evans_faith.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
  16. ^ Joszor, Njai (2009-08-13). "Faith Evans interview". Soultracks.com. http://www.soultracks.com/story-faith_evans_interview. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
  17. ^ "Faith Evans: Ever Faithful". Blues & Soul. November 2010. http://www.bluesandsoul.com/feature/611/faith_evans_ever_faithful/. Retrieved February 14, 2011. 
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  19. ^ "Gone Already - Faith Evans". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/faith-evans/gone-already/22864766. 
  20. ^ "Faith Evans - Right Here (Official Music Video)". officialfaithevans. YouTube. 14 February 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptvfzwCvhFU. Retrieved February 14, 2011. 
  21. ^ "Turn It Up (2000)". RottenTomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/turn_it_up/. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
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  28. ^ "Faith Evans". IMDb. 2003-08-14. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0262751/. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
  29. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2009-01-13). "Faith Evans Says She'll 'Certainly' Work With Diddy On Next LP". MTV News. VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1602634/20090113/evans_faith.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
  30. ^ Barnes & Noble synopsis. Retrieved from http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Keep-The-Faith/Faith-Evans/e/9780446199506.
  31. ^ "2009 5th Annual African American Literary Awards Show Winners". African American Literary Awards. http://www.literaryawardshow.com/winners.html. Retrieved 2010-01-23. 
  32. ^ "Charlie Baltimore Says Lil Kim Is 'Delusional' For Believing She Was Biggie's Girlfriend". SixShot.com. 2009-12-01. http://www.sixshot.com/news/13654/. Retrieved 2010-01-23. 
  33. ^ Dolech, Marc W. (2004-01-28). "Faith Evans Arrested". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/faithevans/articles/story/5937072/faith_evans_arrested. Retrieved 2009-03-14. 
  34. ^ Silverman (2004-01-28). "Faith Evans Arrested on Drug Charges". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,627591,00.html. Retrieved 2010-01-23. 
  35. ^ Keller, Julie (2004-02-05). "Faith Evans' Rehab Deal". E! Online. Yahoo! Music. http://ca.music.yahoo.com/read/news/12176996. Retrieved 2010-01-23. 
  36. ^ http://vibe.com/posts/breaking-faith-evans-todd-russaw-release-official-divorce-statement/

External links

Book icon Book: Faith Evans
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.
Faith Evans
Studio albums
Faith (1995) · Keep the Faith (1998) · Faithfully (2001) · The First Lady (2005) · A Faithful Christmas (2005)  · Something About Faith (2010)
Singles
"You Used to Love Me" · "Soon as I Get Home" · "Ain't Nobody" · "Kissing You" · "Come Over" · "Love Like This" · "All Night Long" · "Never Gonna Let You Go" · "Lately I" · "Can't Believe" · "You Get's No Long" · "I Love You" · "Burnin' Up" · "Alone In this World" · "Again" · "Mesmerized" · "Tru Love · "Gone Already"
Tours
Related topics

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Related topics:
You Used to Love Me (1995 Album by Faith Evans)
Sparkle (Rhythm & Blues Band, '90s, 2000s)
110% Hip Hop (1998 Album by Various Artists)

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