Faith Evans
Biography
In spite of the fact that Faith Evans carved out a 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.
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 "Georgy Porgy." She began dating and 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. It was her last album for Bad Boy, however; Evans moved to Capitol in 2005 for The First Lady. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Selected Discography
Great song beautiful and talented artist. Brings back good memories of my younger days when I was dating a young lady that resembled Faith and I was(am)good looking big black dude people use to call us the "ghetto version" of Biggie and Faith.(lol)
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HEY FAITH GIRL, THIS IS FAITH LISTENING TO YOUR GROOVE. PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. YOU KNOW WE HAVE TOO KEEP THE FAITH. GOD IS SO GOOD GIRL ALL THE TIME. I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOUR NEXT BIG ONE.
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PLEASE KIDS DON'T ATTEMPT TO TRY THIS IS AT HOME WITHOUT ROLLS ROYCE....NO MATTER HOW SWEET IT MAY SOUND YOU CAN'T DUPLICATE THE ORIGINAL.... . S O R R Y FOLKS BUT ITS NOT ALL THAT!!!! PEACE FOR NOW......... . A T L
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Excellent vocalist and song writer. Just read her book and it has me looking at her in a different light.
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i love faith evans music and i would like to hear the "keep the faith" album all the way through. she has a beautiful voice and sing each and every song with a passion beyond belief.
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I Love you was my ex and my song. Brings back memories.... Faith is great! .
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I love Faith!!!! I get such a vibe from her songs. She got me through a hard time in my life. Thanks Faith, i kept the faith!
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my alltime favorite song by Faith is, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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It wasn't "Hit Me Off". It was "Hit Em Up". Come on...if you're gonna write this stuff, PLEASE do your research...
Faith is absolutely one of my favorite artists... |
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"I can't believe" is one of my favorite duo songs...the drums are sick...
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It's so funny how each of her ablums have gotten me through different phases of my life. Keep the Faith helped me get through my mother's passing. I replayed that son over and over and over. Faith Evans is a true talent. I can't wait for the next album!
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i think she a very strong woman even thru all the affares that her late husband put her thru she still manage to live her dreams and contuine singing i hope the best for her and her career.
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I have always been a Faith fan, she really got me through my tough love times in my college years. I really loved reading about her and BIG's life--and the beginning of their stardom. If you haven't read Keep the Faith, get it! It's definately a page turner. I also have much respect for her.
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FAITH IS A WONDERFUL ARTIST AND IF YOU ARE TRULY A FAITH FAN YOU NEED TO READ HER BOOK "KEEP THE FAITH" IT IS VERY GOOD AND INFORMATIVE. IT LETS YOU KNOW THAT WITH HARD WORK AND DETERMINATIO N YOU CAN OVERCOME AND DO ANYTHING. I ALRADY HAD MUCH RESPECT FOR HER BUT AFTER READING HER BOOK SHE IS A LIVING TESTIMONY AND I AM HAPPY SHE DECIDED TO SHARE HER STORY WITH EVERYBODY. I READ THE BOOK IN 2 DAYS AND TO EVERYONE, JUST LIKE FAITH SAID "KEEP THE FAITH" NO MATTER WHAT, BECAUSE ANYTHING IS POSSIBL
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Faith, unfortunatel y never got the props she deserved...o n e of the most underrated R&B singers of her time. 1995's "Faith" was a classic by far...but after that the rest were still good but only good. I remember listening to this album while typing papers in high school thinking how soft and wonderful her voice sounded.
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Faith is pretty but not only that will always have my respect as a artist of bad boy
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HAH THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IVE EVR HEARD OF HER...WOW SHE GOES WAY BACK IN TIME!!!SHES GOOD!
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We haven't heard much from her in a while, any chance that anyone knows whats happening and whether she is planning a comeback?
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her book was very informationa l . it was cool. i learned alot about her and being in the music industry.
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I HAVE A NEW RESPECT FOR FAITH AFTER READING HER BOOK, THE BOOK WAS EXCELLENT I COULND NOT PUT IT DOWN....
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FAITH IS A WONDERFUL ARTIST AND IF YOU ARE TRULY A FAITH FAN YOU NEED TO READ HER BOOK "KEEP THE FAITH" IT IS VERY GOOD AND INFORMATIVE. IT LETS YOU KNOW THAT WITH HARD WORK AND DETERMINATIO N YOU CAN OVERCOME AND DO ANYTHING. I ALRADY HAD MUCH RESPECT FOR HER BUT AFTER READING HER BOOK SHE IS A LIVING TESTIMONY AND I AM HAPPY SHE DECIDED TO SHARE HER STORY WITH EVERYBODY. I READ THE BOOK IN 2 DAYS AND TO EVERYONE, JUST LIKE FAITH SAID "KEEP THE FAITH" NO MATTER WHAT, BECAUSE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
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I love Faith Evans. She is a wonderful singer and a wonderful person period. No matter what obstacles comes her way she stays strong. She is an inspiration to me.
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