Faith Evans

At 50 years old, Faith Evans has this physical status:

1973-1994: Early life and work began in 1973-1994.

Evans was born in Lakeland, Florida, to Helene Evans, an African American mother, and a professional singer. Richard Swain, a musician of English and potential Italian descent who died before Evans was born, was a writer of English and potential Italian descent (Evans said, "I've heard people whisper about him being Italian, but I don't know for sure"). Helene, 19 years old, returned to Newark, New Jersey, with her cousin Johnnie Mae and husband Orvelt Kennedy, the foster parents of more than 100 children during the time Faith lived with them. Faith had no relation to Johnnie Mae and Orvelt Kennedy as her grandparents. Helene's career was not until a few years ago that she attempted to return Evans back to his country. Faith, on the other hand, was unable to leave what she had "been used to," and instead, Helene moved next door.

Evans, who was raised in a Christian home, began singing at church at age two. When she sang The 5th Dimension's song "Let the Sunshine In" at age four, she caught the congregation of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newark. Helene Davis, who attended University High School in Newark, performed with several jazz bands and was encouraged by Helene to perform outside pageants, festivals, and competitions, where her voice would be noticed and lauded. Evans went to Fordham University in New York City in 1991 to study marketing, but a year later, Chyna Griffin, a music producer, was born. She migrated to Los Angeles in 1993, where she served as a backup vocalist for singer Al B. Yes, when she was first noticed by singer Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. Combs signed her as the first female artist to his Bad Boy Entertainment record label in 1994, being enthralled with her.

Evans, who was recently signed to Bad Boy Records, was hired by executive producer Combs to support Mary J. Blige's memoir (1994) and Usher's self-titled debut album (1994) before beginning to work on her debut studio album Faith. The album was released in North America on August 29, 1995, and it was also a major collaboration with Bad Boy's top producers, Chucky Thompson and Combs, but it culminated 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." According to RIAA, the album was eventually certified platinum with 1.5 million copies sold.

Evans married rapper and label mate Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." a year before, on August 4, 1994. After having photographed Wallace at a Bad Boy photoshoot, he was thrilled. Christopher George Latore Wallace Jr. and his mother, Monica George Latore Wallace Jr., were married together as a result of allegations of an affair with Tupac Shakur, Evans became involved in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry, which dominated hip hop at the time. In March 1997, Wallace was killed in a yet-to-be-solved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California. Missy Elliott, Evans' sister, introduced her to record company executive Todd Russaw during early 1997, after her separation from Wallace, but before his death. During her and Wallace's separation, Faith began dating Russaw, and Russaw became pregnant by Russaw. Joshua was the first child of the couple on June 10, 1998 (her 25th birthday). Evans and Russaw were married in 1998 during the summer of 1998, and on March 22, 2007, they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw, born on March 22, 2007.

Combs helped Evans produce her tribute song "I'll Be Missing You," based on the melody of The Police's 1983 single "Every Breath You Take." Combs, Evans, and the all-male band 112, the song, which debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts for the first time in 1997, has topped the charts for the 11 weeks. Puffy,Evans, and 112 were named in the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. "Heartbreak Hotel," a project with singers Whitney Houston and Kelly Price, that debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at number two, would receive two Grammy nominations next year.

Evans' second studio album, Keep the Faith, was released on October 27, 1998, and he has been in the process for two years. Evans, who had almost entirely written and produced the album, found it difficult to finish because she had been dissatisfied with first's progress. However, the album received mostly favorable feedback from music reviewers, with Allmusic noting it as "without a doubt a highlight of 1990s soul-pop music." It later became platinum and released the top ten singles "Love Like This" and "All Night Long" in addition (released March 30, 1999), causing Evans to embark on Dru Hill and Total for the next year.

Faithfully (2001), Evans' third album on the Bad Boy label, featured her working with a diverse number of artists, including The Neptunes, Mario Winans, Buckwild, Valianta Nobles, Cory Rooney, and others. The album's first venture with husband Todd Russaw as executive producer and creative partner, eventually being rated platinum on the Billboard 200 album chart, but the Jennifer Lopez-written "I Love You" became the only top-ten entry. Evans, who went from distributor Arista Records to Universal, believes she was given minimum assistance by the company during 2004, and she decided not to continue her work with Bad Boy because Combs couldn't advance her career any more due to his other commitments. During a traffic stop in Hapeville, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, Evans and Russaw were arrested and charged with marijuana and cocaine possession, as well as an improper tag violation.

After failing with Bad Boy Entertainment Evans, the first contemporary R&B artist to do so, Evans began work on her fourth studio album, The First Lady, after her nickname on her previous label. As opposed to having an in-house team of producers who produced the majority of the previous work, she and Russaw were able to narrate more creative control of the album, as well as consulting consultants such as Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell Williams, and Chucky Thompson. Since its debut in April 2005, The First Lady debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and top one on the Top R&B/Hip Albums chart, becoming Evans' highest-charting album to date. The RIAA named it gold by accident. Evans released A Faithful Christmas, a collection of classic Christmas songs as well as original tracks at the end of the year. Since the firm was purchased in 2007, it would be the company's last appearance on Capitol Records.

Faith Evans created her own record label imprint in 2010 after a five-year absence. She founded Prolific Music Group and recruited top talent to help the record company build the brand from scratch. Keyshia Cole, Redman, Snoop Dogg, and Raekwon appeared on the labels' freshman album, among other things. Later this year, Evans signed an agreement with independent record label E1 Entertainment. Something About Faith, her fifth studio album, was released in the United States on October 5, 2010, where it debuted and peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 and top number one on the Independent Albums chart. Something About Faith was the leading single "Gone Already" on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Songs chart, where it debuted at number two on the top of the charts, where it peaked at number twenty-two.

After being stopped at a checkpoint in Marina del Rey, California, Evans was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunken driving. Evans filed for divorce against Russaw in 2011. In exchange for stopping any further litigation of their drug-possession lawsuit, the couple decided to invest 13 weeks in a drug-treatment service. Evans and Russaw announced in May 2011 that they were getting a divorce but that they would prefer to keep it private for the children's sakes.

Evans co-executive produced and became a cast member of R&B Divas: Atlanta, alongside fellow R&B artists Nicci Gilbert, Syleena Johnson, Keke Wyatt, and Monifah. The show provided an inside glimpse into how the singers balance their musical careers and personal lives as they work towards releasing R&B Divas (2012), in honor of Whitney Houston. The series went from Broadcast to rating records for the network, and it was renewed for two more seasons. At the 55th awards ceremony, Evans, who left the show after its second season, received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.

Evans revealed in August 2013 that she had begun recording On her sixth studio album Incomparable, which featured contributions from Chucky Thompson, Mike City, KeKe Wyatt, B.Slade, and Karen Clark Sheard of The Clark Sisters. "I Deserve It," a record starring Missy Elliott and her protégée Sharaya J, debuted on August 25, 2014 as the album's lead single and peaked at number 19 on Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart, peaking at number 19 on Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart. Incomparable was released by Prolific Music Group and BMG Rights Management on November 24, 2014, and at number 27 on the Top R&B/Hip Albums chart and number 17 on the US Independent Albums chart.

Evans revealed in 2016 that she was finishing a posthumous Notorious B.I.G. The King & I album, which will feature duets with her late husband, will feature duets. On May 19, 2017, the album was released.

Stevie J., a producer and rapper from Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, married her on July 17, 2018. On July 27, 2018, the couple performed "A Minute" on a hit song. Evans-Jordan appeared on various episodes of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta from 2015-2019, as well as Stevie's then-famous friend Stevie J.

Evans was jailed in May 2020 for unlawful domestic violence against Stevie J. She was released on bond, and the charges were later dismissed. Stevie J filed for divorce in 2021.

Faith Evans appeared in season six of The Masked Singer in 2021 as "Skunk." During the Group A Finals, she was unveiled, referring to The Notorious B.I.G.'s death. She and her son are autistic, and they are attracted to her.

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