Faith Evans Bio
Faith Renée Evans, born on June 10, 1973, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in Newark, New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career and became Bad Boy Records’ first female artist in 1994. Evans released her debut album, Faith, in 1995, and has since established herself as a prominent figure in R&B and hip hop, selling over 20 million records worldwide.
Beyond her music career, Evans has acted in films such as Turn It Up (2000) and The Fighting Temptations (2003) and has appeared on reality television, including R&B Divas: Atlanta and The Masked Singer. She is the widow of rapper Christopher “the Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, and her career has spanned more than three decades in the entertainment industry.
Early Life and Background
Faith Renée Evans was born on June 10, 1973, in Lakeland, Florida, to an African American mother, Helene Evans, a professional singer. Her father, Richard Swain, was a musician of English and possible Italian descent who left before Evans was born. About six months later, her mother returned to Newark, New Jersey, and left young Faith in the care of her cousin Johnnie Mae and Orvelt Kennedy, the foster parents of more than 100 children, whom Evans came to know as her grandparents. Helene later relocated next door to be close to her daughter.
Raised in a Christian home, Evans began singing at church at the age of two. At four, she caught the attention of the congregation at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newark when she performed The 5th Dimension’s “Let the Sunshine In.” While attending University High School in Newark, she sang with several jazz bands and, encouraged by her mother, entered outside pageants, festivals, and contests, where her voice was widely praised.
After graduating from high school in 1991, Evans enrolled at Fordham University in New York City to study marketing. She left after one year to give birth to her daughter, Chyna, with music producer Kiyamma Griffin. In 1993, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked as a backup vocalist for R&B singer Al B. Sure! and was eventually noticed by rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, who signed her to Bad Boy Records in 1994.
Path to Celebrity
Before her solo breakthrough, Evans gained valuable experience as a backing vocalist for R&B singers Al B. Sure! and Christopher Williams in Los Angeles. She also contributed backing vocals and co-wrote tracks for Mary J. Blige’s My Life (1994) and Usher’s self-titled debut album (1994) at the request of executive producer Combs. These early sessions helped her sharpen her songwriting skills and prepared her to step into the spotlight as a recording artist in her own right.
Her big break came in 1994 when she signed with Bad Boy Entertainment as the label’s first female artist. She made an uncredited appearance on labelmate The Notorious B.I.G.’s single “One More Chance” before releasing her platinum-selling debut album, Faith, in 1995. Her marriage to Christopher Wallace in 1994 further connected her to the East Coast hip hop scene and helped launch her into the broader public eye.
Faith Evans Career
Early Career (1994-2001)
Evans’s debut album, Faith, was released on August 29, 1995, through Bad Boy Records and became a commercial success based on the singles “You Used to Love Me” and “Soon as I Get Home.” The album was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA, with 1.5 million copies sold. In 1997, she collaborated with Sean Combs and the group 112 on the tribute single “I’ll Be Missing You,” a song honoring the late Notorious B.I.G. that debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Her second studio album, Keep the Faith, arrived in 1998 and was almost entirely written and produced by Evans herself. The record went platinum and produced the top ten singles “Love Like This” and “All Night Long,” leading to an 18-city theater tour with Dru Hill and Total. Her third album, Faithfully (2001), peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and was also certified platinum, cementing her reputation as a leading voice in 1990s and early 2000s R&B.
Breakthrough (2003-2012)
After leaving Bad Boy Records in 2003, Evans signed with Capitol Records and released her fourth album, The First Lady, in 2005. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming her best-charting album to date. That same year, she released the holiday album A Faithful Christmas, which marked her final release on a major label before Capitol was bought in 2007.
Following a five-year hiatus, Evans launched her own record label imprint, Prolific Music Group, in 2010, and signed a deal with E1 Entertainment. Her fifth studio album, Something About Faith, debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Independent Albums chart. In 2012, she co-executive produced and became a cast member on the TV One reality show R&B Divas: Atlanta, which broke rating records for the network and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album at the 55th ceremony.
Notable Works and Milestones
Evans’s signature contributions to music include the Grammy-winning single “I’ll Be Missing You” and her platinum-certified debut album Faith. Her 2017 posthumous duet album with The Notorious B.I.G., The King & I, stands as a defining tribute project. In 2008, she released her autobiography, Keep the Faith: A Memoir, which won a 2009 African American Literary Award for Best Biography/Memoir.
Faith Evans Award Nominations
Throughout her career, Faith Evans has earned multiple Grammy Award nominations across several categories. She received two nominations in 1998 for “Heartbreak Hotel,” a collaboration with Whitney Houston and Kelly Price, and another nomination for Best R&B Album at the 55th Grammy Awards ceremony in recognition of her work on R&B Divas: Atlanta. Her consistent recognition by the Recording Academy highlights her lasting influence in R&B and hip hop.
Faith Evans Awards Won
Faith Evans won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards in 1998 for her collaboration with Sean Combs and 112 on the hit single “I’ll Be Missing You.” The song, based on the melody of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” became the first hip hop record to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. She also won a 2009 African American Literary Award for Best Biography/Memoir for her autobiography Keep the Faith: A Memoir.
Faith Evans Family
Faith Evans was born to Helene Evans, a professional singer, and Richard Swain, a musician who left the family before her birth. She was raised in Newark, New Jersey, by her mother’s cousin Johnnie Mae Kennedy and her husband Orvelt Kennedy, who fostered more than 100 children. Evans has a daughter, Chyna Evans, from a relationship with music producer Kiyamma Griffin, and four children in total, including son Christopher George Latore Wallace Jr. with The Notorious B.I.G.
Personal Life
Faith Evans married rapper Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace on August 4, 1994, after meeting him at a Bad Boy photoshoot. The couple had one son together, Christopher George Latore Wallace Jr., before Wallace was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in March 1997. Evans later married record executive Todd Russaw in 1998, and the couple had two sons, Joshua and Ryder Evan Russaw, before divorcing in 2011. She married producer Stevie J in 2018; the two later divorced, with the split finalized in 2023.