Faith Evans

Faith Evans is an R&B singer who achieved fame in the early 1990s. She is most often remembered for being the widow of the late rapper, Notorious B.I.G. Faith Evans was considered an R&B superstar for much of the early and mid '90s, as part of P. Diddy's successful Bad Boy record label. Along with her labelmates, Mary J. Blige and Aaliyah, Evans sang the chorus on the popular remix of B.I.G.'s single "One More Chance". As Evans and B.I.G., who was one of Diddy's closet friends, slowly became closer P. Diddy allegedly paid his label's other female R&B singers less attention and focused more on Evans' career. This eventually led Blige, who had been signed to the record label longer than Evans, to have a falling out with Evans and Diddy and to leave Bad Boy in the mid-1990s. All of them older and more mature, as well as victims of tragedy, they have only very recently reconciled.

Meanwhile, as Blige was drifting apart from P. Diddy, Aaliyah began a tryst with singer R. Kelly and they briefly married. Girl R&B group Total, which was also originally signed to Bay Boy during the early and mid-1990s, also went their separate ways as their career waned. This left Evans as both Bad Boy's only female and only R&B singer for much of the mid-1990s, until Junior M.A.F.I.A rapper Lil Kim male R&B group 112 both released their debut albums in late 1996.

After her husband's murder in early 1997, Evans joined 112 and P. Diddy in recording "I'll Be Missing You", a touching song which sampled The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and acted as a fitting tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G. Although she had had previous successes, this song was the first that mainstream America heard of her.

Her sophomore album, Keep The Faith, was released in 1999. It produced the singles "Love Like This" and "All Night Long", featuring P. Diddy, both of which failed to catch on with mainstream radio despite performing moderately at urban radio.

In 2001, Evans released "Good Life", a single from the Fast And The Furious Soundtrack, which featured rap from Murda Inc members Ja Rule, Vita, and Cadillac Tah. The same year, she was featured on Carl Thomas' single, "Can't Believe". In late 2001, Evans released her third album, which spawned the successful single "You Gets No Love". The next single, a tender ballad called "I Love You", was released in early 2002 and achieved moderate pop success--a first for a Faith Evans single.

"Burnin' Up", the album's third single, featured rapper Loon and was successful on urban radio, despite failing to make the pop charts. The video was a remix of the song, which featured Missy Elliott in addition to Loon and garnered substantial MTV2 play throughout the summer of 2002.