What do you think?
Rate this book
Keep The Faith
It's been over ten years since Big was killed. I grieved for him for a very long time. And then, as time passed, the icy wall of grief surrounding my heart began to thaw and I began to heal.
I remarried, had more children, and continued to record and release more music. I continued to live my life. And while I can never discount the time I spent with Big, I've never felt the need to live in the past. But sometimes, I still find myself thinking about Big being rushed the hospital, and I break down in tears. It's not just because we hung up on each other during what would be our last telephone conversation. And it's not because I am raising our son, a young man who has never known his father. It's partly all of those things. But mainly it's because he wasn't ready to go. His debut album was called Ready to Die. But in the end, he wasn't. Big never got a chance to tell his story. It's been left to others to tell it for him. In making the decision to tell my own story, it means that I've become one of those who can give insight to who Big really was. But I can only speak on what he meant to me. Yet I also 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. I hope that in reading my words, there is inspiration to be found. Perhaps you can duplicate my success or achieve where I have failed. Maybe you can skip over the mistakes I've made. Use my life as an example - of what to do and in some cases, what not to do. 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.
I remarried, had more children, and continued to record and release more music. I continued to live my life. And while I can never discount the time I spent with Big, I've never felt the need to live in the past. But sometimes, I still find myself thinking about Big being rushed the hospital, and I break down in tears. It's not just because we hung up on each other during what would be our last telephone conversation. And it's not because I am raising our son, a young man who has never known his father. It's partly all of those things. But mainly it's because he wasn't ready to go. His debut album was called Ready to Die. But in the end, he wasn't. Big never got a chance to tell his story. It's been left to others to tell it for him. In making the decision to tell my own story, it means that I've become one of those who can give insight to who Big really was. But I can only speak on what he meant to me. Yet I also 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. I hope that in reading my words, there is inspiration to be found. Perhaps you can duplicate my success or achieve where I have failed. Maybe you can skip over the mistakes I've made. Use my life as an example - of what to do and in some cases, what not to do. 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.
353 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
112 people are currently reading
1501 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
August 29, 2008
I never expected this book to be as good it was! Wow! Faith opens up to readers and doesn't hold anything back in this book. She tells how she grew up, she lets us in on her relationships with the different men she dated and slept with including Biggie and her new husband Todd.
Lil Kim, Missy, PDiddy, Tupac and Mary J..she gives us a front row seat to what REALLY went on with them in reference to her. (Lil Kim, Lil Kim, Lil Kim..shaking my head)
I started this book and only put it down to cook, sleep and go to work. I laughed and cried as Faith told the events of her life from a little girl to a grown woman. This book was GOOD, GOOD, GOOD! It deserves more than just five stars!!
Lil Kim, Missy, PDiddy, Tupac and Mary J..she gives us a front row seat to what REALLY went on with them in reference to her. (Lil Kim, Lil Kim, Lil Kim..shaking my head)
I started this book and only put it down to cook, sleep and go to work. I laughed and cried as Faith told the events of her life from a little girl to a grown woman. This book was GOOD, GOOD, GOOD! It deserves more than just five stars!!
February 8, 2014
I was prepared not to like this book. I couldn’t even remember how it had gotten on my list of books-to-read. All I knew of Faith Evans was that she was the widow of Notorious B.I.G. and that she was caught cheating on him with Tupac.
I’ll admit that at first it was really hard not to want to judge this woman. For the first half of the book I found myself rolling my eyes every time she patted herself on the back or made some reference to how good she was at something, how she was destined for greatness, how smart she was, how naïve she was. She mentions her world-famous lasagna about four times or so throughout the book. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her sing, but according to her, her voice is enough to make everyone in a room stop what they are doing and just listen in awe. All this is said in bewilderment as if she is completely unaware of how great she truly is.
She talks about smoking weed like she’s drinking a can of soda. It bothered me to read how she did this during one of her pregnancies and then justifies it by saying she was stressed out and she consulted a Jamaican old lady to see if this was harmful to her baby. She is in love with a man who is constantly cheating on her and who whenever she confronts him about it, he straight out tells her, ‘yeah, I did it’ and then they end up having hot sex after every confrontation. She ends up going to several of these women’s houses and beating the heck out of them. This man cheats on her so many times, yet she still goes and gets his name tattooed on her chest. Why? To make matters worse, she justifies her own cheating ways because of how this man cheats on her.
As for the technical aspect of the book, there were several things I found annoying throughout. Some of the dialogue was terrible. Conversations were recreated using slang. By the time I finished this book, I don’t think I could even say the word ‘alright’ correctly anymore. Did it really have to be spelled as ‘aiight’ in order to give it flavor? Several times I felt like she was talking to the reader as if they were stupid by pointing out obvious things, or giving definitions of words, or by reminding the reader how she already mentioned something earlier on in the story. This is done in a style of ‘Remember when I said earlier in the book that…’or ‘I think I remember saying that…’ such as when she is reminding the reader of how she falls in love hard and fast throughout all the romances she mentions in the book, how she is rash of thought, what her favorite diamond store is, what her favorite Chinese takeout place is.
But I must admit that there was a lot of drama in Faith’s life and eventually she won me over. Sometimes life hits you hard and she was hit hard. She not only had to deal with the murder of her husband, but all the negativity that surrounded her because of her relationship to him, the accusations of infidelity with Tupac, the alienation from Bad Boy Records. Several friends betrayed her. ( Shame on you Mary J. Blige for your actions at the funeral. )
I don’t know that Faith wrapped up this memoir by telling us what she learned from that period of her life. Maybe it’s not necessary for her to do so. But I do wonder what her kids will make of some of the stories mentioned in here, such as the promiscuity, the cheating, the quick solution of abortion anytime you don’t want to deal with the consequences of unprotected sex, and the open drug use, without some kind of ‘Don’t try this at home’ warning. I have to give her credit though for her honesty and for baring her soul knowing she would probably be judged harshly (I tried not to, I really did. Let’s just say I got more of an understanding for her.) Maybe if Faith had chosen a different fork in the road of her life we would have instead gotten an inspiring memoir about how she won a full-paid scholarship to a top college and how she didn’t drop out to choose a life of crime and drugs and revelry. For all her choices in life though, this is who she is. All the things she has gone through she has seemed to emerge a strong woman and I hope she continues on a path of success and happiness.
I’ll admit that at first it was really hard not to want to judge this woman. For the first half of the book I found myself rolling my eyes every time she patted herself on the back or made some reference to how good she was at something, how she was destined for greatness, how smart she was, how naïve she was. She mentions her world-famous lasagna about four times or so throughout the book. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her sing, but according to her, her voice is enough to make everyone in a room stop what they are doing and just listen in awe. All this is said in bewilderment as if she is completely unaware of how great she truly is.
She talks about smoking weed like she’s drinking a can of soda. It bothered me to read how she did this during one of her pregnancies and then justifies it by saying she was stressed out and she consulted a Jamaican old lady to see if this was harmful to her baby. She is in love with a man who is constantly cheating on her and who whenever she confronts him about it, he straight out tells her, ‘yeah, I did it’ and then they end up having hot sex after every confrontation. She ends up going to several of these women’s houses and beating the heck out of them. This man cheats on her so many times, yet she still goes and gets his name tattooed on her chest. Why? To make matters worse, she justifies her own cheating ways because of how this man cheats on her.
As for the technical aspect of the book, there were several things I found annoying throughout. Some of the dialogue was terrible. Conversations were recreated using slang. By the time I finished this book, I don’t think I could even say the word ‘alright’ correctly anymore. Did it really have to be spelled as ‘aiight’ in order to give it flavor? Several times I felt like she was talking to the reader as if they were stupid by pointing out obvious things, or giving definitions of words, or by reminding the reader how she already mentioned something earlier on in the story. This is done in a style of ‘Remember when I said earlier in the book that…’or ‘I think I remember saying that…’ such as when she is reminding the reader of how she falls in love hard and fast throughout all the romances she mentions in the book, how she is rash of thought, what her favorite diamond store is, what her favorite Chinese takeout place is.
But I must admit that there was a lot of drama in Faith’s life and eventually she won me over. Sometimes life hits you hard and she was hit hard. She not only had to deal with the murder of her husband, but all the negativity that surrounded her because of her relationship to him, the accusations of infidelity with Tupac, the alienation from Bad Boy Records. Several friends betrayed her. ( Shame on you Mary J. Blige for your actions at the funeral. )
I don’t know that Faith wrapped up this memoir by telling us what she learned from that period of her life. Maybe it’s not necessary for her to do so. But I do wonder what her kids will make of some of the stories mentioned in here, such as the promiscuity, the cheating, the quick solution of abortion anytime you don’t want to deal with the consequences of unprotected sex, and the open drug use, without some kind of ‘Don’t try this at home’ warning. I have to give her credit though for her honesty and for baring her soul knowing she would probably be judged harshly (I tried not to, I really did. Let’s just say I got more of an understanding for her.) Maybe if Faith had chosen a different fork in the road of her life we would have instead gotten an inspiring memoir about how she won a full-paid scholarship to a top college and how she didn’t drop out to choose a life of crime and drugs and revelry. For all her choices in life though, this is who she is. All the things she has gone through she has seemed to emerge a strong woman and I hope she continues on a path of success and happiness.
November 26, 2008
Would have never guessed that Faith was so thugged out. But I have to give props to Puff for cleaning up her image...I learned a lot about Faith from this book. I can also relate to her with the men issues. But I must say if you had second thoughts about buying this book, go back to the store and get it. You will laugh and cry with Faith.
April 28, 2009
I just finished reading this book today. I can't believe it took me a little over a month to do it. Normally I can zoom through books, but this book was over three hundred pages long. With that said, I enjoyed it and I recommend it to anyone to read. I've been a fan of Faith's music since her first album came out in 1995. And like everyone else, I had been intrigued by her life, because it seemed like drama followed her. Given that she was married to Biggie, I just assumed like everyone else that she got into the music business through him. And when the rumors of her sleeping with Tupac ran rampant back in the day I believed them like everyone else did. AAh, the persuasion of the media and rumors. ... But this book smashed all of my preconceived opinions and all that I thought I knew about Faith. She had a life before Biggie, and she was writing for artists and singing on their albums long before she married Biggie.
She described how nervous she was when it came to singing in front of Puffy. I know that she has high regards for Puffy because he mentored her and put her on his label. But I'm a bit iffy when it comes to Puffy, mainly because of the way he rapes his artists. Bad Boy was the ish back in that 94-95 era, he really had a talented roster, Faith, 112, Total, Biggie, Craig Mack, I remember jamin to their music when I was teenager in high school. But after Biggie died, that was the beginning of the end. One by one all of those artist started dropping like flies due to mismanagment of money, and due to Puffy trying to put his solo album out all of that had to conflict with his artists interest, Faith touches on that a little in her book. Let's not forget about how he did Shyne the rapper too, The Lox, Loon, G-Dep, Black Rob, I can go on and on.... Puffy's shady, he recently dismantled Danity Kane. I don't know who would sign onto the Bad Boy label, all one would have to do is check the history. Puff can't properly manage artists without sticking his mug everywhere. So where as Faith was careful in how much she said about him in her book, I still plan on getting Mark Curry's Dancing with the Devil book, because he lays it all out about how Puffy stole from his artists.
Faith also touched upon the drama between her and LiL Kim, Mary and Missy. I just know that I miss her music, and I'd wish she would come out with an album. I miss the era of when it was her, Tamia, Deborah Cox, Chante Moore. These artist are still making music they just aren't heard as much as the Beyonces, Ciaras, and Rhiannas. So, I am glad that she finally wrote a book about her life and that I finally read it.
December 20, 2008
Faith Evans has a beautiful picture on the cover. Keep the Faith Memoir, Faith keeps it real with her struggles as a fatherless child growing up in Newark, NJ and part of her childhood in Daveport, FL. She had lived with her grandparents for a period of time with her single mother and foster kids that her grandparents adopted at a time. She also uncovers how she falls into love too easily. She fell for an abusive boyfriend, JT, and married man, Willie, and other relationships thereafter that were not healthy.
Never knew that Al B Sure was married back in the day either, to some woman named "Jackie". I do recall hearing Faith on Usher's first album, she did a wonderful job! Amazingly, they called her "Mama" when she was in the recording studio and handsome Christopher Williams "Grandpa".
Furthermore, she cleared all the rumors from her perspective about Mary J. Blige, Lil Kim, Puff Daddy (Diddy or whatever he calls himself these days). I gathered from the book, realism of new artists or celebrities will do to look the part such as Faith touches on getting a "tummy tuck" that costs over 10K. In addition, the fear of insecurities such as one's weight. And, Biggie's adulterous affairs with fans and Lil Kim, leaves me clueless since he is not attractive at all. Great read. Finished within hours, total of two days since I am a writer myself.
Never knew that Al B Sure was married back in the day either, to some woman named "Jackie". I do recall hearing Faith on Usher's first album, she did a wonderful job! Amazingly, they called her "Mama" when she was in the recording studio and handsome Christopher Williams "Grandpa".
Furthermore, she cleared all the rumors from her perspective about Mary J. Blige, Lil Kim, Puff Daddy (Diddy or whatever he calls himself these days). I gathered from the book, realism of new artists or celebrities will do to look the part such as Faith touches on getting a "tummy tuck" that costs over 10K. In addition, the fear of insecurities such as one's weight. And, Biggie's adulterous affairs with fans and Lil Kim, leaves me clueless since he is not attractive at all. Great read. Finished within hours, total of two days since I am a writer myself.
July 10, 2009
It's not something I would've selected myself, but it was recomended by a friend. Right now, I can honestly say I can't bring myself to read it. I have so many other GOOD books that I can read, that this one is last on my list.
July 9, 2017
I like Faith as an artist. So, I was interested in what went on behind the scenes in her real life. Keep The Faith was on par with other celeb autobiographies that I've read. A little about her childhood and up upbringing, how she broke into the music world and, how she met her husband, the Notorious B.I.G.
She didn't disappoint. But also talked about the reason for the mistakes she made. Why she chose the men that she did.
She didn't give any celebrity gossip besides her own.
This is a satisfying memoir.
She didn't disappoint. But also talked about the reason for the mistakes she made. Why she chose the men that she did.
She didn't give any celebrity gossip besides her own.
This is a satisfying memoir.
February 27, 2021
I'm a big Faith Evans fan. When I first heard about this memoir, I'd mean to buy it, but keep putting it off. I finally bought it and boy, I was NOT disappointed at all. I really enjoyed this from the beginning to the end. I thought I knew everything about her, but I learned a few things about her that I already didn't know.
I love how she kept it real in this memoir! She didn't hold anything back and she didn't try to make herself look like an angel, either. None of us are perfect and we all go through things, but it's up to US to get through it and keep it real with ourselves and those around us..
I love how she kept it real in this memoir! She didn't hold anything back and she didn't try to make herself look like an angel, either. None of us are perfect and we all go through things, but it's up to US to get through it and keep it real with ourselves and those around us..
August 15, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed Faith's journey. This was a very easy read that covered Faith's life from a small girl with stars in her eyes to a young woman, widow and mother. I was really surprised at how forthcoming Faith was in revealing her many sexual dalliances and abortions. She held nothing back, including the several beatdowns she dished out to the women who were having affairs with her husband, Biggie Smalls, including Lil Kim. She was definitley not a shrinking violet when it came time to whip some you know what. But admittedly, she was not able to bring the same bravado to the table when dealing with record executives, included Sean Combs. Eventually Faith is able to stand up for herself. She truly went through a great deal, some at her own hands and other incidents due to the actions of others. I admire how she joined forces with Biggie's mom after his death to settle his estate and through it all she strived to keep her family together. The book had me looking up various songs on Youtube that she had recorded, but that I wasn't familiar with. There was one song made famous by the group Rose Royce--"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" that Faith didn't want to record, but at the urging of Sean Combs, she did record it with Mary J. Blige. Subsequently, Mary asked for her vocals to be removed, because of a disagreement with Sean Combs. The verision I listened to on Youtube does not have Mary's voice. Overall, this was an engaging read and a nice musical trip down memory lane.
March 3, 2016
If you read this book without seeing the cover or the mention of the big names, you would think it was an urban fiction story. Yet, as history shows, Faith Evans story is true, shocking, and sometimes just crazy. Though some key points I would have kept to myself, I do appreciate Evans' honesty. The book was very easy and quick to breeze through, but I did have to knock her down a star because she kept telling stories without mentioning the people's name. I feel like if you can't mention the people you are talking about and/or sleeping with, then don't mention it at all. I am glad that she spent a majority of her book talking about her time with Biggie because honestly I am sure that it the only thing most wanted to read about.
I will always respect Faith Evans musically, but after reading the book, I had a different-not so pleasant- outlook on her which has me regretting picking up the book in the first place [and some things I think she is lying about]. If you are a fan of 90's hip-hop and the war going on at the time, I would recommend it to get another point of view.
I will always respect Faith Evans musically, but after reading the book, I had a different-not so pleasant- outlook on her which has me regretting picking up the book in the first place [and some things I think she is lying about]. If you are a fan of 90's hip-hop and the war going on at the time, I would recommend it to get another point of view.
January 11, 2009
Ms. Faith, Like Never Before
Keep the Faith" is a great memoir that is very informative and detailed about Faith Evans.
Faith Evans has been known to me as a famous singer that was married to Biggie Smalls. I never really knew about her life before and after Biggie; this gives it all and more. At one point while reading this novel, I felt as though I was walking in her shoes and now have a better understanding of the choices she made. I also enjoyed looking at the "old skool" photos of Faith and her family. It seems as though Faith put a lot of thought and time into this memoir that made it extravagant. I really enjoyed reading this book and will continue to look for more of her books in the near future.
Reviewed by: Tekisha
Keep the Faith" is a great memoir that is very informative and detailed about Faith Evans.
Faith Evans has been known to me as a famous singer that was married to Biggie Smalls. I never really knew about her life before and after Biggie; this gives it all and more. At one point while reading this novel, I felt as though I was walking in her shoes and now have a better understanding of the choices she made. I also enjoyed looking at the "old skool" photos of Faith and her family. It seems as though Faith put a lot of thought and time into this memoir that made it extravagant. I really enjoyed reading this book and will continue to look for more of her books in the near future.
Reviewed by: Tekisha
April 2, 2009
I liked the writing. Though it was a bit repetitive. No typos found! I was amazed at how the author talked about sex and or used sex. So different from my own ways. She is married to BIG, feels loyal to him so she doesn't cheat, but he does, so she goes crazy on all the women he sleeps with. Lil Kim!
Faith Evans claims to make a world famous lasagna. I want to known who has tried it.
The best part of the book is that it seems to take forever, but really the author is only describing like 2 years of her life. She becomes the first lady of bad boy and changes her whole image, gets her shit together, goes through a lot of shit, and becomes a prolific song writer, all in two years. It's hard to believe.
P.S. Tupac owes her 25,000 dollars.
Faith Evans claims to make a world famous lasagna. I want to known who has tried it.
The best part of the book is that it seems to take forever, but really the author is only describing like 2 years of her life. She becomes the first lady of bad boy and changes her whole image, gets her shit together, goes through a lot of shit, and becomes a prolific song writer, all in two years. It's hard to believe.
P.S. Tupac owes her 25,000 dollars.
September 14, 2008
I had ordered this book through Black Expressions, but somehow, they keep saying that they cannot send out the copies yet, so I went to Walmart where I saw a copy, and I'm glad I did because that is one of the best books I've read for this year. I remember how folks had stated that Faith and Biggie were together, and got married, and she gave us an inside view of her marriage. Perhaps if they weren't involved in the entertainment industry where women were a dime a dozen and temptation wasn't a problem, perhaps, they would have thrived. Sadly they didn't, but I am glad that she did get with a good man in the end. Very good open, revealing, candid book.
August 2, 2010
This book is so touching, ever since I was little I loved Faith and saw every video of her. The the movie B.I.G and it was grate. Even though I didnt know him growning up i felt like I did. This book explains everything when Faith got to know Big. This book is a best seller and I agree because it taught me a lot about making the right choises in your life. Faith is my hero i felt like if I was to Ever meet her I would tell her my life story. From this book I learned always put your children first in you life. Never wait for no man, make your own choises period. I Hope you like this book as much as I did. :)
June 9, 2012
I am interested in this serial Baby-Mamma to the hip-hop community solely to round out the gaps in my Tupac/Biggie Smalls murder investigation reading. So far it is a depressing catalog of multiple generations of disempowered minority women sailing through life on the winds of hasty choices to reproduce with mostly-absent and sometimes even unidentified men. As it's no secret how this story ends - I'll be seeing Faith drop out of college (she had a full-scholarship BTW) and manipulate her way to fame and fortune via reproduction; so it's a really great message...
March 9, 2013
I think the book never made it quite clear why Faith and Mary J. blige were at odds. On a positive note the book showed how ruthless the music business can be. Lil kim was definitely a villan. Big was her lover and her enemy. She had a love and hate relationship for music. In keep the Faith, Faith experiences a life of sex, drugs and a strong insatiable appetite for drama; but some how she survives it all.
October 2, 2008
I'm done reading this book, it took me 2 nights to read it, lmao!!!
It was very interesting to read about her story, especially the early years of her life, alot of her adulthood wasn't a surprise but it was still a good read!!!
It was very interesting to read about her story, especially the early years of her life, alot of her adulthood wasn't a surprise but it was still a good read!!!
August 19, 2012
I was so in love with this book. It made me become a fan of Faith. I liked that it wasnt so much a tell-all the damn business but still gave you a lot of insight on her, big, the business. I loved this story.
September 2, 2021
GREAT BOOK!!! this book really took me back to the 90's era when I was a teenager. I idolized Faith back then so to learn the inside scoop to everything that we speculated back then was electrifying...Glad I read :)
Want to read
January 22, 2009I'm going to try this again in a year or so....whenever I think about it again really. I guess I'm just not in the mood for it. Nothing wrong with the book though.
January 14, 2009
All that glitters isn't gold. I like the stroll down memory lane of Faith Evans' life. She did an excellent job of telling the story and shedding the light on what I always wanted to know.
January 23, 2009
Since I enjoy her music I picked this up to learn more about her as a person...I don't think it would interest anyone unless you are a fan of her music.
Read
April 14, 2011Decent read. Nothing new, but good stuff. Thanks pookie
December 24, 2015
Inspiring, Fascinating & Insightful! An Amazing Read! I Loved It!
January 17, 2023
Keep the Faith
This is RNB singer Faith Evans's autobiography. Faith found her calling as a singer at the age of 3 when she first performed at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. She was raised in a very strict household by her cousins (who she refers to as grandparents) Bob and Mae Kennedy while her mother (still a teenager perusing music) was getting together. She also grew up with all the foster kids, they constantly took in. She was brought up in a church-going household and was given her first solo when it was discovered when she first sang “Let the Sunshine In” (from the cartoon Pebbles and Bam Bam). From there she went on to sing in the choir at only 3 years
.
By 8 she was entered into the Miss Fashion Teen pageant and won first place. By 14 she’d joined a group called the Spiritual Uplifters. It was formed by Mrs. Wilson who later it would be under her that she would make her theatrical debut in The Devil Used My Children. It was also because of Mrs. Wilson’s connections she got a small role in KRS 1’s video “You Must Learn”.
Faith didn’t care for being in a gospel group and soon begin to compose her own songs that she’d teach to the other girls. Though she liked gospel music, she felt limited by it and was quickly drawn to secular music. It was then that her mother noticed her interest and bought her a Casio Keyboard. She also learned about the technical side of music from a relative of Mrs. Wilson’s (Tyrone Holmes). Eventually, she quit the group and after dabbling in other groups decided to be a solo artist.
Faith gives several different accounts of abusive and dead-end relationships. The first being with a drug dealer by the name of JT who had a vicious temper and actually punched her for trying to talk to a male friend. But she continued to stay with him even after a terminated pregnancy and getting a venereal disease. She still continued to pursue her music and keep her grades up. From a friend of hers (Tyrone) she was introduced to Teddy Riley. However, nothing came of the meeting. Later on, she does eventually leave JT alone, but she starts to date a married man (William) that helped her with vocal lessons and did piano and keyboard for a seasonal gospel group she performed with.
Williams introduced her to Stuart Levy (an entertainment attorney) who hooked her up with her first paid gig singing background vocals for a group on Jive Records (High Five). While she was still in school on the side she did nails and. After she graduated, she was accepted into Fordham University on a full scholarship.
Because of a man named KIY (who was over a production crew) that worked with Christopher Williams, she begins to get to know and work with Christopher Williams. She and KIY end up having sex a few times before Faith again discovers she’s pregnant. With the promise of KIY to move to California with him (now that he’d gotten a deal at Warner Bros) and marry her, However, almost as soon as she got there, she discovered that being exclusive with her wasn’t really on KIYS mind now that he had the new record deal. Being in LA didn’t last, and after a call to sing vocals for Sean “Puffy” Combs, she was able to borrow money from an ex and gets ghost. Shortly after she delivered her first child (Chyna Tahjere Griffin).
Through KIY (now back in Newark) she met and begin to work with RNB singer Al B Sure. Faith came to the attention of her soon-to-be boss on Bad Boy Records when she was hanging out waiting for KIY and his crew. She was invited in to sing the female vocals on a track for a newcomer (Usher Raymond), That very same session, Faith was offered a contract to sign with Bad Boy by Puffy himself.
At a photo shot for some of the Bad Boy artist, a 300 lb, a dark-skinned, rapper that she’d only heard about but not crossed paths with came up to her and boldly asked to see pictures she had of a recent 21st birthday party. After dropping off him and his boys (who’d later become known as Junior Mafia) he promised to call her later (without her giving him a number) and he did. After that, she became part of his crew and they kicked it pretty heavily. . On August 4 1994 (two months later) they were married, Not shortly into marriage the issues started. Big still hadn’t introduced Faith to this mother and he refused to move out of Brooklyn to her Jersey apartment. So, after she straightened things out with his mother, she started to look for housing and they finally settled on a place. Even though things were intense in the beginning of the relationship things started to change before and while Big began the promotional tour for his first album in Europe. Faith continued to work on her solo album.
Then begin the drama with Tupac Shakur. On Nov 30 1994 it was reported that Tupac had been shot. Tupac had blamed Big and Cease for the attack on him when going to the studio by some guys in the lobby. This event kicked off a lot of drama and back-and-forth heresy. The controversy with Faith, Tupac, and Big starts with her meeting Tupac and him asking her to record a song, but once it was done the money he agreed to pay her he never does. She claims to have gone to his room, but he was on some other stuff and she never got the money. This led to back in forth conflict with her and Big and Big and Pac. 2 Pac is later shot in Vegas and killed and not shortly after Faith is informed that Big “had a car accident”.
There was also the drama with (aka Lil Kim) an upcoming rapper that hung with Junior Mafia who Faith first noticed in a lot of scenes with Big in the “Big Poppa” video It wasn’t till later when listening to a radio interview where Kim spoke on her and Big’s relationship that the pieces started to come together. When finally confronted he had no qualms of admitting that it was like that which caused them to become even more separated. There were also at least 5 different accounts given of instances with other chicks she’d caught him fooling around with. This after a while lead her to the conclusion she would always love Big but if he could do his own thing so could she.
Faith moved out of the Brooklyn apartment in her success begin to draw not only positive but negative attention As her marriage declined so did her health and living situation causing her to go from hotel to hotel. After staying with label mates 112 occasionally she was able to get a place in Manhattan. Big found a home in Jersey with someone else (thus making them married but separated). After a call in New Orleans from Big for her to “come to see him” it resulted in a son. (Christopher Jordan) “CJ” It was through a friend (Missy Eliot) that she later meets Todd Russaw who she discovered she was starting to have feelings for. Still, she continued to mess around with Big (tho separated). On the way from (and to) a series of events celebrating the Soul Train Music Awards, Faith would receive the news that her estranged husband was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.
A few months after Big’s death in November she again discovers she’s pregnant with Todd’s child and the two after dating for several months decide to marry. After her third album with Bad Boy, Faith decided it would be her last with the label and terminated her contract with Puffy. She then signed to Capitol Records where she recorded her 4rth studio album.
My Thoughts:
This book was…. a lot to digest! Often it left me with a HEAVY feeling and one of frustration. I begin my journey with Faith, WAY before this book. It was about the time she released “You Used to Love Me”. I was in high school then.
I remember having her first album which was HOT! I remember each song and it was nostalgic to go down memory lane and replay the songs from her first album (the one I remember the most) and discover a new one that I liked “You Gets No Love.” (which I felt like I *should* have remembered).
There were some things growing up in the “Bad Boy” era I remembered. I knew about Big and Faith’s marriage (cause who didn’t if you were from that era). I remember the beef with her and Lil Kim. I remember “Get Money”. And yes, I vaguely remember the East Coast-West coast rivalries and Tupac’s and Big’s shootings (deaths).
But back in the days of 1996 and 1997 the internet wasn’t big yet so I had NO IDEA! We did have Right On, Fresh, and later on Sister 2 Sister magazine (which probably is the closest I can compare to getting what you got from this auto-biography) therefore this was an eye-opener.
The first thing I thought was interesting is Faith starts the book off talking about the influence of her mother and never knowing who her father was. She says that she tried to find him, but then later decided she didn’t need a father figure. But as I read this book, from all the accounts she gave of the men she dated, it showed the EXACT opposite. Because she didn’t have a male figure she latched onto all these physically and mentally abusive men as a substitute for Richard Sawn. Even the fact that his absence shows in the men she picks whose presences are frequently absent in her life. I just found that sad and wondered if Richard Sawn would have been present and showed her what a good man was, and that NO you do NOT have to settle for these kinds of men, would her story have gone differently. And that’s where the frustration came in.
While It’s true, I have made my mistakes with men over and over again, I can honestly say I have never been physically abused to this kind of degree. That’s why maybe I had a hard time understanding why you would put up with a man and go back into the place of a man who’d just punched you in the face in broad daylight.
And for that matter, if you knew he was angry why would you even take the chance to meet up with him if you KNEW he had a violent temper?
Sometimes love does make you stupid but if you didn’t choose to make anything out of the chicks coming in and out the studio and his house, then why continuously did you stay with a man who make it no secret he was fucking around on you with several different women. A man who for a fact was *living* with another woman while yal was still married. But divorce was never even a thought?
No, I was never a fan of Biggie Smalls's music. While I remember “Big Poppa” and “One More Chance” and “Hypnotize”, he just always struck me as extremely crass. And I tried to see the appeal through her eyes. I suppose that it spoke good of him that he cared about her daughter and that he had a playful sense of humor *in the beginning* but the more I read about him in this the more not only was a not a fan of his music, but of this man himself.
I just constantly rolled my eyes at how ridiculous he was to screw his way through the female rap industry but if she so much had a platonic friend he’d roll up and beat the man down in the streets. That blew my mind too how all this violence from these men she dated took place out in the open and no one even blinked a damn eye or stopped what they were doing.
A family member from New York told me that’s how it is in New York. You mind your business. That still doesn’t sit quite right with me.
Neither did it sit quite right with me how she’d catch him with all these chicks, bust up in his room, (while he looked on in amusement probably feeding his over-sized ego), beat the chick's butt, and then say “Of course after that, we got high and slept together” Of course, after that we slept together? I wish I would be married to a man and he just tell me to me to my face “Yeah it’s like that” and I cuss him out but tell him “Yeah you can hit tonight.” OH, HELL NAH! What sense does this even make? Speaking as a woman to women, stuff like this bs just needs to STOP!
Then she says after beating Lil Kim down she actually felt sorry for her because she was the *other* *other* woman because she was his wife and Charli Baltimore was his mistress. And you feel sorry for HER? Faith seemed to think being *his wife* gave her some kind of bragging rights but did it really tho? Him declaring you as *his wife* don’t mean a damn thing if he didn’t treat you like his wife. Yes, I know he apologized but he used your name in a vulgar way on a song lyric. (By this point to be fair she’d moved on). But all I’m saying is I just cannot see the hype over this man then or today.
In a lot of ways I think by focusing her attention and energy on trying to prove a point to these women and letting him get away with that bs as long as she did without being OUT a LONG TIME ago, she was giving him permission to do whatever the hell he wanted because he knew she’d just cuss him, share a meal with him, smoke, and give it up to him every time. She even realizes this, after beating up some woman named Anita, but this does not stop her from beating down Lil Kim a couple of times. After a while, even reading about it is TIRING!
Vaguely I do remember hearing about Charli Baltimore with Murder Inc, but the her and Big stuff was new. It was also interesting to read the take on 2 Pac and here was another account that made me frustrated because did it just not seem smart to anyone else to come back to the man’s HOTEL ROOM that’s BEEFING with your husband and claims he’s the one that got him shot? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? And it said she was so concerned about appearances and how it looked. It’s just like today when these women go to these celebrity men’s rooms and they start wilding out. I mean look, we all make dumb mistakes in relationships in our early years. You have NO IDEA! But the bad part of *all* this is reading how she jumps from one RECKLESS relationship to the next to the next. Even today with her current marriage. So it’s like she learned absolutely nothing from then to now! And I don’t know if that makes me sadder for her or ITTRATED because Faith Evans is a beautiful woman and she’s extremely talented and she’s a *MOTHER* with a daughter of her own and she’d not in her early twenties anymore. This book just makes me grateful because I know of females that *do* go through these kinds of relationships and marriages. And I know that I can ask all day long why didn’t you just leave, it’s not always that easy. So I admire that she had the courage to tell her story. I just wish it would have went a little bit differently and I pray that the future for her is filled with more good music. (We need that right now BADLY) and the albums I wasn’t aware of I’ll go back and listen to. And also that she finds someone that won’t take her through all this drama and for her remaining days will be a good man to her and for her and her kids. I don’t know if that’s Stevie J, but I really wish that for her sincerely!
RATING 6
This is RNB singer Faith Evans's autobiography. Faith found her calling as a singer at the age of 3 when she first performed at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. She was raised in a very strict household by her cousins (who she refers to as grandparents) Bob and Mae Kennedy while her mother (still a teenager perusing music) was getting together. She also grew up with all the foster kids, they constantly took in. She was brought up in a church-going household and was given her first solo when it was discovered when she first sang “Let the Sunshine In” (from the cartoon Pebbles and Bam Bam). From there she went on to sing in the choir at only 3 years
.
By 8 she was entered into the Miss Fashion Teen pageant and won first place. By 14 she’d joined a group called the Spiritual Uplifters. It was formed by Mrs. Wilson who later it would be under her that she would make her theatrical debut in The Devil Used My Children. It was also because of Mrs. Wilson’s connections she got a small role in KRS 1’s video “You Must Learn”.
Faith didn’t care for being in a gospel group and soon begin to compose her own songs that she’d teach to the other girls. Though she liked gospel music, she felt limited by it and was quickly drawn to secular music. It was then that her mother noticed her interest and bought her a Casio Keyboard. She also learned about the technical side of music from a relative of Mrs. Wilson’s (Tyrone Holmes). Eventually, she quit the group and after dabbling in other groups decided to be a solo artist.
Faith gives several different accounts of abusive and dead-end relationships. The first being with a drug dealer by the name of JT who had a vicious temper and actually punched her for trying to talk to a male friend. But she continued to stay with him even after a terminated pregnancy and getting a venereal disease. She still continued to pursue her music and keep her grades up. From a friend of hers (Tyrone) she was introduced to Teddy Riley. However, nothing came of the meeting. Later on, she does eventually leave JT alone, but she starts to date a married man (William) that helped her with vocal lessons and did piano and keyboard for a seasonal gospel group she performed with.
Williams introduced her to Stuart Levy (an entertainment attorney) who hooked her up with her first paid gig singing background vocals for a group on Jive Records (High Five). While she was still in school on the side she did nails and. After she graduated, she was accepted into Fordham University on a full scholarship.
Because of a man named KIY (who was over a production crew) that worked with Christopher Williams, she begins to get to know and work with Christopher Williams. She and KIY end up having sex a few times before Faith again discovers she’s pregnant. With the promise of KIY to move to California with him (now that he’d gotten a deal at Warner Bros) and marry her, However, almost as soon as she got there, she discovered that being exclusive with her wasn’t really on KIYS mind now that he had the new record deal. Being in LA didn’t last, and after a call to sing vocals for Sean “Puffy” Combs, she was able to borrow money from an ex and gets ghost. Shortly after she delivered her first child (Chyna Tahjere Griffin).
Through KIY (now back in Newark) she met and begin to work with RNB singer Al B Sure. Faith came to the attention of her soon-to-be boss on Bad Boy Records when she was hanging out waiting for KIY and his crew. She was invited in to sing the female vocals on a track for a newcomer (Usher Raymond), That very same session, Faith was offered a contract to sign with Bad Boy by Puffy himself.
At a photo shot for some of the Bad Boy artist, a 300 lb, a dark-skinned, rapper that she’d only heard about but not crossed paths with came up to her and boldly asked to see pictures she had of a recent 21st birthday party. After dropping off him and his boys (who’d later become known as Junior Mafia) he promised to call her later (without her giving him a number) and he did. After that, she became part of his crew and they kicked it pretty heavily. . On August 4 1994 (two months later) they were married, Not shortly into marriage the issues started. Big still hadn’t introduced Faith to this mother and he refused to move out of Brooklyn to her Jersey apartment. So, after she straightened things out with his mother, she started to look for housing and they finally settled on a place. Even though things were intense in the beginning of the relationship things started to change before and while Big began the promotional tour for his first album in Europe. Faith continued to work on her solo album.
Then begin the drama with Tupac Shakur. On Nov 30 1994 it was reported that Tupac had been shot. Tupac had blamed Big and Cease for the attack on him when going to the studio by some guys in the lobby. This event kicked off a lot of drama and back-and-forth heresy. The controversy with Faith, Tupac, and Big starts with her meeting Tupac and him asking her to record a song, but once it was done the money he agreed to pay her he never does. She claims to have gone to his room, but he was on some other stuff and she never got the money. This led to back in forth conflict with her and Big and Big and Pac. 2 Pac is later shot in Vegas and killed and not shortly after Faith is informed that Big “had a car accident”.
There was also the drama with (aka Lil Kim) an upcoming rapper that hung with Junior Mafia who Faith first noticed in a lot of scenes with Big in the “Big Poppa” video It wasn’t till later when listening to a radio interview where Kim spoke on her and Big’s relationship that the pieces started to come together. When finally confronted he had no qualms of admitting that it was like that which caused them to become even more separated. There were also at least 5 different accounts given of instances with other chicks she’d caught him fooling around with. This after a while lead her to the conclusion she would always love Big but if he could do his own thing so could she.
Faith moved out of the Brooklyn apartment in her success begin to draw not only positive but negative attention As her marriage declined so did her health and living situation causing her to go from hotel to hotel. After staying with label mates 112 occasionally she was able to get a place in Manhattan. Big found a home in Jersey with someone else (thus making them married but separated). After a call in New Orleans from Big for her to “come to see him” it resulted in a son. (Christopher Jordan) “CJ” It was through a friend (Missy Eliot) that she later meets Todd Russaw who she discovered she was starting to have feelings for. Still, she continued to mess around with Big (tho separated). On the way from (and to) a series of events celebrating the Soul Train Music Awards, Faith would receive the news that her estranged husband was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.
A few months after Big’s death in November she again discovers she’s pregnant with Todd’s child and the two after dating for several months decide to marry. After her third album with Bad Boy, Faith decided it would be her last with the label and terminated her contract with Puffy. She then signed to Capitol Records where she recorded her 4rth studio album.
My Thoughts:
This book was…. a lot to digest! Often it left me with a HEAVY feeling and one of frustration. I begin my journey with Faith, WAY before this book. It was about the time she released “You Used to Love Me”. I was in high school then.
I remember having her first album which was HOT! I remember each song and it was nostalgic to go down memory lane and replay the songs from her first album (the one I remember the most) and discover a new one that I liked “You Gets No Love.” (which I felt like I *should* have remembered).
There were some things growing up in the “Bad Boy” era I remembered. I knew about Big and Faith’s marriage (cause who didn’t if you were from that era). I remember the beef with her and Lil Kim. I remember “Get Money”. And yes, I vaguely remember the East Coast-West coast rivalries and Tupac’s and Big’s shootings (deaths).
But back in the days of 1996 and 1997 the internet wasn’t big yet so I had NO IDEA! We did have Right On, Fresh, and later on Sister 2 Sister magazine (which probably is the closest I can compare to getting what you got from this auto-biography) therefore this was an eye-opener.
The first thing I thought was interesting is Faith starts the book off talking about the influence of her mother and never knowing who her father was. She says that she tried to find him, but then later decided she didn’t need a father figure. But as I read this book, from all the accounts she gave of the men she dated, it showed the EXACT opposite. Because she didn’t have a male figure she latched onto all these physically and mentally abusive men as a substitute for Richard Sawn. Even the fact that his absence shows in the men she picks whose presences are frequently absent in her life. I just found that sad and wondered if Richard Sawn would have been present and showed her what a good man was, and that NO you do NOT have to settle for these kinds of men, would her story have gone differently. And that’s where the frustration came in.
While It’s true, I have made my mistakes with men over and over again, I can honestly say I have never been physically abused to this kind of degree. That’s why maybe I had a hard time understanding why you would put up with a man and go back into the place of a man who’d just punched you in the face in broad daylight.
And for that matter, if you knew he was angry why would you even take the chance to meet up with him if you KNEW he had a violent temper?
Sometimes love does make you stupid but if you didn’t choose to make anything out of the chicks coming in and out the studio and his house, then why continuously did you stay with a man who make it no secret he was fucking around on you with several different women. A man who for a fact was *living* with another woman while yal was still married. But divorce was never even a thought?
No, I was never a fan of Biggie Smalls's music. While I remember “Big Poppa” and “One More Chance” and “Hypnotize”, he just always struck me as extremely crass. And I tried to see the appeal through her eyes. I suppose that it spoke good of him that he cared about her daughter and that he had a playful sense of humor *in the beginning* but the more I read about him in this the more not only was a not a fan of his music, but of this man himself.
I just constantly rolled my eyes at how ridiculous he was to screw his way through the female rap industry but if she so much had a platonic friend he’d roll up and beat the man down in the streets. That blew my mind too how all this violence from these men she dated took place out in the open and no one even blinked a damn eye or stopped what they were doing.
A family member from New York told me that’s how it is in New York. You mind your business. That still doesn’t sit quite right with me.
Neither did it sit quite right with me how she’d catch him with all these chicks, bust up in his room, (while he looked on in amusement probably feeding his over-sized ego), beat the chick's butt, and then say “Of course after that, we got high and slept together” Of course, after that we slept together? I wish I would be married to a man and he just tell me to me to my face “Yeah it’s like that” and I cuss him out but tell him “Yeah you can hit tonight.” OH, HELL NAH! What sense does this even make? Speaking as a woman to women, stuff like this bs just needs to STOP!
Then she says after beating Lil Kim down she actually felt sorry for her because she was the *other* *other* woman because she was his wife and Charli Baltimore was his mistress. And you feel sorry for HER? Faith seemed to think being *his wife* gave her some kind of bragging rights but did it really tho? Him declaring you as *his wife* don’t mean a damn thing if he didn’t treat you like his wife. Yes, I know he apologized but he used your name in a vulgar way on a song lyric. (By this point to be fair she’d moved on). But all I’m saying is I just cannot see the hype over this man then or today.
In a lot of ways I think by focusing her attention and energy on trying to prove a point to these women and letting him get away with that bs as long as she did without being OUT a LONG TIME ago, she was giving him permission to do whatever the hell he wanted because he knew she’d just cuss him, share a meal with him, smoke, and give it up to him every time. She even realizes this, after beating up some woman named Anita, but this does not stop her from beating down Lil Kim a couple of times. After a while, even reading about it is TIRING!
Vaguely I do remember hearing about Charli Baltimore with Murder Inc, but the her and Big stuff was new. It was also interesting to read the take on 2 Pac and here was another account that made me frustrated because did it just not seem smart to anyone else to come back to the man’s HOTEL ROOM that’s BEEFING with your husband and claims he’s the one that got him shot? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? And it said she was so concerned about appearances and how it looked. It’s just like today when these women go to these celebrity men’s rooms and they start wilding out. I mean look, we all make dumb mistakes in relationships in our early years. You have NO IDEA! But the bad part of *all* this is reading how she jumps from one RECKLESS relationship to the next to the next. Even today with her current marriage. So it’s like she learned absolutely nothing from then to now! And I don’t know if that makes me sadder for her or ITTRATED because Faith Evans is a beautiful woman and she’s extremely talented and she’s a *MOTHER* with a daughter of her own and she’d not in her early twenties anymore. This book just makes me grateful because I know of females that *do* go through these kinds of relationships and marriages. And I know that I can ask all day long why didn’t you just leave, it’s not always that easy. So I admire that she had the courage to tell her story. I just wish it would have went a little bit differently and I pray that the future for her is filled with more good music. (We need that right now BADLY) and the albums I wasn’t aware of I’ll go back and listen to. And also that she finds someone that won’t take her through all this drama and for her remaining days will be a good man to her and for her and her kids. I don’t know if that’s Stevie J, but I really wish that for her sincerely!
RATING 6
April 2, 2023
Faith Renee Evans has led an eventful life. From growing up in the church in Newark, NJ …to finding herself in numerous situationships, while starting her music career…to meeting the man who would later become her first husband (Christopher Wallace aka Notorious B.I.G.) and their tumultuous marriage…to becoming the First Lady of Bad Boy Records…to life after Biggie died, Faith left it all on the pages.
We've all heard the stories about the fights with various females, who were rumored to have slept with Biggie during the marriage, and her alleged affair with Tupac, and yes…she addressed those, too. What I will say is this…she did admit to her infidelities, but they weren't with Tupac.
I enjoyed reading this book by @therealfaithevans and Aliyah S King. It was the transparency for me, and since I grew up in East Orange, NJ, it really resonated with me…the streets, the local celebrities, driving back and forth thru the Holland Tunnel, etc. This is definitely one that I highly recommend.
We've all heard the stories about the fights with various females, who were rumored to have slept with Biggie during the marriage, and her alleged affair with Tupac, and yes…she addressed those, too. What I will say is this…she did admit to her infidelities, but they weren't with Tupac.
I enjoyed reading this book by @therealfaithevans and Aliyah S King. It was the transparency for me, and since I grew up in East Orange, NJ, it really resonated with me…the streets, the local celebrities, driving back and forth thru the Holland Tunnel, etc. This is definitely one that I highly recommend.
February 22, 2021
Wow. I was not expecting this to be as good as it was. A must read for Faith Evans fans: an insight into of her life at Diddy’s Bad Boy records, marriage with Biggie, and what it was like to be one of the most successful R&B artists in the 90s including all of the drama with Lil’ Kim, Mary J Blige and Missy.
September 8, 2016
Was Biggie and Lil Kim really dating? In the book Faith said Lil Kim was Biggies Mistress, in an interview Tiffany/Charli Baltimore who also dated Biggie said Lil Kim was never Biggie's girl. So was it all apart of Lil Kims imagination? If she was his girl he mistreated, beat her and made her have an abortion. But she still loves him. Also I dont mean to laugh but I thought it was funny when Faith said Lil Kim was loud at Biggies funeral, everytime Schon sung out "I will always love you" Lil Kim sung to the top of her lungs "Yes I will! I will ALWAYS love yoooooooooou!" lol.
But back to the book :) Faith seems to be a down to earth girl, she grew up going to Church and in a strict house hold ran by the people she called her Grandparents. As she got older she started to rebel. In High School she dated a drug dealer, JT who mistreated her and abused her but she kept going back to him. Faith choice werent good, of course she was young but common sense would have told her if she had sex unprotected she'd get pregnant. Twice she got an abortion and once she caught a VD from him.
It seemed to me as she grew famous in the book all she did was brag, brag about the Celebrities she knew, about her cooking, about beating up every girl Biggie cheated on her with and bragging about her albums. Example her cooking: Everyone loved my my famous Lasagna. No one can really get with my Lasagna. It was that good.
or bragging on how she knew her song would be #1: By the Summer of 1997 Puff relased his album and the song Ill be Missing You took off immediatly, as I knew it would.
Faith truly lived by her name, she stayed Faithful to Biggie even though Biggie was screwing every girl around the world. Amazingly she never caught anything from Biggie. Faith knew he was cheating but as part of her name she remained 'Faithful'....well almost eventually she got fed up and cheated too.
All and all this book was good. One thing I did like was the way Faith carried herself, she didnt take crap from anyone, she finally stood up to Puffy who did her wrong through out her career.
But back to the book :) Faith seems to be a down to earth girl, she grew up going to Church and in a strict house hold ran by the people she called her Grandparents. As she got older she started to rebel. In High School she dated a drug dealer, JT who mistreated her and abused her but she kept going back to him. Faith choice werent good, of course she was young but common sense would have told her if she had sex unprotected she'd get pregnant. Twice she got an abortion and once she caught a VD from him.
It seemed to me as she grew famous in the book all she did was brag, brag about the Celebrities she knew, about her cooking, about beating up every girl Biggie cheated on her with and bragging about her albums. Example her cooking: Everyone loved my my famous Lasagna. No one can really get with my Lasagna. It was that good.
or bragging on how she knew her song would be #1: By the Summer of 1997 Puff relased his album and the song Ill be Missing You took off immediatly, as I knew it would.
Faith truly lived by her name, she stayed Faithful to Biggie even though Biggie was screwing every girl around the world. Amazingly she never caught anything from Biggie. Faith knew he was cheating but as part of her name she remained 'Faithful'....well almost eventually she got fed up and cheated too.
All and all this book was good. One thing I did like was the way Faith carried herself, she didnt take crap from anyone, she finally stood up to Puffy who did her wrong through out her career.
July 15, 2011
(FROM JACKET)"It's been over ten years since Big was killed. I grieved for him for a very long time. And then, as time passed, the icy wall of grief surrounding my heart began to thaw and melt. I remarried, had more children, and continued to record and release music. But sometimes, I still find myself thinking about Big...
Mainly, it's because he wasn't ready to go.
Big never got a chance to tell his story. It's been left to others to tell it for him. I've become one of those who can give insight to who Big really was. But I can only speak on what he meant to me.
I also want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't begin and end with Big's death....
Mainly, it's because he wasn't ready to go.
Big never got a chance to tell his story. It's been left to others to tell it for him. I've become one of those who can give insight to who Big really was. But I can only speak on what he meant to me.
I also want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't begin and end with Big's death....
May 26, 2012
This book was way more then what I expected it to be. I am a fan of Faith Evans so I didn't want to go in bias, however her journey through life is so real and touched home in so many ways that, fan of her music aside this was truly a good read. What I liked most was the fact that it didn't take her meeting Big for the book to be great...the book was fantastic way b4 that part of her life was discussed. I don't like to many autobiographical works bc I think the individual usually doesn't truly tell all but I think Faith went in and gave it to us real. This story does not disappoint from the beginning to the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews