Inside Singer Faith Evans' Connection To Diddy
Sean "Diddy" Combs has a ton of connections in the entertainment industry. Following the many allegations about him and his behavior, people are analyzing these links, including his relationship with the singer Faith Evans. Evans was signed to Diddy's record label Bad Boy Records in 1994. That same year, she met and married rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as the Notorious B.I.G., who was also signed to the label and close friends with Diddy. Since Evans was the first woman signed to Diddy's label, she was known as the "First Lady of Bad Boy Records" (via Biography).
Diddy produced some of Evans' songs, and after B.I.G. was killed in 1997, Evans and Diddy collaborated on the tribute song "I'll Be Missing You." The song features vocals from both Diddy and Evans, and it interpolates "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. The musical group 112 and Evans' future husband Stevie J. worked on the track too (Evans and J. were married from 2018 to 2023). "I'll Be Missing You" went on to win a Grammy in 1998.
Evans left Bad Boy, but remained friends with Diddy
In a 2005 interview for her album "The First Lady," Faith Evans discussed the choice to separate herself from Sean "Diddy" Combs' label and go with Capitol Records, but said she and Diddy (also known as Puff Daddy) were still friendly. Evans told Record.net, "I applaud [Puff's] success, but my last album got caught up in his label negotiations, and I felt like I put a lot of work into that album, and I didn't feel it got the attention it deserved from the man who signed me." She appreciated Diddy for letting her out of her Bad Boy contract so she could work elsewhere.
Diddy could be tough, however. In a 2017 interview with the New York Post for her "The King and I" album, Evans said, "Puffy's always had high standards. Very early in my career, Puff used to walk me to the tanning salon every other day because I was pale and he wanted to tan me up!" She also claimed he wanted her to "look glamorous" whenever she wasn't home.
Evans said Diddy got her to perform their song "I'll Be Missing You" at the 1997 MTV Awards, even though she was still mourning the Notorious B.I.G. and wasn't interested. "But [Diddy] got me on the phone and was like, 'Listen, you ain't about to eff my thing up,'" Evans said. Even though she was upset, Diddy convinced her. Evans was ultimately glad she performed.
Evans has spoken positively about Diddy in the past
Previously, Faith Evans has spoken positively about Sean "Diddy" Combs. On a 2018 episode of "Hollywood Unlocked with Jason Lee [UNCENSORED]," Evans vehemently denied that Diddy had a hand in the Notorious B.I.G.'s murder. "What I know is that Puff would never have Big killed," Evans said (via BET). "Would never be involved in murdering one of his best friends, that's outside of him being his artist. You know what I'm saying?"
While speaking to Billboard in 2020 prior to the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala where Diddy was honored, Evans had good things to say about Diddy's musical talents. "Puff has always been, way before Bad Boy saw the actual success in commercial sales and stuff like that, he was still a visionary," Evans said. She also said Diddy had a handle on what and who would be successful, adding, "He would tell me, 'You're gonna be this,' and 'I'm gonna make him into that' ... and it happened." That night, Evans and Diddy's son King Combs sang "I'll Be Missing You" together.
In 2023, Evans was one of the artists that signed a contract to receive her publishing rights back from Bad Boy Records (also known as Bad Boy Entertainment). As of writing, Evans doesn't seem to have publicly spoken up about the Diddy allegations (unlike singer Kesha, who made her feelings clear with a Coachella lyric change).