New Jersey singer Faith Evans spoke on being a part of the Bad Boy movement, the Notorious B.I.G.’sReady To Die album, and more during a newly-released interview with Billboard.com.
She first recalled being unaware of Biggie’s potential stardom and his impact as an artist. The songstress then explained that she became aware of the impact of the late rapper’s music when everyone else did since she was unable to preview his music before its release.
Evans also credited her late husband for being confident in his artistry and his ability to create music that was timeless.
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“I didn’t understand the impact of Big [and] Big’s music until just like everybody else,” Faith Evans said. “You know, just like a fan. I didn’t get to preview it or anything like that. It’s just something about the way he was not only able to put into song and into rhyme these gully experiences of his. He was so comfortable with who he was, but he still knew like ‘Whatever, I’m hot. When I go in the booth it’s a wrap. And I know I’m hot.’ It’s just crazy cause I still hear—When you hear a Biggie record right now, it doesn’t sound like it’s 18-years-old. Just something about it has that timeless appeal, which people today are still using him as a reference of how to do it. Even newcomers right now, so that says a lot.”
In regards to Ready To Die, Evans says she was recording her own album, so she wasn’t able to attend many sessions, but did recall Puff Daddy informing her of his plans to make Biggie “a star” and “a sex symbol.”
“When Big was recording Ready To Die, I was actually working on my project at that time,” she said. “So, I wasn’t around for a whole bunch of his sessions. Maybe even half of that album was recorded before he and I were together, because I think Puff had Big from when he was still on Uptown. All I know is that Puff told me from very early on that ‘He’s going to be a star, I’m going to make him a sex symbol. I’m telling you.'”
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Lastly, Evans recalled being a part of the Bad Boy movement and having no idea of the impact those signed to the label would eventually make.
“Being part of the Bad Boy movement at the time it was all going on and coming to be, to just look back and know that I was a big part of helping lay the foundation for the legacy that Bad Boy has left,” the singer said. “It was a great movement. But at the same time, I was having so much fun then that we definitely weren’t looking at it as, ‘We are really doing it right now.’ Maybe Puff did. I know he always had a vision from the day I met him, but I’m just blessed to have been a part of it. To have been able to make timeless music and not only that, to still be here.”
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