Getty Faith Evans (L) and her husband Stevie J
Stevie J and Faith Evans have been huge talking points heading into the new season of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. Evans will be a guest star on a handful of episodes, while LHH veteran Stevie J will return to the main cast.
Their marriage, and the mixed reception that it has received from the rest of the cast, is a huge storyline for the season. Read on to learn more about Stevie J and Faith Evans’ relationship, which dates back to the 1990s.
1. They Met When They Were Artists on Diddy’s Bad Boy Records
Both Stevie J and Faith Evans rose to fame as part of the record label Bad Boy Records. Stevie was part of the label’s roster of in-house producers and songwriters, where he worked on classic singles like “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G. and “Honey” by Mariah Carey. He won a Grammy Award in 1997 for producing Diddy’s album No Way Out. Stevie continued to produce into the 2000s, where he worked with artists like Eve, Jay-Z and Brian McKnight.
Faith was the first female artist to be signed to Bay Boy Records, and her 1995 debut was certified platinum. She collaborated with other artists on the roster, scoring hits with the likes of Carl Thomas, Mase and 112. Faith also sang on the Diddy single “I’ll Be Missing You”, a tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. that won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Stevie J and Faith worked closely throughout their tenure at Bad Boy. They contributed the song “I Just Can’t” to 1996’s High School High soundtrack, and Stevie remixed Faith’s single “Soon As I Get Home. Stevie also worked with Faith on her 1998 album Keep the Faith. He was a producer and co-writer on the track “Lately I”, as well as the interlude “Special Place.” The album was eventually certified platinum. Faith left Bad Boy Records in 2003 to sign with Capitol Records.
2. Their Surprise Wedding In 2018 Reportedly Shocked Their Friends & Family
After years of friendship, Stevie J and Faith got married on July 17, 2018. The former reflected on the wedding with VH1, explaining how it was a spur of the moment decision. “Over the last three years, Faith and I always joked around like ‘I’m gonna marry you, I’m gonna marry you’, but she went to [Las] Vegas with me for a business meeting,” he said. “After the meeting, we went back to the hotel and I was like ‘I’m about to marry you right now’, she was like ‘get the f**k out of here’… Then we got married.”
According to TMZ, however, friends and family of the couple were shocked to learn the news with the rest of the world. Faith’s son C.J. Wallace was particularly hurt by the news, given how close he is to both his mother and Stevie J. Stevie said that it wasn’t his intention to surprise his friends and family. “Everybody like ‘why didn’t I know, why didn’t I know’, and I was like ‘yo we did this for us’,” he revealed. “Now everybody can know.”
3. Stevie J Was Close With Evans’ First Husband Notorious B.I.G. & Is the Godfather to Their Son
Stevie and Faith’s marriage has been controversial due to the close relationship that Stevie had with her first husband, The Notorious B.I.G. Stevie was not only one of Biggie’s main collaborators, producing several tracks on his second album, but he was close friends with rapper at the time of his death in 1997. According to TMZ, Stevie is also the godfather of Faith and Biggie’s son, C.J. Wallace.
In a recent interview, Stevie talked about his relationship with Biggie, and how he feels the rapper would be happy for him and Faith. “Listen, it’s 27 years later and I’m sure he’d be happy that she’s happy,” he explained. “He’d be doing his thing. I just make sure that she’s good and we’re good, and the kids are also good. Between us we have 10 children, so that is a lot.”
Faith went on to say that Biggie would be happy that she married Stevie over some of his other friends. “If I started dating Lil’ Cease or Nino [Brown] or Banger or somebody, then I would look at myself like, ‘B**ch, what are you doing?’” she joked. She also pointed out that she already married and divorced once after Biggie’s passing, so her relationship with Stevie shouldn’t be an issue for fans.
4. Stevie J Has 6 Children from Previous High-Profile Relationships
Stevie J has had several romantic relationships over the years. He had two children with two different woman in 1995, the first being Rhonda Henderson, who gave birth to his son Dorian, and Felicia Stover, who gave birth to his daughter Sade. Stevie had two more children with girlfriend Carol Antoinette Bennett; Steven Jr. in 1997 and Savannah in 1998.
Stevie’s most recent relationships have been with reality TV stars. He dated his Love & Hip Hop co-star Mimi Faust, who gave birth to his daughter Eva in 2009, and then got into a relationship with Joseline Hernandez, who gave birth to Bonnie in 2016. Stevie was accused of not paying $1.3 million in child support in 2018, and is currently involved in a custody battle with Hernandez.
“We’re still negotiating that. We are gonna take it all as it comes and be optimistic,” he told the Grio. “My kids all know I love them and we are best buddies and we have to go through formalities in life. Once you go through things it just makes you a better person. Sometimes you make a wrong turn and you have to rise out of the situation and that’s what we are doing.”
5. They Are Already Talking About Starting a Family Together
Stevie and Faith have spoken openly about their sex life and their desire to start a family together. “I got to put in more work, know what I’m saying? I upped it from three to five times a day,” Stevie told People Magazine about his lovemaking habits. “I knew he was going to go there with it,” Faith added. “I already knew.”
During an interview at the 2019 Pre-Grammy Gala, Faith let slip that she and Stevie are already aiming to have children. We’re working on finishing up our EP, doing a few TV projects, producing a few TV projects,” she said. “and if [Stevie] had his way working on an addition to our family… Twins!”