FAITH EVANS' GROUND-BREAKING DEBUT TURNS 20 YEARS OLD
It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed by since we were first introduced to Faith Evans. It was August 29, 1995 that she released her self-titled debut to the masses. At the time, R&B had been at a steady decline, and there was quite the demand for someting fresh. It was a good time indeed, not only for Faith Evans, but also Sean Puffy Combs, who was working diligently at building Bad Boy Records. Undoubtedly, Combs had the game locked with acts like Craig Mack and The Notorious B.I.G., yet, Faith Evans was an opportunity to represent Bad Boy in a different light, and to expand the brand. Now of course, Combs was already a success on the R&B front for his outstanding work with the likes of Jodeci and Mary J. Blige's "My Life", but Faith was still something fresh and new, and Combs knew she was the answer for the label. That was something we all learned rather quickly once 'faith" dropped. The album was an immediate success on
Continued on page 6