From 1994 to Today: the Complete Timeline of the Notorious B. I. G. and Faith Evans
By James H. Sterling
In late 1995, personal heartbreak collided with the deadliest beef in hip-hop history. While separated from Wallace, Evans traveled to Los Angeles for studio work, eventually agreeing to record background vocals for Tupac Shakur in exchange for a standard $25,000 session fee. Shakur, who blamed Wallace and Combs for the 1994 Quad Studios shooting, seized on the collaboration to orchestrate a ruthless psychological attack.
In June 1996, Shakur released "Hit 'Em Up," a blistering diss track featuring an opening claim that he had been intimate with Evans. The accusation was engineered to humiliate Wallace on a global stage. Evans denied Shakur's claims, stating she left the studio the moment he demanded physical intimacy in exchange for her session payment. However, the song's widespread distribution permanently entangled her in the East Coast, West Coast conflict.
Wallace was deeply wounded by the public perception, yet he privately acknowledged to close friends that his own infidelity had destabilized their marriage. The hostility forced Evans to navigate security threats while pregnant with Wallace's son, illustrating the high human cost behind mid-1990s rap rivalries.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
