Faith Evans recently sat down with MadameNoire.com to open up about her relationship and marriage with the late Notorious B.I.G., what she’s learned about love, advice she’d share with her 21-year-old self and why she decided to stand up for son on social media. The 41-year-old singer came out on Twitter with her gloves off after blogger Sandra Rose outed Evans’s son, C.J., as gay, but later decided to remove the post she sent to Rose.

“I did respond to Sandra Rose when she made a comment about my son, and I wouldn’t say I so much regret it. I think in the moment that I took it down I was thinking more about my fans kind of being surprised because, you know, even if that’s something I feel, even if I see her and say it to her, just to have that imprint…because you know things can be taken and used in a different context,” Evans explained. “So I, for a quick moment, thought about that fact, even though I didn’t go in on her like that.”

When asked about her relationship with Biggie, she continued, "My relationship with B.I.G. was definitely full of physical altercations with other women so to speak, but I can’t say that I grew out of it necessarily right after that relationship, either. I think the older you get you just realize that’s not the solution. I think it’s all about maturity in dealing with situations because I’ve certainly been at the point where I’ve felt that way, even in the last few years. But to understand that nobody really deserves that from me…I’d much rather have somebody worry about what I’m going to do to them,” she laughed.

Evans married B.I.G. when she was only 21-years-old, a marriage that lasted until he died in 1997, even though they had separated earlier that year. On the advice she’d give to that young woman, Evans said, “Whatever advice I would have given her, I do know that she still would’ve married B.I.G. because that’s just how we felt at the time. We were in love and it had nothing to do about success. Neither one of us had any idea of in the next year what would really transpire as far as our careers so it was definitely based on how we felt for one another. So I do truly think that even if I told my 21-year-old self that’s not really what solidifies a relationship and that you should probably experience some other things to even know if you have a solid relationship before you make such a commitment, I still would’ve done it.”

As for the lessons she’s learned about love and relationships, “Self-love is where it all starts and also love comes in so many forms,” she said. “It’s not always an intimate relationship, but love is always a beautiful thing because it’s so continuous, and I think if you exude love in every facet possible, then it will always come back to you in every facet possible.”

To watch the entire interview, click here.
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(Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for WE tv)