The King & I (Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. album)

The King & I
Studio album by Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G.
Released	May 19, 2017
Genre	Hip hop [1] R&B [2]
Length	72:13
Label	Rhino
Producer	Battlecat Beatnick Dee Chucky Thompson DJ Premier Faith Hill Fredwreck J. Drew Sheard II J. Dub James Poyser Just Blaze Kevin McCall Lamar "MyGuyMars" Edwards Preach Bal4 Salaam Remi Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs Stevie J
Faith Evans album chronology
Incomparable (2014) The King & I (2017)
The Notorious B.I.G. album chronology
Notorious (2009) The King & I (2017)

The King & I is a collaborative album by American singer Faith Evans and late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released by Rhino Entertainment Company on May 19, 2017. ^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	48/100 [4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Evening Standard	[6]
Exclaim!	5/10 [7]
The Guardian	[8]
HipHopDX	3.1/5 [9]
Mojo	[10]
The Observer	[11]
Pitchfork	4.5/10 [1]
Q	[12]
RapReviews	6/10 [13]

The King & I received generally mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 48 based on 10 reviews. ^[4] HipHopDX critic Jesse Fairfax called the album a "worthwhile concept that once deserved to see the light of day," but noted that "excessive filler and intermissions dull the shine of" the release. ^[9] Hannah J. Davis, writing for The Guardian , noted: "With vocals smoother than a vat of cocoa butter, Evans moves from poignant duet to "Juicy"-style sexathon alongside [The Notorious B.I.G. ], although – naturally – it lacks a certain improvisation and cohesion." ^[8] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman felt that "the constant recycling, along with the quantity and variety of other voices, detract from some of Evans' best, most impassioned performances, which are matched with some solid work from a roster of co-producers." ^[5]

Pitchfork editor Evan Rytlewski found that while "the project oozes affection for Biggie, it's yet another gangly, recycled posthumous album of verses we've all heard before [...] The muse is solid, and there's something sweet about the idea that after all these years, Biggie still brings out the best in Evans. Now if only his reconstituted raps weren't plastered over every inch of the record." ^[1] Spin critic Brian Josephs called the album "an unconvincing Biggie tribute" and added: "It's a sweet sentiment, but The King & I wastes too much energy centering a known relationship on these formless descriptions, a flaw that turns a 72-minute project into a poshly produced endurance contest. The classicist early-aughts R&B is informed by Evans' nostalgic impulse, but the effect is often touristic rather than resonant." ^[2] Damien Morris from The Observer noted that The Notorious B.I.G. "was never boring, unlike this compilation of tired productions and mawkish interludes. Duets should be meetings of equals. Instead, the greatest rapper of all time is propped up slack-jawed and open-eyed in the corner of each track," ^[11]

Commercial performance

In the United States of America The King & I debuted at number 65 on the Billboard 200, with 9,000 album-equivalent units. ^[14] By February 2018, it sold 24,000 copies in the United States. ^[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"A Billion"	Faith Evans Steven Jordan Ben Briggs	Evans Stevie J	0:59
2.	"Legacy"	Evans Jordan Achaia Dixon Camlle Hooper Christopher Wallace Daven Vanderpool Kimberly Jones Sean Combs	Evans Stevie J Zach Brunson [A]	4:11
3.	"Beautiful (Interlude)"	Evans Chucky Thompson	Thompson	0:30
4.	"Can't Get Enough"	Evans Salaam Remi Toni Coleman Dixon Hooper Wallace Allen Toussaint David Matthews Kutger Campbell	Evans Remi James Poyser	3:53
5.	"Don't Test Me"	Evans Remi Dixon Hooper Wallace Dennis Lambert Duane Hitchings Francine Golde James Lloyd Jones	Evans Remi	3:48
6.	"Big/Faye (Interlude)" (featuring Jamal Woolard)	Evans Jeffrey "J. Dub" Walker	J. Dub	1:28
7.	"Tryna Get By"	Evans Dixon Hooper Coleman J. Drew Sheard II Candace Wakefield Curtis Rodgers II Wallace Robert Caldwell Hubert Eaves James Williams Rodolfo Franklin Combs	Evans Sheard	3:46
8.	"The Reason"	Evans Dixon Hooper Coleman Briggs Justin Smith Wallace Harold Lilly Isaac Hayes Jones Melissa Elliott	Just Blaze	3:38
9.	"I Don't Want It" (featuring Lil' Cease)	Evans Briggs Farid Nassar Jaila Simms-Garbutt Lloyd Nick Doherty Wallace Jones Larry Troutman Mark Richardson Rayshaun Spain Roger Troutman	Beatnick Dee Evans Fredwreck	3:29
10.	"I Got Married (Interlude)" (featuring Mama Wallace)	Evans Jordan Wallace	Evans Stevie J	2:26
11.	"Ten Wife Commandments"	Evans Briggs Sheard Rebekah Muhammad Rufus Moore Coleman Wallace Khary Kimani Turner	Evans Sheard	3:47
12.	"We Just Clicked (Interlude)" (featuring Mama Wallace)	Evans Jordan Wallace	Evans Stevie J	1:05
13.	"A Little Romance"	Evans Chyna Griffin Rodgers David Balfour Kevin Gilliam Coleman Wallace Daron Jones Robert Kelly Combs	Battlecat Preach Bal4 Evans	3:04
14.	"The Baddest (Interlude)"	Evans Jordan	Evans Stevie J	0:43
15.	"Fool for You"	Evans Dixon Hooper Thompson Stokley Williams	Evans Thompson	4:22
16.	"Crazy (Interlude)" (featuring 112 and Mama Wallace)	Evans Thompson Jones Marvin Scandrick Michael Keith Quinnes Parker Voletta Wallace	Evans Thompson	1:13
17.	"Got Me Twisted"	Evans Thompson Dixon Hooper Walker Combs	Evans J. Dub Combs	2:54
18.	"When We Party" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	Evans Dixon Calvin Broadus Hooper Sheard Wallace Osten Harvey R. Troutman	Evans Sheard Combs	3:27
19.	"Somebody Knows" (featuring Busta Rhymes)	Evans Dixon Hooper Remi Coleman Trevor Smith Allie Wrubel Wallace Herbert Magidson Neshiem Myrick Combs	Evans Poyser Remi	5:15
20.	"Take Me There" (featuring Sheek Louch and Styles P)	Evans Dixon Hooper David Styles J. Smith Sean Jacobs Wallace Hayes Jones	Just Blaze	4:01
21.	"One in the Same"	Evans Dixon Hooper Remi Poyser Wallace Harry Casey Jean-Claude Olivier Combs	Evans Poyser Remi	3:25
22.	"I Wish (Interlude)" (featuring Kevin McCall and Chyna Tahjere)	Evans Griffin McCall	Evans McCall	1:27
23.	"Lovin' You for Life" (featuring Lil' Kim)	Evans Khirye Tyler Jones Lamar Edwards Wallace Kier Gist Lionel Richie	Evans Edwards	3:49
24.	"NYC" (featuring Jadakiss)	Evans Griffin Chris Martin Wallace Jason Phillips	DJ Premier Evans	3:29
25.	"It Was Worth It"	Evans Dixon Hooper Jordan Brunson	Evans Stevie J Brunson [A]	1:58
Total length:				72:13

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
26.	"Body Language"	Evans Sheard II	3:20
27.	"My B"	Evans Sheard II	3:15

Notes

• ^{^[A]} denotes co-producer

Sample credits

• "Legacy" – "Would You Die For Me?"
• "Can't Get Enough" – "Bust A Nut".
• "Don't Test Me" – "Gettin' Money (The Get Money Remix)".
• "Tryna Get By" – "Sky's The Limit".
• "The Reason" – "Why You Tryin' To Play Me". Licensed by Xtra Large Entertainment on behalf of Derrick Hodge and LeTroy Davis.
• "I Don't Want It" – Reference track for "We Don't Need It" by Lil' Kim, previously unreleased.
• "Ten Wife Commandments" – "Ten Crack Commandments".
• "A Little Romance" – "Fuck You Tonight".
• "Got Me Twisted" – "Things Done Changed".
• "When We Party" – "Going Back To Cali".
• "Somebody Knows" – "Who Shot Ya?".
• "Take Me There" – Reference track for "Drugs" by Lil' Kim, previously unreleased.
• "One In The Same" – "Respect".
• "Lovin' You for Life" – "Miss U".
• "NYC" – "Mumblin' and Whisperin'".

Charts

Chart performance for The King & I

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [16]	85
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17]	132
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18]	174
US Billboard 200 [19]	65
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [20]	31

References

1. Rytlewski, Evan (May 23, 2017). "The King & I Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
2. Josephs, Brian (May 22, 2017). "Review: Faith Evans and the Notorious B.I.G.'s The King & I Is an Unconvincing Biggie Tribute". Spin . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
3. "The King & I". iTunes.Apple (US). Retrieved April 25, 2017.
4. "The King & I – Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G." Metacritic . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
5. Kellman, Andy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
6. Smyth, David (19 May 2017). "Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G, The King & I review: 'Smooth but an uncomfortable listen'". Evening Standard . Retrieved 13 April 2025.
7. Harmony, A. (22 May 2017). "Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. - The King & I". Exclaim! . Retrieved 13 April 2025.
8. Davies, Hannah J. (May 18, 2017). "Faith Evans and Notorious BIG: The King & I review – an unmistakably juicy revival". The Guardian . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
9. Fairfax, Jesse (June 2, 2017). "Review: Faith Evans Makes Lemonade From Lemon Zest On "The King & I"". HipHopDX . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
10. Her syrupy soul often fails to mesh with B.I.G.'s taut flows. [Jul 2017, p.96]
11. Morris, Damien (May 21, 2017). "Faith Evans and the Notorious BIG: The King & I review – plundering the graveyard". The Observer . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
12. The inimitable genius of B.I.G.--the mordant wit, the complex lyricism--is painfully diluted here. [Jul 2017, p.107]
13. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (20 June 2017). "Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G. :: The King & I". RapReviews. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
14. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Snoop Dogg, Faith Evans & David Banner Limp Onto Billboard 200". Hip Hop DX. 29 May 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
15. "The Notorious B.I.G. Scores Fifth Million-Selling Album". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
16. "ARIA Chart Watch #422". auspOp. May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
17. "Ultratop.be – Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. – The King & I" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
18. "Ultratop.be – Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. – The King & I" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
19. "Faith Evans Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
20. "Faith Evans Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2017.