But Big ain't trying to fuck with any chicken heads. Although there are rumors that his marriage to Faith was a publicity stunt, or that it was recently annulled, they're totally false. The pair celebrated their first wedding anniversary on August 4 and are very much in love. At the video shoot for Faith's "You Used to Love Me," they could be seen giggling and calling each other nicknames (he's Riccardo, she's Moschino). They met at a Bad Boy photo shoot last summer and were married nine days later. "I had my share of all kinds of women," says Big. "I can't explain it. I just knew Faith was different. I wanted her locked down."

Of course, his friends were buggin', especially his mom. Everyone believed she married him for his loochie, though at the time, Faith actually had more money than he did because of her songwriting and background vocal work for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Color Me Badd, and Pebbles. "I'm, like, `Ma, what money? I owe you $300,' " says Biggie, laughing.

As serious as Big is about his "baby," she's just as serious about him. One night after a show in Virginia, Big was arguing on the phone with Faith, who was in New York. He hung up, and when she tried to call back, Big refused to answer. Later, some girls came to the hotel and coupled off with Biggie's boys. One was left out, and Big allowed her to sleep in his room. "It was some completely innocent shit," insists Big. "We weren't fucking." They awoke at 8 in the morning to a knock on the door.

"The girl's, like, `Who is it?' " he recalls, "and a sweet voice says, `Housekeeping.' She opened the door, and Faith beat the shit out of her. Oh my God. Punched homegirl in the face about 30 times, then got on the next flight back to New York." Big was lying in bed speechless the whole time. "I was, like, Oh shit, that's the illest right there," he remembers. But Faith made her point: "I was so nervous, I jetted to New York 'cause I wasn't gonna leave her buck-wil'ing like that. The girl was mad cool and I felt horrible, but fuck that. I got on that plane."

For Biggie, being away from Faith is one of the hardest things about touring, but he's got to get the paper. "I still haven't gotten money from the album itself," says Big. "I spent a lot, and the label has to recoup first. That's why I sold half my publishing to Puffy. I was br-zoke, and if a nigga could make a quick quarter of a million just from signing a few papers, you gotta let it go." Puffy may have hit him off with a nice chunk, but it's nothing compared with what Big might've made had he struck a publishing deal after he blew up. Some may say Big got jerked, but then again, Puffy is very much responsible for his success.