Todd Russaw is an American record executive, music producer, and former manager of Grammy-winning R&B singer Faith Evans. Although widely recognized as Evans’s former husband, his professional history extends beyond their relationship. He has documented credits on recordings by the group 702 and several of Evans’s albums, including Faithfully and The First Lady. Their marriage, generally dated to 1998, brought two sons, Joshua and Ryder, before Evans filed for divorce in May 2011. His story offers a useful perspective on the people who help shape music careers from behind the scenes.
Profile Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Todd Russaw |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Record executive, music producer, artist manager |
| Known For | Music industry career and marriage to Faith Evans |
| Former Spouse | Faith Evans |
| Marriage Year | Generally reported as 1998; some reports state 1997 |
| Divorce Filing | May 2011 |
| Children Together | Joshua Russaw and Ryder Russaw |
| Notable Music Credits | No Doubt, Faithfully, The First Lady |
| Date of Birth | Not reliably established in public biographical sources |
Who Is Todd Russaw?
Understanding Russaw’s career requires looking beyond his connection to a famous singer. He worked in the recording industry during an important period for contemporary R&B, when record labels, producers, and management teams helped turn increasingly sophisticated studio recordings into mainstream commercial releases.
Professional music databases document his involvement in executive production, mixing, management and songwriting. These are distinct responsibilities. An executive producer may help coordinate an album’s development and oversee business or creative arrangements, while management involves career decisions, negotiations, and organizing professional opportunities.
His background is not extensively documented in conventional biographies. Reliable public information about his childhood, educational history, and early family life remains limited. Rather than assign unsupported details to those years, his recording credits offer a more reliable account of his professional development.
Todd Russaw’s Music Career and Production Credits
Work with 702 Before His Best-Known Collaborations
One particularly revealing credit predates Russaw’s wider association with Evans. AllMusic lists him as an executive producer and mixing contributor on No Doubt, the 1996 debut studio album by American R&B group 702.
That credit matters because it establishes his involvement in commercially released music before the marriage that would eventually attract entertainment press attention.
The album emerged during a decade when R&B was undergoing considerable stylistic change. Traditional vocal harmonies increasingly appeared alongside hip-hop-influenced production, bringing new commercial opportunities for performers, producers and record executives.
Russaw’s documented involvement places him in that professional environment, although the available credits do not specify how much creative control he exercised over individual recordings.
His Work on Faith Evans’s Albums
His collaboration with Faith Evans became one of the most visible parts of his career. Music credits associate him with her 1998 album Keep the Faith, followed by a producer and executive producer role on Faithfully in 2001.
The latter project represented an important stage in Evans’s musical development. Its production brought together established contributors from R&B and hip-hop, including Mario Winans and other recognized studio professionals.
Russaw also received credits on The First Lady (2005) and A Faithful Christmas (2005). Later, he was credited with executive production, A&R and management on Something About Faith (2010).
These records demonstrate professional continuity across several album cycles. They also show he was more than a public figure’s spouse; he had clear responsibilities in the recording business.
His Relationship and Marriage to Faith Evans
Evans had already established herself as an important R&B performer through her work with Bad Boy Records. Her personal history was also closely associated with rapper Christopher Wallace, professionally known as The Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in March 1997.
Biographical reporting indicates that Missy Elliott introduced Evans to Russaw. Their relationship developed during a period of major personal and professional change in Evans’s life.
Most established biographical accounts place their marriage in the summer of 1998. However, some contemporary divorce reporting identifies 1997 as the wedding year. Because the dates differ, treating 1998 as the generally reported date is more accurate than presenting an unsupported precise wedding anniversary.
Their relationship was unusual in one important respect: it overlapped directly with their working lives. Russaw worked in the business around Evans’s recordings while she remained the public-facing performer.
This professional connection makes their history relevant to music journalism and celebrity biography.
Their Two Sons: Joshua and Ryder Russaw
The couple has two children: Joshua Russaw, born June 10, 1998, and Ryder Russaw, born March 22, 2007.
Joshua has followed his own creative path. Known professionally as Jahad, he has worked as a DJ, songwriter and producer. He has also collaborated musically with his half-brother, Christopher “C.J.” Wallace.
Ryder has appeared in public discussions of Evans’s family life, although details of his personal circumstances are best understood through information the family has chosen to share.
Evans also has two older children from previous relationships: Chyna Tahjere Griffin and C.J. Wallace. Maintaining these distinctions is important to describe the Russaw family accurately.
The January 2004 Legal Incident
In January 2004, Evans and Russaw were arrested following a traffic stop in Hapeville, Georgia, near Atlanta.
Contemporaneous Associated Press reporting stated that the couple faced charges involving cocaine and marijuana possession, alongside a vehicle registration-related allegation.
In February, prosecutors announced that they had agreed to enter a 13-week rehabilitation program. Under the arrangement, successful completion would allow the drug possession charges to be dropped.
Later news coverage reported that the couple undertook the program. However, an independently verified final court disposition is not established by the sources reviewed for this article.
The distinction matters: an arrest or criminal charge should not automatically be described as a conviction. This episode belongs in a factual account of their public history, but it should not overshadow Russaw’s documented professional career.
Why Did Faith Evans and Todd Russaw Separate?
Evans filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court in May 2011, with contemporary reports identifying May 17 as the filing date.
The petition cited irreconcilable differences and reportedly listed December 2005 as the couple’s separation date. That date attracted attention because their younger son was born in 2007.
A stated separation date in a legal petition does not, by itself, explain every subsequent development in a personal relationship. Without direct accounts from those involved, speculation about reconciliation or the circumstances of Ryder’s birth would be inappropriate.
Reports also stated that Evans requested joint legal custody and sole physical custody of the children, with visitation for Russaw. These were requests described in the filing, not evidence of the court’s final custody determination.
Similarly, 2011 is the documented divorce-filing year. It should not automatically be treated as the legally confirmed date on which the marriage was dissolved.
Life Beyond the Public Relationship
Russaw has maintained a comparatively limited public profile outside music industry reporting and coverage of his former marriage.
His production and management credits offer a clearer record of his achievements than internet estimates of his personal wealth or unverified descriptions of his current business interests.
Publicly accessible information does not reliably establish his present marital status, complete financial circumstances, or day-to-day professional activities in 2026.
This absence of extensive publicity should not be mistaken for evidence that his professional involvement ended after the divorce. It simply means that any description of his current activities requires more recent, independently verifiable material.
Why His Career Deserves Recognition
The most meaningful aspect of Todd Russaw’s professional history is the distinction between public recognition and documented contribution.
Listeners naturally associate successful R&B albums with the singers whose voices define them. Yet those releases also depend on management, executive production, recording coordination, and numerous behind-the-scenes contributors.
Russaw’s credits across recordings by 702 and Faith Evans illustrate that wider professional structure. They provide a factual foundation for examining his place in the music industry without exaggerating his influence or diminishing the work of other collaborators.
Conclusion
Todd Russaw’s public identity has long been connected to his marriage to Faith Evans, but the recording credits associated with his name tell a broader story. His work in executive production and management placed him in professional networks that supported several notable R&B projects in the 1990s and 2000s.
His marriage, two sons, and 2011 divorce filing remain important parts of the biographical record. Nevertheless, an accurate account should give equal attention to his established music-industry work while respecting the limits of what is known about his private life.
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(FAQs)
1. Who is Todd Russaw?
He is an American record executive, music producer, and former manager of R&B singer Faith Evans, with credits on several commercially released albums.
2. When did Todd Russaw marry Faith Evans?
Most biographical sources say they married in 1998, though some 2011 reports list 1997 as the marriage year.
3. How many children do Todd Russaw and Faith Evans have?
They have two sons together, Joshua Russaw, born in 1998, and Ryder Russaw, born in 2007.
4. Why did Faith Evans file for divorce?
Her May 2011 divorce petition reportedly cited irreconcilable differences. The filing listed December 2005 as their separation date.
5. What albums did he work on?
His documented credits i 70Doubt’s 702o Doubt and Faith Evans’s Faithfully, The First Lady, A Faithful Christmas, and Something About Faith.
6. What is his net worth?
No sufficiently reliable, independently verified public financial information establishes his current net worth.
7. What does Todd Russaw do now?
His historical work in music production and artist management is well documented, but his current professional activities are not sufficiently established in recent authoritative public reporting.
Internal Linking Suggestion
Suggested anchor text: Faith Evans’s music career
Best placement: In the section about his production work, link the phrase to a relevant existing Faith Evans biography or music-career article on newsheadline.co.uk.
