PROCEEDS FROM FAITH EVANS ALBUM "R&B DIVAS" GOES TO WHITNEY HOUSTON'S ACADEMY!

Hip hop’s most famous widow knows loss all too well, but that didn’t make coping with the tragic death of her friend Whitney Houston last February any easier to bear.

“We had a genuine love for each other, and nothing prepares you for losing that,” says Faith Evans, the Grammy-winning R&B singer perhaps best known as the late Notorious B.I.G.’s wife.

“Over time the pain gets better, as I know from experiencing it with my husband, Big, but it’s still very shocking,” says Evans, who is donating the proceeds from her new album, “R&B Divas,” to the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in East Orange, N.J.

The record, out on Tuesday, is a collaborative effort with her co-stars on the TV One reality show of the same name. The series follows the five women, including singers Monifah Carter, Nicci Gilbert, Syleena Johnson and Keke Wyatt, as they work together to create Houston’s tribute album.

“It was very therapeutic,” says Evans, 39, who was raised in Newark and studied at Fordham University in the Bronx. “We can honor her memory, and also give back to the public school system and the art programs, which played a huge part in my life growing up.

“Being able to give back to something she believed in ... it sweetens it up a little.”

Going into the studio with a group was a strange experience for the solo artist who’s released six albums in a musical career spanning almost two decades since becoming “The First Lady” of Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label in 1993.

“I don’t know how to sing in a group,” she laughs, “but it was so much more fun than I expected.

“There were no egos and no trying to out-sing one another,” she insists. “It was really quick and easy — and, I have to be honest, the sessions were shorter than they are when I’m in there by myself. I’m usually in the studio forever!”

The show “R&B Divas” is also devoid of serious drama — which is just how the women wanted it.

“From the beginning, that was something that we were very adamant about: We don’t want to do the same type of reality TV you’ve seen before,” says Evans.

“We don’t fight each other. When we get mad, we don’t smack each other. Every life has drama and craziness, but what sets our show apart is the resolution.”

Surprisingly, the friendly formula is striking a chord with viewers: the show’s premiere in August and its encore airings have scored the TV One network (an affiliate of NBCUniversal) its highest ratings ever with just under 1 million total viewers.

“We’re very pleasantly surprised that people have been embracing our show,” says Evans. “It’s nice being nice.”

Her community outreach includes coming back to NYC on Oct. 6 and 7 to perform at the Circle of Sisters expo in the Javits Center, which features speakers, authors and inspirational services for women of color.

“Honestly, I think that is why God has sustained me,” she says. “Not to mention that I have a God-given talent, but I think that being conscientious and compassionate goes a long way.”

That and sticking with a tried-and-true formula that has brought her legions of loyal fans. “I definitely don’t make music according to what’s on the radio,” she says. “I just make good music that I feel, that I believe in, and that my fans are going to love, as well.”

Evans says she rarely has time to rest, but when she does, “I’m really looking forward to just taking a long bath in my eucalyptus and lavender Epsom salt,” she says, “and turning on the TV and acting like I’m somewhere else.”

And what does she watch to escape reality?

Why, reality TV, of course.

“I love all of the shows that I just ridiculed!” admits the star. “I love ‘Love & Hip Hop.’ I love ‘Basketball Wives.’ I love ‘Hollywood Exes,’ ‘Mob Wives.’ They’re very entertaining.

“I guess that’s why they’re called guilty pleasures.”

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