Yes he is-he's written and sung some of the best R&B songs for himself and others. He's a class act I know Two Occasions with the Deele is one of my favorite songs still to this day. His album Tender Lover is a great album and his songs with other artist like Pebbles and John B are great too.

candy2277 said:

Babyface is the man behind some of your favorite R&B/Pop jams of the last 22 years so that alone damn sure makes him a legend. I felt like he got a bit soft between Toni Braxton's 1st album and Wating To Exhale, but at least he had the sight 2 stay relevant rather than become and old dog with no new tricks.

He was an excellent song writer one of the best. He wrote fast and slow jams equally as good. He reminds me a lot of this generations Ne-yo but babyface has a way better voice, He owned the late eighties and nineties U couldn't turn on the radio without hearing one of his songs he wrote. Very Very underated. He definitely don't get his props. Its sad that the gr8 song writers are always forgotten. But he will 4ever be wealthy with his gr8 catalog of congs

i guess if the 90's are your point of reference for "old school" then yeah, he would be a legend.

but to me, he just writes/produces the same 2 or 3 songs over and over again.

I consider him a legend.He's one of the last great writer/producers in the R&B world.I really like his first three solo albums: 'Lovers' (1987),'Tender Lover' (1989),and 'For The Cool In You' (1993).Also love much of the songs he wrote and produced for others,especially Toni Braxton's first album.Together with LA Reid,he developed a distinctive sound that pretty much dominated the late 80s/early 90s.One thing I like about his songs is,there is a big emphasis on melody.It wasn't strictly about beats (like much of today's crap).Babyface's songs were well-constructed.

These days,there aren't too many writers/producers on the same level of Babyface (talent-wise).

daPrettyman said:

True,many producers develop a distinctive "sound".I can name numerous Jam and Lewis hits that follow the same formula.The same applies to Gamble and Huff as well.I think that,when you come up with a winning formula,sometimes there really is "joy in repetition",lol.

A legend? never thought about it. I liked his first second and third cd's and a few songs off of "THE DAY" cd after that it just wsn't the same but he has a hell of a track record.


(List includes only top 10 hits)

"A Song for Mama" - Boyz II Men (#1 R&B, #7 US)
"Always In My Heart" – Tevin Campbell (#6 R&B)
"Another Sad Love Song" – Toni Braxton (#2 R&B, #7 US)
"As" – George Michael and Mary J. Blige (#4 UK) (Produced only)
"Baby-Baby-Baby" – TLC (#1 R&B, #2 US)
"Backyard" - Pebbles (feat. Salt-N-Pepa) (#4 R&B)
"Breathe Again" – Toni Braxton (#4 R&B, #3 US, #2 UK)
"Can I Stay With You" - Karyn White (#10 R&B)
"Can We Talk" – Tevin Campbell (#1 R&B, #9 US)
"Can't Stop" - After 7 (#1 R&B, #7 US)
"Change the World" – Eric Clapton (#5 US)
"Count on Me" – Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans (#7 R&B, #8 US)
"Dial My Heart" - The Boys (#1 R&B)
"Diggin' On You" – TLC (#7 R&B, #5 US)
"Don't Be Cruel" – Bobby Brown (#3 R&B, #8 US)
"End of the Road" – Boyz II Men (#1 R&B, #1 US, #1 UK)
"Every Little Step" – Bobby Brown (#1 R&B, #3 US, #6 UK)
"Exclusivity" - Damian Dame (#1 R&B)
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" – Whitney Houston (#1 R&B, #1 US)
"Fairweather Friend" - Johnny Gill (#2 R&B)
"Giving You the Benefit" - Pebbles (#1 R&B, #4 US)
"Girlfriend" – Pebbles (#1 R&B, #5 US, #8 UK)
"Good Enough" – Bobby Brown (#5 R&B, #7 US)
"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" - Az Yet (#8 US, #7 UK) (Produced only)
"Heat Of The Moment" - After 7 (#5 R&B)
"Humpin' Around" – Bobby Brown (#1 R&B, #3 US)
"I Care 'Bout You" – Milestone (#10 R&B)
"I'd Still Say Yes" - Klymaxx (#7 R&B) (Written only)
"I'll Make Love to You" – Boyz II Men (#1 R&B, #1 US, #5 UK)
"I'm Ready" – Tevin Campbell (#2 R&B, #9 US)
"Knocked Out" - Paula Abdul (#8 R&B)
"I'm Your Baby Tonight" – Whitney Houston (#1 R&B, #1 US, #5UK)
"Just Stand Up"- Various Artists (#10 US, #10 Canadian Hot 100 , #3 FIMI)
"Last Night" - Az Yet (#1 R&B, #9 US)
"Love Shoulda Brought You Home" - Toni Braxton (#4 R&B)
"Lucky Charm" - The Boys (#1 R&B)
"Miracle" - Whitney Houston (#2 R&B, #9 US)
"Most Girls" – Pink (#4 US, #5 UK)
"My Funny Valentine" - Chaka Khan (Produced only)
"My, My, My" – Johnny Gill (#1 R&B, # 10 US)
"My Name Is Not Susan" – Whitney Houston (#8 R&B) (Produced only)
"Never Forget You" – Mariah Carey (#7 R&B)
"Not Gon' Cry" - Mary J. Blige (#1 R&B, #2 US)
"On Our Own" – Bobby Brown (#1 R&B, #2 US, #4 UK)
"Ready Or Not" - After 7 (#1 R&B, #6 US)
"Red Light Special" – TLC (#3 R&B, #2 US)
"Right Down To It" Damian Dame (#3 R&B)
"Rock Steady" – The Whispers (#1 R&B, #7 US)
"Rock Wit'cha" - Bobby Brown (#3 R&B, #7 US)
"Roni" – Bobby Brown (#2 R&B, #3 US)
"Roses Are Red" - The Mac Band feat. the McCampbell Brothers (#1 R&B, #8 UK)
"Secret Rendezvous" – Karyn White (#4 R&B, #6 US)
"Shoot 'Em Up Movies" - The Deele (#10 R&B)
"Sittin' Up In My Room - Brandy (#2 R&B, #2 US)
"Slow Jam" - Midnight Star
"Something In Your Eyes" – Bell Biv Devoe (#6 R&B)
"Superwoman" – Karyn White (#1 R&B, #8 US)
"Sweet November" - Troop (#1 R&B) (Written only)
"Take a Bow" – Madonna (#1 US)
"The Lover In Me" – Sheena Easton (#5 R&B, #2 US)
"The Way You Love Me" - Karyn White (#1 R&B, #7 US)
"'Til You Do Me Right" - After 7 (#5 R&B)
"Two Occasions" - The Deele (#4 R&B, # 10 US)
"Water Runs Dry" – Boyz II Men (#4 R&B, #2 US)
"We're Not Making Love No More" – Dru Hill (#2 R&B)
"Whatever" – En Vogue (#8 R&B)
"When You Believe" – Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey (#4 UK) (Produced only)
"Why" - 3T feat. Michael Jackson (#2 UK) (Written only)
"Willing To Forgive" - Aretha Franklin (#5 R&B)
"You Mean The World To Me" - Toni Braxton (#3 R&B, #7 US)
"You're Makin' Me High" – Toni Braxton (#1 R&B, #1 US, #7 UK)

daingermouz2020 said:

If he wanted to,he could retire and live off the royalties from those songs.

That list is only songwriting/producing. He also scored a few monster guest appearances:

Love Saw It - Karyn White featuring Babyface (#1 R&B)
Love Makes Things Happen - Pebbles featuring Babyface (#1 R&B)
Someone to Love - Jon B featuring Babyface (#7 R&B, #10 Pop)
Comfortable - Lil Wayne featuring Babyface (#2 Pop)

And his solo career of course:

I Love You Babe (#8 R&B)
It's No Crime (#1 R&B, #7 Pop)
Tender Lover (#1 R&B)
Whip Appeal (#2 R&B, #6 Pop)
My Kinda Girl (#3 R&B)
Give U My Heart (featuring Toni Braxton) (#2 R&B)
For the Cool in You (#10 R&B)
Never Keeping Secrets (#3 R&B)
And Our Feelings (#8 R&B)
When Can I See You (#6 R&B, #4 Pop)
This Is for the Lover in You (featuring LL Cool J & Shalamar) (#2 R&B, #6 Pop)
Every Time I Close My Eyes (featuring Kenny G & Mariah Carey) (#5 R&B, #6 Pop)
How Come, How Long (featuring Stevie Wonder) (#10 UK)
There She Goes (#10 R&B)

Notably,"Take A Bow" is Madonna's most successful single ever.There are many artists whose most successful single is a Babyface song

SoulAlive said:

hasn't he?

errant said:

Pretty much. He has only released a few albums in the last 10 or so years. "Grown and Sexy" was very good. "Playlist" sucked. I was hoping Arista would release "A Love Story", but I don't think it will ever happen. That album is perfection from start to finish.

daPrettyman said:

A Love Story may have been his best effort.

Graycap23 said:

I think so. I just hate that Arista shelved it. They didn't think it was commercial enough. "Making Love", "God Must Love You" and "Red Dress" are among my favorite trax on there.
I liked the "Grown and Sexy" project, but it didn't compare to the "A Love Story" project.

daingermouz2020 said:

Those were initially planned the other way around lol.

Shango said:

The Whispers were supposed to record "Roses Are Red"?

daPrettyman said:

It's not a stretch since both songs are kin to each other. Can't you picture Walter Scott's voice singin "Roses" bridge or the rest of the fellas singin the hook ?

diamondpearl1 said:

Yeah, I know that, but I'm just trying to get the facts straight. I had never heard that before.

daPrettyman said:

Me neither. It's plausible, though.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

That's a statement I have to question. I say this only because after LA and Face split, Face didn't do that many up tempo trax. I wonder if it's because LA wrote the uptempo music and Face wrote the lyrics.

Also, does anyone know what really happened between LA and Face to cause them to split around 93 or so?

AlexdeParis said:

I remember Quincy Jones writing about it in the song-credits of "Q's Jook Joint".

errant said:

No,he's still very active.He releases a new album every few years.The last one,released in the fall of 2007,was an acoustic covers album.He recently said that he's working on another acoustic album.He stilll tours regularly,too.He recently played some shows with George Benson.

I FREAKIN' looooove Babyface