Kenneth Edmonds was born on April 10, 1958, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds. Barbara was a pharmaceutical plant manager. Edmonds, who is the fifth of six brothers (including future After 7 band members Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, the latter of whom went on to have a modestly successful solo career), attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions.
When he was in eighth grade, Edmonds's father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone. At this stage, Edmonds became determined to have a career in music.
Edmonds later played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" because of his cute face while he was still a teen.
He also played in the groups Manchild (which had a 1976 hit "Especially for You" with band member Daryl Simmons), as he was a guitarist for the band. Then, as a keyboardist in the light-funk and R&B group The Deele (which also included drummer Antonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a successful writing and producing partnership).
One of his first major credits as a songwriter for outside artists came when he wrote the tune "Slow-Jam" for the R&B band Midnight Star in 1983. The tune was on Midnight Star's double-platinum No Parking on the Dance Floor album, and while it never hit the charts, the song is still played on quiet storm shows. Babyface remained in The Deele until 1988, when both he and Reid left the group.
In the late 1980s, he contributed to the creation of new jack swing, writing and producing music for the likes of Bobby Brown, Karyn White, Pebbles, Paula Abdul and Sheena Easton.
In 1989, Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Reid. Three of the label's early artists TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton were successful, the former becoming one of the best selling female groups in music history.
Braxton's eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over eight million copies, and earned her the 1994 Grammy Award Best New Artist. TLC's first two albums on LaFace—1992's Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip and 1994's CrazySexyCool—combined to sell more than 15 million copies in the U.S. CrazySexyCool won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B album.
Babyface helped form the popular late-90s R&B group Az Yet.
Edmonds works with many successful performers in contemporary music. “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” produced for Whitney Houston, was his first #1 Top 40 hit in the US.
He also wrote and produced Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love to You," both of which established records for the longest stay at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
He co-wrote, co-produced, and provided backing vocals on Madonna's 1994 Bedtime Stories, which featured the 7-week #1 hit "Take a Bow," and shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from the Phenomenon soundtrack.
He also wrote and produced the #1 hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" for Whitney Houston as well as the rest of the critically acclaimed 10 million selling Waiting to Exhale soundtrack in 1995, which spawned additional hits for Houston, Brandy and Mary J. Blige.
Additionally, Edmonds has produced and written music for many artists including Carole King, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Faith Evans, Al Green, Beyoncé, Diana Ross, Sheena Easton, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, Pebbles, Tevin Campbell, Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tamia, Shola Ama, 3T, Sisqó, Dru Hill, Fall Out Boy, Céline Dion, Honeyz, Katharine McPhee, Mariah Carey, Vanessa L. Williams, Chanté Moore, En Vogue, Kenny G, Kristinia DeBarge, Lil Wayne, Japanese singer Ken Hirai, P!nk, Marc Nelson, TLC, and Phil Collins among others.
He received three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year in 1995–1997.
In 1994, he appeared and performed on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 entitled "Mr. Walsh Goes to Washington (Part 2)".
In the mid-1990s, Edmonds and his then wife Tracey Edmonds expanded into the business of motion pictures, setting up Edmonds Entertainment Group and producing films such as Soul Food (1997), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), and also the soundtrack for the film The Prince of Egypt, which included contributions from numerous artists, including Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.
They are the current executive producers of the hit BET reality series College Hill. Edmonds also worked with David Foster to compose "The Power of the Dream," the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics, performed by superstar Céline Dion. Linda Thompson provided the lyrics.
Babyface also participated as a duet partner on the Fox reality show Celebrity Duets.
Babyface was in the studio for about two years with Ashanti to produce her album The Declaration.
His album Playlist consists of eight cover songs and two original works. It was released on September 18, 2007. It was the first album on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label.
He worked on the Lil Wayne album Tha Carter III, on the Kanye West-produced "Comfortable." He also worked with R&B singer Monica for her sixth studio album Still Standing.
He has written and produced over 26 #1 R&B (many of which hit the pop charts at either #1 or the top ten) hits throughout his career.
Illusions
Babyface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Outta your mind
You've gotta be
The best thing ever in my life
So why would i be
Taking a chance
Of losing the one most important thing
That I can call mine
When you know that I love you so much
And I never could love you enough
Girl the one thing I know I won't do
I won't break your heart
I love you
You much be trippin'
With an illusion
'Cause I don't sleep around
I don't sneak around
Girl stop your trippin'
With your illusions
Gotta stop now
'Cause I don't sneak around
Girl we should be
Having a time
We shouldn't be
Fighting each and every night
I don't understand
How you could feel
I've been untrue and so unfaithful
Girl you're making me ill
When you know that I've been there for you
Anything that you asked, I would do
In my heart of all hearts, I've been true
And I don't deserve this
Not from you
[Hook]
Girl I think that I understand
But I'm not every other man
How can you blame me on what other have done
Can't you see this predicament
Doesn't make one bit of sense
Come back to earth
And you might come back to love
When you know that I've been there for you
Anything that you asked, I would do
In my heart of all hearts, I've been true
And I don't deserve this
Not from you
[Hook]
The song "Illusions" by Babyface narrates a tale of a man who is trying to make his partner realize that she is living in a delusion. She thinks he is cheating on her when in reality, he is not. The song starts with the man stating that she must be mad or crazy to think that he would risk losing her, which is the most important thing in his life. The man then tries to convince her that she must be delusional for making such accusations since he’s never given her any reason to doubt him. In the chorus, he again states that he has always been faithful to her, and she must be living in an illusion. He then tries to convince her that they should be enjoying their love instead of fighting each other every night.
As the song progresses, the man expresses his love for her and assures her of his fidelity. He expresses confusion as to how she could think he has been unfaithful. He tries to make her understand that his love for her is genuine and that he would never do anything to hurt her. In the end, he pleads with her to come back to her senses and come back to love.
In conclusion, "Illusions" by Babyface is a sweet and romantic song that presents a common scenario in many relationships, where one partner doubts the other's love and faithfulness. The song's lyrics are relatable, and its soothing melody makes it a perfect tune to serenade someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
You've gotta be
You are being irrational
Outta your mind
You are not thinking straight
You've gotta be
You have to be
The best thing ever in my life
You are the best thing that has ever happened to me
So why would i be
There is no reason for me to
Taking a chance
Risking
Of losing the one most important thing
Of losing the person who means the most to me
That I can call mine
That belongs to me
When you know that I love you so much
You are aware of the amount of love I have for you
And I never could love you enough
I cannot possibly love you more
Girl the one thing I know I won't do
I am certain that I will not do one thing
I won't break your heart
I will not hurt you emotionally
I love you
I am in love with you
You much be trippin'
You are mistaken
With an illusion
You are delusional
'Cause I don't sleep around
I do not have sex with other people
I don't sneak around
I am not hiding anything from you
Girl stop your trippin'
You need to stop being delusional
Gotta stop now
You need to stop now
'Cause I don't sneak around
I am not hiding anything from you
Girl we should be
We should be
Having a time
Having a good time
We shouldn't be
We should not be
Fighting each and every night
Arguing with each other every night
I don't understand
I am confused
How you could feel
Why you could believe
I've been untrue and so unfaithful
I have been disloyal and unfaithful
Girl you're making me ill
You are making me sick
When you know that I've been there for you
You know that I have been supportive of you
Anything that you asked, I would do
I would do anything that you asked of me
In my heart of all hearts, I've been true
I have always been faithful in my heart
And I don't deserve this
I do not deserve this treatment from you
Not from you
Especially not from you
Girl I think that I understand
I believe that I understand
But I'm not every other man
But I am not like other men
How can you blame me on what other have done
How can you hold me responsible for what others have done?
Can't you see this predicament
Can't you see this situation?
Doesn't make one bit of sense
Doesn't make any sense at all
Come back to earth
Get back to reality
And you might come back to love
Then you might understand what love really is
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDMONDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind