Babyface
0Loading crowd target
0Loading crowd target
7correct to beat the crowd
50 free Babyface trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds is the quiet force behind a remarkable share of the ballads that ruled radio from the late 1980s onward. As a songwriter and studio hitmaker he shaped singles for Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, TLC, Madonna and Mary J. Blige, while keeping a singing career of his own. This quiz follows the songs Babyface produced: the chart-conquering slow jams, the film soundtracks, the surprise pop-punk and hip-hop collaborations, and the artists his label introduced. It also covers his early bands, his solo singles and the awards that followed. It is written for R&B listeners, 1990s music fans and trivia hosts who want questions with a story attached. Every answer comes with a short explanation.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which Babyface-written ballad from the film Boomerang spent a then-record 13 weeks at number one in 1992?
End of the Road
End of the Road was recorded for a soundtrack and did not appear on the singers' debut album. Whitney Houston broke its 13-week record within months.
Q 02Which pop-punk band had Babyface produce Thnks fr th Mmrs for the 2007 album Infinity on High?
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy sought out Babyface because they admired his work on the Josie and the Pussycats film soundtrack. He also played mandolin on the track.
Q 03Which British guitarist recorded the Grammy-winning Change the World with producer Babyface for the film Phenomenon?
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton's hit had first been recorded by country singer Wynonna Judd, months before his version appeared. It won three Grammys at the 1997 ceremony.
Q 04Which Parliament-Funkadelic star gave Kenneth Edmonds the nickname Babyface for his youthful looks?
Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins, who rose to prominence backing James Brown, tagged the young musician with the name that stuck for the rest of his career.
Q 05Which Whitney Houston film had a soundtrack of female R&B stars, including Chaka Khan and TLC, produced by Babyface?
Waiting to Exhale
Waiting to Exhale topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks and earned eleven Grammy nominations. Babyface wrote or co-wrote all but one of its songs for an all-female lineup.
Q 06Which Madonna ballad, written and produced with Babyface, became her longest-running number one on the Hot 100?
Take a Bow
Take a Bow led the chart for seven weeks. At Madonna's suggestion, it was the first time Babyface had worked with live strings.
Q 07Which pop singer's debut album Yours Truly had five songs produced by Babyface, including the single Baby I?
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande called the first half of the record a throwback to 1990s R&B, so she turned to a producer who had shaped that sound.
Q 08Which producer's first 2020 Verzuz battle with Babyface collapsed because of technical difficulties?
Teddy Riley
Teddy Riley drew online jokes for the sound problems, and the two producers had to try again. Millions reportedly tried to join the Instagram broadcast.
Q 09Which vocal group took the Babyface ballad I'll Make Love to You to number one for 14 weeks?
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men matched the 14-week record Whitney Houston had set with I Will Always Love You. The single also won the group a Grammy.
Q 10Which singer finished the song Snooze with Babyface in 2021 sessions before it reached number two on the Hot 100?
SZA
SZA first planned Snooze as a duet for one of Babyface's own albums, then kept it for her record SOS. It spent 70 weeks on the Hot 100.
Q 11Which Atlanta label did Babyface co-found in 1989 as a joint venture with Arista, launching TLC and Outkast?
LaFace Records
LaFace Records combined its two founders' nicknames, L.A. and Babyface. It was dissolved after Reid was promoted to run Arista.
Q 12Which Whitney Houston single gave Babyface and L.A. Reid their first number one pop hit?
I'm Your Baby Tonight
I'm Your Baby Tonight was written to stretch Houston's voice, yet she recorded it in less than an hour, in one take.
Q 13Which former New Edition singer worked with Babyface and L.A. Reid on Don't Be Cruel, the best-selling album of 1989?
Bobby Brown
Q 21Which Motown legend co-wrote and sang How Come, How Long with Babyface, a duet about domestic violence?
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder also played harmonica on the track, which was inspired by the Nicole Brown Simpson case. It earned a Grammy nomination.
Q 22Which saxophonist plays on Babyface's ballad Every Time I Close My Eyes, with Mariah Carey singing backing vocals?
Kenny G
Kenny G later put an alternate version on his own album The Moment, this time without Carey's vocals.
Q 23Which Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey duet from The Prince of Egypt did Babyface produce and partly rewrite?
When You Believe
When You Believe won the Oscar for Best Original Song, but composer Stephen Schwartz left Babyface's name off the nomination form.
Bobby Brown's album spent six weeks at number one and produced five top-ten hits. Whitney Houston later hired the same two producers for her own record.
Q 14Which TLC single, written and produced by Babyface for CrazySexyCool, reached number two on the Hot 100?
Red Light Special
Red Light Special came from the first girl-group album to reach diamond status. Its video was issued in three versions of rising heat.
Q 15Which Toni Braxton single, with lyrics by Babyface, became her first number one on the Hot 100?
You're Makin' Me High
You're Makin' Me High grew from a beat first meant for another singer, until Braxton had Babyface write the lyrics. It won her a Grammy.
Q 16On which TV competition did Babyface partner with professional Allison Holker in 2016, leaving in the fourth week?
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars cast him in its 23rd season, and he finished 11th. He went out in the same week as rapper Vanilla Ice.
Q 17Which Canadian singer performed The Power of the Dream, co-written by Babyface, at the 1996 Olympics opening ceremony?
Celine Dion
Celine Dion sang it in Atlanta with co-writer David Foster at the piano, backed by the city's symphony orchestra and a massed choir.
Q 18In which city, Babyface's birthplace, was a 25-mile stretch of Interstate 65 renamed in his honor?
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is where he attended North Central High School and, as a shy youth, began writing songs to express his emotions.
Q 19Which Cincinnati band, with Babyface on guitar and L.A. Reid on drums, scored a top-ten hit with Two Occasions?
The Deele
The Deele reunited decades later: Babyface and Reid rejoined their old bandmates on stage at the 2016 BET Honors.
Q 20Which teenage Star Search contestant signed to Babyface's Atlanta label and released a self-titled debut album in 1994?
Usher
Usher was signed on the spot after singing a Babyface-written ballad at his audition for L.A. Reid. At 13 he had held a 12-second note on the talent show.
Q 24Which singer declined Love Shoulda Brought You Home because of her pregnancy, opening the door for Toni Braxton?
Anita Baker
Anita Baker had the song written for her by Babyface and his partners. Braxton's version, on the Boomerang soundtrack, reached the top 40.
Q 25Which soul legend recorded the Babyface-written Willing to Forgive for her 1994 greatest hits album?
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin took the ballad to number five on the R&B chart. A year later she sang for Babyface again on one of his film soundtracks.
Q 26Which acoustic Babyface single earned him his first Grammy as a performer, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance?
When Can I See You
When Can I See You was a song Madonna was fond of, and she soon invited its writer to work on her next album.
Q 27Which Babyface top-ten single had a music video audition where he met his future wife, Tracey Edmonds?
Whip Appeal
Whip Appeal reached number six on the Hot 100 in 1990. Tracey auditioned for a role in the video, and the two were married from 1992 to 2005.
Q 28Which 1989 Babyface album, later certified triple platinum, included his first top-ten hit, It's No Crime?
Tender Lover
Tender Lover topped the R&B album chart for eight weeks. He returned to the name in 2015 with a sequel album.
Q 29Which Grammy Award did Babyface take home three years in a row during his mid-1990s run of hits?
Producer of the Year
Producer of the Year went to Babyface alone at the 1996, 1997 and 1998 ceremonies. He had first won it in 1993 with L.A. Reid, in a tie with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.
Q 30Which R&B trio, founded by Babyface's older brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, did he name and help sign to Virgin?
After 7
After 7 was marketed with an invented family tie: third member Keith Mitchell was billed as L.A. Reid's cousin, which was not true.