Babyface says he was "blown away" by SZA's vocals and crowns her a musical genius
From Cardi B to Keke Palmer, celebrities across the entertainment industry have stopped by to sit on the big comfy couch over at “The Jason Lee Show” for some of the rawest and unfiltered conversations. On this week’s episode, which aired Wednesday (June 21), the famed blogger and host sat down with legend Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. The superstar’s name has been trending on social media recently for more than just his extensive discography of timeless records.
During the discussion, the 64-year-old set the record straight about his purported feud with fellow music icon Anita Baker. He also cleared the air on his thoughts about several other musical figures, spoke on his illustrious career and so much more. Keep reading to see what you missed.
With over four decades in the business, Babyface has worked with almost every name in music, from veterans to future superstars. Most recently, the songwriter teamed up with R&B singer SZA for her smash record “Snooze” off her second studio album, SOS. The song peaked at No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and went certified platinum.
Babyface gushed about working with the TDE signee, revealing that he initially wanted to link with the star for his Girls Night Out project, which featured female artists like Ella Mai, Ari Lennox, Kehlani, and many more.
“She came over to the studio and we recorded a couple songs, and ‘Snooze’ was one of those songs,” he said. “SZA… I think she’s genius… She sat in there with ‘Snooze,’ and she really just kind of wrote that thing herself. You know, I just played guitar… and helped create the track. But other than that, she is an incredible writer and an incredible artist. I love her voice.”
The Grammy Award winner believes the “Kill Bill” musician has a unique talent not witnessed before. “I don’t know that there are very many SZAs out there today. I don’t know that there have ever been SZAs before,” he told Lee. “She has a thing about her voice, and a thing about how she uses her melodies, and how she phrases — it’s all hers. It’s all her own… I was blown away by her and her talent. It’s just incredible.”
Babyface shared elsewhere, “The cool part for me at this point is to be able to work with younger artists who still have an interest in getting in the studio with me.” He noted, “That’s not the norm… So, I’m blessed to be able to kind of get those calls and be able to work with younger artists.”
However, not all of the “Two Occasions” singer’s collaborations have gone so smoothly. Babyface was recently booted off of Baker’s “The Songstress’ Tour” after she found herself at odds with his fans on social media over his placement as a supporting act and not a co-headliner. Baker urged Babyface to call off his fan base, but the “Never Keeping Secrets” musician remained silent.
In regard to the situation, Babyface cleared things up and noted, “First of all, I have no problem being a support act for Anita Baker. I have that much love and respect for her art, and it was her show. So I have no issue with that. And I think that I was looking forward to watching Anita every night as well ‘cause I love her as a writer and as an artist — it’s a beautiful experience.”
Babyface maintained his position as an opening act on the tour was never an issue. “And so, in all reality, for everything to have gone as crazy as it did, that was never my intention to ever think that it would… because that’s not my heart,” he added. “ I can’t believe it rode out the way it rode out but hence, there’s social media and that’s what happens at this point.”
The singer reiterated that the tour “wasn’t a co-headliner thing to begin with. It was her show, and she asked me to join her show,” noting that there were a few dates where he was not present.
Babyface said he was saddened to hear the narrative “that I could control fans or that even these people that are saying these things to [Baker] are my fans to begin with. I don’t know them. I don’t know them personally.” He added, “And usually if someone’s coming with something negative, I don’t pay attention to them.I don’t give them air. I don’t engage with them. You know, because if you start the fire, it’s just gonna get worse.”
The conversation continued as Babyface and Lee discussed several more topics, including the icon’s thoughts on cancel culture, other rumors, and his admiration for reality star Chrisean Rock. Babyface admitted he wasn’t sure how he stumbled upon Rock’s content, but he “just found her and Blueface, and I couldn’t stop watching.”
The singer praised Rock’s carefree spirit, noting, “She’s just… Both of ‘em are interesting people, but particularly her, you know.” He added, “She’s interesting to watch. The fact that she just doesn’t care, and she just goes for it and is always herself.” The artist later agreed to an exclusive and perhaps one-time-only acoustic performance of Rock’s popular 2021 single “Vibe.”
Like always, if you liked what you heard, tune into new episodes of “The Jason Lee Show” every Tuesday on REVOLT’s TV channel at 10 p.m. ET as well as every Wednesday on the REVOLT website, YouTube Channel, and app at 5 p.m. ET. Also, don’t forget to watch the latest installment with Babyface here.
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