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Home · Celebrity

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks

Did you know that once upon a time, Kandi Burruss wrote "No Scrubs" for TLC? Flip through our gallery to see some other surprising faces behind the lyrics of your favorite songs.
By Taylor Lewis · Updated October 27, 2020
01
Ne-Yo

Wrote: Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable,” Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” and more

Surprise! The fedora-clad singer is the voice behind some of your favorite female power anthems. And be sure to keep an ear out for him on the next season of Empire: He is slated to work alongside Timbaland as one of the show’s music producers.

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Getty Images
02
The Dream

Wrote: Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls),” Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and more

He co-wrote “Baby” with his then-girlfriend Christina Milian and Ludacris.

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Getty Image
03
R. Kelly

Wrote: Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone”

Which explains why you always want to turn on “I Believe I Can Fly” right after you listen to “You Are Not Alone.”

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
C Flanigan/ Getty
04
Chris Brown

Wrote: Rihanna’s “Disturbia”

Breezy wrote the song for RiRi shortly before the two started dating in 2008.

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Steve Granitz/Getty
05
Keri Hilson

Wrote: Britney Spears’ “Gimme More,” LeToya Luckett’s “What Love Can Do,” Ludacris’ “Pimpin’ All Over the World”

Before she was a singer, Keri wrote hits for some of the biggest names in the business, including Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown and Jennifer Lopez.

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Judy Eddy/WENN.com
06
Frank Ocean
They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Getty Images
07
Quincy Jones

Wrote: Kanye West’s “Good Life”

Sure, we all know that Quincy is a musical god, but did you know he wrote this Kanye hit?

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Angela Weiss/Getty Images
08
Kanye West

Wrote: Keyshia Cole’s “Love,” Alicia Key’s “You Don’t Know My Name,” John Legend’s “Heaven” and more

Kanye’s songwriting abilities show his vulnerable side (and we like it!).

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
David Becker/Getty Images
09
Sir Mix-a-Lot

Wrote: The Pussycat Doll’s “Don’t Cha”

Yes, you read that right! Not only that, but he wrote the song with the help of Cee Lo Green and Busta Rhymes.

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Suzi Pratt/FilmMagic
10
Kandi Burruss

Wrote: Destiny’s Child “Bills, Bills, Bills,” TLC’s “No Scrubs”

Kandi made her mark as a singer-songwriter long before she was cast on Real Housewives of Atlanta.

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Craig Barritt/Getty Images
11
Prince

Wrote: Madonna’s “Love Song,” Jay Z and Beyonce’s “’03 Bonnie & Clyde”

Prince is too fabulous (and talented) to keep it all to himself!

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Getty Images
12
Otis Redding

Wrote: Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”

“Respect” was originally Otis’ song, but once he gave it to Aretha Franklin, its popularity skyrocketed.

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
13
Timbaland

Wrote: Beyonce’s “Drunk in Love,” Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack”

Not only is Timbaland one of the biggest names in music, but he’s behind some of the hottest songs, too.

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
14
Babyface

Wrote: Too many to count!

The legendary singer-songwriter has touched everything from Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” to Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight.” If you need a refresher, check out our list. 

They Wrote That? 14 Songwriters Behind Your Favorite Hit Tracks
Getty Images
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