It’s no secret that many singers are songwriters, which explains why the ASCAP awards is one of the most star-studded events in Hollywood. Madame Noire got the chance to attend the festivities this year and had the chance to chat it up with some of our favorite female artists including Elle Varner, Melody Thornton and Marsha Ambrosius.

More on Madame Noire!

• Keep It On The Down Low! Your Fave Celebs’ Secret Celeb Crush….
• Only Christian Men Need Apply: Why I Think It’s Important to Share Religious Beliefs
• Oh You’re a Freak, Huh? Good and Bad Ways to Surprise Him in Bed
• Hair Me Out! Mane Mishaps To Avoid At All Costs….
• Do You Remember When…?: 7 Shocking Moments From The BET Awards!
• Where Are They Now? Our Favorite Good and Bad Guys From “The Wire”
• Peaches & Green: The Business Ventures & Side Hustles of the Real Housewives of Atlanta

While jamming to your favorite songs, do you ever wonder about who wrote your favorite tune? Okay, probably not. But it’s still cool to see who helped put some of today’s major hits together, and most of the time, it’s  people who you didn’t expect. We started looking into the names behind some popular tracks back in March, and now we’ve compiled a few more. Here’s a list of some major songs by major artists that were created with a little help from their famous (or at the time, soon-to-be-famous) friends.

Graphic by Desire

“Baby” Justin Bieber feat. Ludacris (2009)

The-Dream/Tricky Stewart/Christina Milian

The song that threw Bieber into pop’s stratosphere, and was his highest charting single until 2012′s “Boyfriend,” was put together by former lovers The-Dream and Christina Milian and Dream’s writing partner Tricky Stewart (who has penned songs for Beyoncé, Rihanna, and more). The Dream claims that Milian only helped with the melody of the song- but there’s no way you can just get a royalty check and credits off a melody right? If so, then I stand corrected. Either way, it’s the jam folks of all backgrounds and ages can’t help but sing to, and it’s the song that pretty much made Bieber a household name.

urbaninformer.com

Some people have all the talent: they’re blessed enough to have their own singing careers and they write huge hits for some of their peers. Color me jealous!  Here’s a SHORT list of some of the songs I deemed noteworthy (and trust me, I could have gone on for pages and pages). What are some of your favorite songs written by singers for other singers? Let us know…

by Candice Hardy

You may sing these songs everyday driving to work, at the club, or even at after a bad break-up.  These anthems help you through the ups and downs of life.  But, do you know who is behind these lyrics?  Songwriting is dominated by men these days, especially in the R&B and Hip-Hop genres.  However, African American women are rightfully earning top spots next to their male counterparts.  Here are five female songwriters you may not know…

Angela Hunte-This singer and songwriter has written songs for Britney Spears, Danity Kane and newcomer, Melanie Fiona.  However, Hunte became even more recognized after she co-wrote the Grammy winning New York anthem “Empire State of Mind”, performed by Jay-z and Alicia Keys.  She sites growing up in New York as the reason for her love of all genres of music.

(TheLoop21) — “With all my heart I love you baby/Stay with me and you will see/My arms will hold you baby/Never leave cause baby I believe I’m in love…”

It’s impossible not to close your eyes and sing along when you hear Anita Baker’s hit song, “Sweet Love.” Those lyrics, like many classic songs, speak to your heart whether you’re in love, out of love or wishing you had a love. We often ask our favorite artists how do they know exactly what I’m thinking? And with artists belting out the words to their songs so convincingly, it’s hard to believe that the artist didn’t pen the ballad themselves.  We often give an artist praise without even realizing that someone else actually wrote the lyrics to our favorite tune. Many women may not realize that some of their favorite female anthems including “Irreplaceable,” “Sweet Love,” and “Single Ladies,” were written by men.

Read More…

(The Loop 21) — When Bryan-Michael Cox started writing music at 12-years-old, he had no idea that seven years later it would turn into his own business,Blackbaby, Inc. “When I started my business I didn’t have any money,” the GRAMMY Award-winning producer said. Now, his company helps shape and define the careers of R&B’s greatest singers including Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Chris Brown, Trey Songz and Monica.  Cox wants to ensure that future entrepreneurs have the same opportunity he did to see his dream into fruition. So he’s teamed up with 100 Urban Entrepreneurs to give students a chance to compete for $10,000 in start-up capital to start a business.  theLoop21 chatted with Cox right before he judged over 200 students’ business pitches at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The songwriter shared why it’s important for African Americans to teach entrepreneurship, how the music industry has changed and how he balances being an award-winning producer with being a father to his month-old son Abrice.

Read More…

By Danielle Kwateng

Ever sit at your desk and contemplate having another career? We’ll, if you do, don’t let your boss know before looking at this list. With the changing economy and the shift to a more technologically advanced society there are a plethora of new opportunities in the work force. We included some of the more interesting and imaginative jobs out there to help get your creative juices flowing.

Flip through to see what interesting jobs we found (and how much they pay!):

Read the rest of this entry »

(The Fresh Xpress) — This past weekend was the BET Awards weekend and everybody was in a frenzy about what artists will win what category. This is was also the same weekend as the ASCAP awards. In case you’re not aware, ASCAP stands for The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). So it’s like the official association for songwriters. Many times you find yourself singing a song on the radio that’s a total banger, but you come up on a #epicfail when you can’t name who penned it. That’s kinda a subliminal shot for you to stop stealing music. When you buy the CD, you can go through the liner notes and find out who wrote your favorite song. It might surprise you on some records who penned what.

Read More…