Babyface chases $8 million for custom Bel-Air mansion
Kenneth Edmonds, the Grammy-winning producer better known as Babyface, is asking $8 million for his Bel-Air home of nearly two decades.
That’s nearly double the $4.1 million he paid for the property in 2004, records show. The house has changed dramatically over the years, as Edmonds added custom skylights and a handful of amenities including a gym, music studio, movie theater and brick wine cellar.
It sits on half an acre in Bel-Air Crest, a guard-gated enclave with roughly 200 homes. Edmonds’ place covers more than 7,500 square feet and opens through a pair of antique carved wooden doors.
Inside, a grand two-story entry wrapped in wrought iron and columns sets a dramatic tone. It branches off to a formal dining room, chef’s kitchen, family room and black-and-white living room with a wet bar.
An elevator navigates the three-story floor plan, ascending to a primary suite with a lounge and spa tub. The top level also holds a wraparound terrace, which overlooks a leafy back patio with an outdoor kitchen and waterfall-fed swimming pool.
Noting the neighborhood’s exclusivity and the house’s scale, listing agent Tomer Fridman of Compass called it an “extremely elite product for the market.”
Babyface has released eight studio albums since the 1980s, most recently 2015’s “Return of the Tender Lover.” As a producer, the 63-year-old has racked up 12 Grammy Awards and collaborated with scores of R&B artists including Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, TLC and Usher.