R&B and Jazz Songs You Love Were Written By Men

The Forgotten Ones — Through Digital We Slowly Bring Them Back. Camagu.

Article inspired by Thandeka Marwanqa and Mike Pantsi
Written by Lindikaya Ntshinga
Founder, ECLIVES.co.za

As a boy growing up in New Brighton, the Mecca of Arts and Culture, my influences in song were ingrained deeply within me — myself as Lindikaya, my mothers Maureen and Thoko Ntshinga, and Nozuko Solo. This gave me that light and loving note, that King spirit you feel when music speaks to your soul.

R&B songs, the ones women truly love, have often been crafted by men. Legends like Babyface, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and Teddy Riley shaped the soundtrack of our lives, writing with passion and heart. From Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love,” Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair,” to timeless classics, men have been behind the scenes scripting these love stories and soulful melodies that move us.

In South Africa and Africa as a whole, this legacy continues with icons like Amanda Black, Robbie Malinga, Caiphus Semenya, Zahara, Brenda Fassie, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Soweto Gospel Choir, Ringo Madlingozi, and Miriam Makeba — all shaped by male songwriters and producers who understood the depth of soul and storytelling in music.

This is not to diminish the incredible artistry and power of female voices, but to acknowledge the incredible contributions of men in creating the emotional canvas upon which these queens paint their magic. Here I want to mention then and now generation Phinda Knight now Phinda Matlala she raised me as well. She was an older Sister to me.

Personal Dedication

This post is mostly dedicated to my Dear, my Love, my Mother, my Friend — the great Mama Kapa.

Sylvia Ncediwe Mdunyelwa Kobus was not just a voice in the world of music — she was a movement, a leader, a composer, and a collaborator. While she wrote songs with men, she stood as a beacon of feminine strength and leadership in the Jazz and R&B spaces.

Her legacy proves that in music — men and women are not in competition. We are co-authors of soul, telling stories from the heart of humanity.

Just a week before her passing, she said to me:

“Mntana wam, I am passing the mantle kuni Ntshinga.”

The artistry of songwriting is a brotherhood of respect, vulnerability, and raw human experience that crosses borders, cultures, and time. Men and Women in my Culture as a Young Boy.with this I want to say MEN and WOMEN are the same in Jazz, We teach =, they learn but Mosty they Teach and we never forgert, CAMAGU its Me Ntshinga Lindikaya

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