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what songs did tank write

Tank (Durrell “Tank” Babbs) has written and co-written a long list of R&B songs, both for himself and for other artists, but there’s no single complete public list; we can highlight his best-known writing credits instead.

What Songs Did Tank Write? (Quick Scoop)

Tank is not just a singer; he’s one of modern R&B’s go‑to songwriters , with credits on his own hits plus tracks for Omarion, Marques Houston, Monica, LeToya Luckett, and more. Below is a “quick scoop” overview—not a fully exhaustive catalog, but a solid look at the songs most commonly cited as written or co‑written by him.

1. Big Songs Tank Wrote For Himself

These are well-known Tank singles where he is credited as a writer or co‑writer.

  • “Maybe I Deserve” – One of his signature early hits, frequently listed among his top songs as both artist and writer.
  • “Please Don’t Go” – Another career‑defining record, also charted highly and appears in “top songs as writer” rundowns.
  • “When We” – A later‑era hit that reinforced his reputation for slow, sensual R&B.
  • “Slowly” – Regularly mentioned in career medleys and song lists.
  • “One Man” – Appears in chart histories tied to songwriting credits.
  • “Sex, Love & Pain” material – Tracks from this album (like “Emergency,” “Sex Music,” “Heartbreaker,” “Next Breath”) are connected to him both vocally and in writing/production roles, even when co‑writers are involved.

These songs often show up in Tiny Desk–style medleys and “top songs” lists, underlining how much of his own catalog he had a hand in writing.

2. Songs He Wrote For Other Artists

Tank’s pen has powered some very recognizable R&B records for other artists.

Frequently cited cuts he wrote or co‑wrote:

  • Omarion – “O”
    • Widely highlighted as a classic solo breakout song for Omarion, with Tank credited behind the scenes.
  • Marques Houston – “Naked”
    • A major slow jam for Marques Houston, often listed among the “you didn’t know Tank wrote this” tracks.
  • Pleasure P – “Under”
    • Appears in curated lists of important songs written or produced by Tank.
  • Fantasia – “Ain’t Gon’ Beg You”
    • Named in breakdowns of Tank’s songwriting work for other R&B vocalists.
  • Dave Hollister – “Pleased Tonight”
    • Recognized as an early example of Tank writing for established traditional R&B voices.
  • Jon B – “Lately”
    • Noted in “top 10 songs written by Tank” style articles as a reflective R&B ballad.
  • Monica – “Sideline Ho”
    • Specifically called out in award‑season coverage as a song people are surprised Tank wrote.
  • LeToya Luckett – “Regret” (featuring Ludacris)
    • Highlighted as one of his key writing contributions to another artist’s catalog, with him among the credited writers.

These tracks help explain why his name comes up so often when R&B artists look for reliable writers.

3. Other Documented Writing Credits

Public databases and category pages show a broader set of songs associated with Tank’s songwriting, though they are not always fully up to date.

Examples of songs where he appears as writer or co‑writer include:

  • “My Life” (K. Michelle song) – Listed under songs written by Tank.
  • “Maybe I Deserve” – Also appears as a separate page/category entry acknowledging his writing role.
  • Multiple album tracks on his own projects (like “Force of Nature,” “One Man,” “Sex, Love & Pain,” and later albums) show him in the songwriting credits, often under his full name Durrell Babbs.

Because credits are scattered across label booklets, PRO databases, and online discographies, new or lesser‑known songs may not appear in these public lists immediately.

4. Forum / Trending Angle & Context

In recent years, social clips and think‑pieces have been resurfacing Tank’s impact as a writer, especially around performances like his NPR Tiny Desk concert and features tied to Black Music Month and award shows. Short videos and posts often frame him as “the guy behind your favorite R&B slow jams,” using examples like “O,” “Naked,” and “Sideline Ho” to surprise casual listeners.

Fans on R&B‑focused forums and TikTok‑style pages frequently:

  • Share lists of “10 songs you didn’t know Tank wrote.”
  • Debate which Tank‑written track is the most timeless bedroom song.
  • Point out how often his government name “Durrell Babbs” shows up in album liner notes once you start looking.

This has helped push the query “what songs did Tank write” into a mini‑trending topic whenever a new performance or retrospective drops.

5. Important Note: No Single Complete Public List

Because songwriting credits involve many co‑writers, versions, and regions, there is no perfectly complete public master list of every song Tank has ever written. Most public sources instead give:

  • Highlight reels (top 10 lists, “underrated songs he wrote”).
  • Chart‑oriented lists focusing on songs where he’s a credited writer and the track hit specific US/UK charts.
  • Category pages naming only a subset of songs that have their own write‑ups.

So, if your goal is every song Tank has written, that’s not realistically available in one place; what we can reliably share is the widely recognized group of songs like “Maybe I Deserve,” “Please Don’t Go,” “When We,” “O,” “Naked,” “Regret,” “Sideline Ho,” and others above.

Short TL;DR

Tank has writing or co‑writing credits on his own classics (“Maybe I Deserve,” “Please Don’t Go,” “When We,” “Slowly”) and big R&B records for others like Omarion’s “O,” Marques Houston’s “Naked,” LeToya Luckett’s “Regret,” Monica’s “Sideline Ho,” Fantasia’s “Ain’t Gon’ Beg You,” Pleasure P’s “Under,” and more—making him one of R&B’s quietly dominant pens, even though no fully complete song list is publicly compiled.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.