Timbaland | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Timbaland in 2019 | |
| Born | Timothy Zachery Mosley (1972-03-10)March 10, 1972 (age 53) Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
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| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Pharrell Williams (cousin)[2] |
| Awards | Full list |
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| Formerly of | |
| Website | timbaland |
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Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972),[4][5] known professionally asTimbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper and singer. Born and raised inNorfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythmic style. In 2007,Entertainment Weekly stated that "just about every current pop trend can be traced back to him—from sultry, urban-edgedR&B songstresses [...] to the art of incorporatingavant-garde sounds into No. 1 hits."[6] He has won fourGrammy Awards from 22 nominations.[7]
Timbaland's first major production credit was on the albumGinuwine... the Bachelor (1996) by R&B singerGinuwine. Further commercial success on his following productions—includingAaliyah's albumOne in a Million (1996) andMissy Elliott's albumSupa Dupa Fly (1997)—made him a sought-after producer for R&B andhip-hop acts. He performed as a recording artist himself while doing so, releasing three albums as part of the Virginia-based hip-hop duoTimbaland & Magoo, along with his debut solo album,Tim's Bio (1998). He producedJustin Timberlake's 2002 single "Cry Me a River", and thereafter produced the majority of Timberlake's subsequent releases—includingFutureSex/LoveSounds (2006) andThe 20/20 Experience (2013)—along with their respective hit singles.
Timbaland's 2007 single "Give It To Me" (featuringNelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake) peaked atop theBillboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of his second album,Shock Value (2007). It spawned the singles "The Way I Are" (featuringKeri Hilson) and "Apologize" (withOneRepublic), which peaked at numbers three and two on the chart, respectively. His third album,Shock Value II (2009), was supported by the top 40 singles "Carry Out" (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Say Something" (featuringDrake) and "If We Ever Meet Again" (withKaty Perry). Meanwhile, Timbaland's production credits throughout this time expanded to include songs forMichael Jackson,Jay-Z,Beyoncé,Madonna,Kanye West,Rihanna,Alicia Keys,Lil Wayne, andBjörk, among others.
Timbaland founded the record labels Beat Club in 2001 and its successor,Mosley Music Group in 2006, through which he has signed artists including Nelly Furtado—whose albumLoose (2006) peaked theBillboard 200—as well as OneRepublic, Keri Hilson,Bubba Sparxxx, andChris Cornell.Beat Club is namesake of a service in which Timbaland mentors upcoming producers, launched in 2020.[8] Along with fellow producerSwizz Beatz, he co-created the webcast seriesVerzuz that same year.
Timothy Zachery Mosley was born on March 10, 1972, inNorfolk, Virginia, to Latrice, who ran a homeless shelter, and Garland Mosley, anAmtrak employee.[4][9] He graduated fromSalem High School ofVirginia Beach.[5][10] During his time as a DJ, he was known as "DJ Tim"[11] or "DJ Timmy Tim".[12] He has a younger brother named Sebastian.[13] His sister Courtney Rashon is a makeup artist and an author fromNew Jersey. While attending high school, Timbaland began a long-term collaboration with rapper Melvin (Magoo) Barcliff. The teenage Mosley also joined the production ensemble S.B.I. (which stood for 'Surrounded By Idiots') which also featuredNeptunes producer, his cousin,Pharrell Williams.[12] Mosley was also high school friends with brothers Terrence and Gene Thornton, who would become known asPusha T andMalice of the rap groupClipse, respectively.[14] In 1986, when Timbaland was 14 years old, he was accidentally shot by a co-worker at a localRed Lobster restaurant and was partially paralyzed for nine months.[15] During this time, he began to learn how to DJ using his left hand.[16]
RapperMissy Elliott heard Timbaland's material after being introduced by Magoo. She and her R&B group, Sista, auditioned forDeVante Swing, a producer and member of the R&B actJodeci. DeVante signed Sista to his Swing Mob record label and Elliott brought Mosley and Barcliff along with her to New York, where Swing Mob was based. It was DeVante who renamed the young producer Timbaland after theTimberland boot.[17] He and Magoo became part of Devante Swings’s label called Swing Mob. The label featured signees known as "Da Bassment" crew, joining artists such as R&B singerGinuwine, male vocal groupPlaya (Smoke E. Digglera,Static Major and Digital Black), and the girl group Sugah which members included Rolita White, Susan Weems, and Charlene Tweet Keys .[12] Timbaland did production work on a number of projects with DeVante, including the 1995 Jodeci LPThe Show, The After-Party, The Hotel, and Sista's (unreleased) début LP4 All the Sistas Around da World. Elliott began receiving recognition as a songwriter for artists such as R&B girl group 702 andMC Lyte. Due to Timbaland's connection with her, he was often contacted to produce remixes of her songs.[18]
Timbaland began his producing career forR&B acts. In the early to mid-1990s, he produced a few songs for R&B acts such asJodeci and Sista. In 1996, he made his mainstream breakthrough by producing the majority of bothAaliyah's second albumOne in a Million andGinuwine's debut albumGinuwine...the Bachelor. This included the major hit singles "If Your Girl Only Knew" byAaliyah and "Pony" byGinuwine. While Timbaland was initially producing for R&B artists, his trademark sound was very much rooted inhip-hop with its fast-paced nature and clear drum breaks. He was taking a hip-hop sound and applying it to R&B, and in this way his sound was instrumental in blurring the distinction between hip-hop and R&B production.[19] In 1997, he fully producedSupa Dupa Fly, the debut album ofMissy Elliott, who had been a childhood friend of Mosley. In this album Timbaland continued with his now trademark electronic production style, but since Missy frequently rapped the music was considered hip-hop. Also in 1997, he released his first album with his partnerMagoo,Welcome to Our World, also a hip-hop album. In the late 1990s, his hip-hop production sound would become very influential and common as he produced for many high-profile hip-hop artists includingJay-Z,Nas, andThe LOX. In 1999, he scored a major hit with Jay-Z and rap groupUGK with the hit "Big Pimpin'". He also fully produced Missy's second album in 1999,Da Real World. During this time, Timbaland continued to produce primarily for R&B artists. He continued to produce forGinuwine andAaliyah, as well as contributing significantly to albums byXscape,Nicole,Playa, andTotal. He remixedUsher's major hit "You Make Me Wanna". In the early 2000s Timbaland produced songs includingLudacris' "Roll Out (My Business)",[20] Jay-Z's "Hola' Hovito",[21]Petey Pablo's "Raise Up",[22] andBeck's cover ofDavid Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" during this period.[23] He also contributed three songs, all eventually released as singles, toAaliyah’s self-titled third album, the exotic lead single "We Need a Resolution" (featuring himself rapping a verse), "More Than a Woman", and the ballad "I Care 4 U".[24] He also makes an appearance inAaliyah's single "Try Again", which he also produced and co-wrote.
Timbaland & Magoo’s second album together was slated for release in November 2000.Indecent Proposal was to feature appearances byBeck,Aaliyah, as well as new Timbaland protégés—some from his new Beat Club Records imprint--Ms. Jade,Kiley Dean,Sebastian (Timbaland's brother),Petey Pablo, andTweet (who was a member of Sugah during the Swing Mob days). The album was delayed for an entire year, finally released in November 2001. It was a commercial disappointment. Beck’s vocals for the track "I Am Music" were not included on the last version, which instead featured Timbaland singing along withSteve "Static" Garrett of Playa and Aaliyah.[25] The first release on Beat Club was the début album byBubba Sparxxx in September 2001,Dark Days, Bright Nights.[26] The loss ofAaliyah deeply affected Timbaland. In a phone call to the MTV showTotal Request Live, Timbaland said:
She was like blood, and I lost blood. Me and her together had this chemistry. I kinda lost half of my creativity to her. It's hard for me to talk to the fans now. Beyond the music, she was a brilliant person, the [most special] person I ever met.[27]
— Timbaland, MTV
Timbaland contributed three tracks to Tweet's debut album,Southern Hummingbird, and produced most of Missy Elliott's fourth and fifth LPs,Under Construction andThis Is Not a Test![28] He also produced tracks for artists such asLil' Kim ("The Jump Off") and southern rapperPastor Troy during this period.[29] Collaborating with fellow producerScott Storch, Timbaland also worked on a number of tracks on former*NSYNC lead singerJustin Timberlake’s solo debut,Justified, including the song "Cry Me a River".[30]
Late in 2003, Timbaland delivered the secondBubba Sparxxx album,Deliverance, and the third Timbaland & Magoo album,Under Construction, Part II Both albums were released to little fanfare or acclaim even thoughDeliverance was praised by reviews and embraced by the internet community.[31] In 2004, Timbaland produced singles forLL Cool J,Xzibit,Fatman Scoop, andJay-Z, and he produced the bulk ofBrandy’s fourth album,Afrodisiac.[32] Timbaland co-wrote two tracks ("Exodus '04" and "Let Me Give You My Love") and produced three tracks of the American-Japanese Pop starHikaru Utada’s second English album,Exodus.[33] He continued working on tracks forTweet and for Elliott’s sixth album,The Cookbook: "Joy (feat.Mike Jones)", and "Partytime"[34] and continued to expand his reach with production forThe Game andJennifer Lopez ("He'll Be Back" from her fourth studio album,Rebirth).[35]
Timbaland started a new label,Mosley Music Group along with old friend and legendary Australian music producer John Servedio, also known as his stage name 'ServidSounds' who helped Timbaland bring in some talent from his former Beat Club Records label.[36][37] On the new label wereNelly Furtado,Keri Hilson, and rapper D.O.E.[38] In 2006 he producedJustin Timberlake's second solo studio albumFutureSex/LoveSounds. His vocals feature on the songs "SexyBack", "Sexy Ladies", "Chop Me Up", "What Goes Around... Comes Around" and on the prelude to "My Love" entitled "Let Me Talk to You". Timbaland provided vocals on several singles: ThePussycat Dolls' "Wait a Minute", Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous", "Ice Box" byOmarion andJustin Timberlake's "SexyBack". In an interview published in August 2006 in the UK[39] Timbaland revealed he was working on a new LP byJay-Z and that he had worked on tracks withColdplay'sChris Martin.[40]
Timbaland worked on seven songs forBjörk's 2007 album,Volta, including "Earth Intruders", "Hope", and "Innocence"[41] and he later worked on tracks for the newDuran Duran album,Red Carpet Massacre, including one featuring his frequent collaborator Justin Timberlake.[42] Later in the year, Timbaland produced songs for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's LP,Strength & Loyalty[43] and the song "Ayo Technology" on50 Cent’s albumCurtis.[44] Timbaland also produced most of the tracks onAshlee Simpson's third CD,Bittersweet World, including the song "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)".[45] On April 3, 2007, Timbaland released a collaboration album featuring artists including50 Cent,Dr. Dre,Elton John,Fall Out Boy,Nelly Furtado,Missy Elliott, and others calledShock Value. A rivalry flared up between Timbaland and record producerScott Storch in early 2007. The tension initially started on the single "Give It to Me", when Timbaland anonymously backlashed Storch: "I'm a real producer and you['re] just the piano man". In an interview, Timbaland confirmed that he was talking about Storch. The dispute partly stemmed from controversy regarding writing credits for Timberlake's "Cry Me a River".[46]
Timbaland helped produce many albums for various artists in 2008, includingMadonna'sHard Candy,[47]Ashlee Simpson'sBittersweet World,Keri Hilson'sIn a Perfect World,Flo Rida'sMail on Sunday,Letoya Luckett'sLady Love,Lindsay Lohan'sSpirit in the Dark,Chris Cornell'sScream,JoJo'sAll I Want Is Everything,Nicole Scherzinger'sHer Name Is Nicole,Missy Elliott'sBlock Party,Matt Pokora'sMP3, Keithian'sDirrty Pop,The Pussycat Dolls'sDoll Domination,Busta Rhymes'sB.O.M.B,Lisa Maffia'sMiss Boss,Teairra Mari'sPressed for Time,[48]Jennifer Hudson'sself-titled debut album,Dima Bilan'sBelieve,Samantha Jade'sMy Name Is Samantha Jade,New Kids on the Block'sThe Block, andKeshia Chanté'sNight & Day. Timbaland produced the Russian entry for theEurovision Song Contest 2008, "Believe" byDima Bilan, which was co-written by Bilan andJim Beanz. The song then won the contest when it was held inBelgrade,Serbia in May 2008. In February 2008 the firstFashion Against AIDS collection -an initiative ofDesigners Against AIDS[49] and sold inH&M stores in 28 countries- was launched, for which Timbaland designed a T-shirt print, posed for the campaign and spoke out in a video, to help raise HIV/AIDS awareness among urban youth and to advocate safe sex. On February 8, 2008, it was announced that Timbaland would be releasing an album exclusively forVerizon Wireless's V CAST cell phone service and was designated its very first "Mobile Producer in Residence". Timbaland was to be joined byMosley Music Group/Zone 4 singer and songwriterKeri Hilson to begin work on the mobile album's first track aboard the fully equipped Mobile Recording Studio.[citation needed] The only track to surface so far[when?] is Garry Barry Larry Harry "Get It Girl". In Timbaland's first effort within thevideo game industry, he worked withRockstar Games to produceBeaterator, a music mixing game for thePlayStation Portable,PlayStation Network, andiOS released in the September 2009.[50]
Timbaland spoke toMTV's Shaheem Reid back in July 2008 to confirm that he was working on the follow-up to his platinum sellingShock Value.[51] At the time he confirmed that he had one track withMadonna which although recorded for her albumHard Candy it had not been used and could end up on this album instead.[51] He was insistent that he would also collaborate withJordin Sparks,Beyoncé,Rihanna,Jonas Brothers,Miley Cyrus andT.I.[51] However, none of these collaborations (except Miley Cyrus) made it to the final track list. He also said that alongsideT-Pain who would definitely appear, he hoped to getJay-Z on board,[51] although he ultimately failed to do so. Timbaland began working on the sequel toShock Value in July 2008.[52] In March 2009, he filed a lawsuit against his label,Blackground Records, alleging that they attempted toblackball him after he decided to move from music performance intoproduction.[53]
In September 2009, Timbaland announced thatShock Value II will be released on November 23, in Europe and November 24, in North America. However, it was pushed back to December 8, preceded by the first single which features a new recording artist namedSoShy entitled "Morning After Dark". New featured guest appearances on the album includeDJ Felli Fel,Justin Timberlake,JoJo,Bran'Nu,Drake,Chad Kroeger,Sebastian,Miley Cyrus,Melody Thornton,Nelly Furtado,Katy Perry,Esthero,The Fray,Jet,Daughtry,OneRepublic,Keri Hilson, Attitude and D.O.E.. UltimatelyMadonna,Jonas Brothers,Rihanna,Usher,Jay-Z,Beyoncé,Kanye West,Linkin Park,The All-American Rejects,Paramore,Gucci Mane,T-Pain,T.I. andAkon never appeared onShock Value II.Shock Value II is infamous for its use of over-the-top vocal effects.[citation needed]
"Morning After Dark" featuring SoShy and Nelly Furtado is the lead single from Timbaland's third studio album. The song was written by Tim Mosley, Jerome Harmon, Deborah Epstein, Michelle Bell, Keri Hilson, Nelly Furtado, James Washington, John Maultsby and produced by Timbaland and Jroc. The single premiered on October 16, 2009, onRyan Seacrest'sKIIS-FM radio show,On-Air with Ryan Seacrest with Timbaland describing it as the kick-off song from the project.[54][55] Following her performance, the song was sent for radio adds on May 25. The song peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. With this success, the song became Sparks' fifth consecutive top 20 hit and third nonconsecutive top 10 hit. On May 24, Sparks headed to Europe to begin promotion for the single. "Say Something" featuring Canadian rapperDrake was released to US iTunes on November 3, 2009.[56] It was officially sent to U.S. radio on January 5, 2010.[57] It is the album's second single and reached number 23 on the Hot 100, making it the second most successful single on the album.[citation needed] "Carry Out" featuringJustin Timberlake is the third single from the album but was initially only released in the U.S. It was sent to US radio on December 1, 2009.[58] It is the most successful single on the album, peaking at number 11 on theBillboard Hot 100.[59] The music video premiered on February 18, 2010.[60] It was released as the third UK single on April 26, 2010.[61] "If We Ever Meet Again" featuringKaty Perry is the album's fourth single. The music video premiered on January 18, 2010. In the UK, it was released February 15, 2010.
Timbaland producedChris Cornell's 2009 albumScream.Shakira was asked to record vocals on the song "Give It Up to Me" to be included on Timbaland's forthcoming album but it was placed on her third studio albumShe Wolf and released as the second US single instead.[62] One of the songs Timbaland had produced for Beyoncé's 2008 albumI Am... Sasha Fierce was reworked by Keri Hilson and Jay-Z forShock Value II but not included.[63][64] He was a guest host ofWWE'sRaw on December 28, 2009.[65] Timbaland appeared on March 25, 2010, episode (titled "Blowback") ofFlashForward as an evidence agent. His songs "Morning After Dark" and "Symphony" appear on the video gameDef Jam: Underground.
In April 2010, a feud arose between the producer and R&B singerGinuwine, after Timbaland failed to make an appearance at the singer's music video shoot of "Get Involved".[66][67] Later in April, Timbaland released a new single featuringT-Pain and Billy Blue titled "Talk That". In June 2010, when questioned by RWD magazine about the UK music scene he made the bold claim to be the inspiration for thedubstep music scene. "The UK scene... they’re always telling me that I started it. You have Dub-bass...". When questioned further about it he went on to say: "It’s funny cos they went back to some of my old music that really created that sound and just, instead of going fast, they went slow with more bass."[68] In August 2010, a "possible suicide attempt"APB was put out for Timbaland after his home was burgled. When his family were unable to contact him, they called 911 and a manhunt began. Police eventually found his car and brought him back home, where paramedics examined him, before declaring he was not a threat to himself. When questioned, Timbaland said he only took a drive to think about the burglary, as he thought the possible thief could have been someone close whom he trusted.[69]
In 2010, Timbaland split with longtime labelBlackground Records, but stayed withInterscope Records. Later in the year, Timbaland was featured on the deluxe edition of Chris Brown's album,F.A.M.E., producing the songs "Paper, Scissors, Rock" (feat.Big Sean) and the Japan-only bonus track, "Talk Ya Ear Off". Timbaland was also featured on David Guetta's LP,Nothing But the Beat, on "I Just Wanna F" withDev andAfrojack. Timbaland also worked with teen starDemi Lovato; he produced and had a small feature in her song "All Night Long" on Lovato'sUnbroken album. In November 2010, Timbaland announced that he would be releasing a new song every Thursday, called Timbo Thursdays; a copy of the initiative shown by artists such as Kanye West (viaG.O.O.D. Fridays), and Swizz Beatz (via Monster Mondays). In an interview with Rap-Up.com Timbaland stated, "So, my brother told me Kanye is puttin' out a new song every Friday called G.O.O.D. Fridays, Swizz got Mondays, I don't know if they are on Twitter but can you hit them up, and tell them reserve that Thursday for Timbo the king baby. We’ll call it Timbo Thursday, cool?"[70]
On January 14, 2011, Timbaland began hisTimbaland Thursdays free music initiative, with the first song released being "Take Ur Clothes Off", featuringMissy Elliott.[71] The first official single fromShock Value III, "Pass at Me" featuring American rapperPitbull, with uncredited production by French DJDavid Guetta, was released on September 14, 2011, after having been previously used to promote a book titledCulo. The album's second single, "Break Ya Back" featuring American singerDev, was released on April 17, 2012. For the fourth installment in theStep Up franchise,Step Up Revolution, Timbaland released a track called "Hands In the Air", which features American singerNe-Yo.
On January 30, 2014, Timbaland signed to Jay-Z's labelRoc Nation.[72] Later that year, Timbaland would serve as the main producer ofJustin Timberlake's recent LP,The 20/20 Experience, including the album's singles: "Suit & Tie" and "Mirrors". Timbaland also producedBeyoncé's song "Grown Woman" which was featured in herPepsi commercial and 2014 tour,The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour,[73] and the song "I Don't Have To Sleep to Dream" onCher's 2014 albumCloser to the Truth.
In April 2011, Timbaland and long time friend and business partner Mike Evans signed a deal to with Sony/ATV Music Publishing'sExtreme Music to create 75 new urban pop tracks for the production music house.[74][75]
In August 2013, Timbaland revealed that he was working on a project featuring unreleased material by Michael Jackson, with a lead single called "Love Never Felt So Good".[76]
On September 24, 2013, Timbaland collaborated withT.I. for his new co-produced Indonesian artist,AGNEZ MO, in her song titledCoke Bottle. The premiere launch event of the single became a worldwide trending topic onTwitter.[77][78]
On November 15, 2013, Timbaland released his first single for his fourth album,Opera Noir, called "Know Bout Me" featuring Drake, Jay-Z, andJames Fauntleroy. By 2014, it was originally announced that both Timbaland andMissy Elliott would be an essential component per production ofKat Dahlia's debut album,My Garden, however neither of the duo's contributions saw the light of day.[79] On January 7, 2015, Timbaland received production credit for his involvement with the musical score of Lee Daniels and Danny Strong's television projectEmpire, which premiered onFOX. Constructively, Timbaland and his team, includingJim Beanz,Raphael Saadiq, and others, compose the series' songs based on material given to them by the show's writing team per each episode.[80]
In February 2016, Timbaland and Missy Elliott teamed up to produce the track "Somebody Else Will" for longtime associate,Tweet, for her third studio albumCharlene.[81]
Timbaland collaborated with singer and songwriter Dalton Diehl to create Harmony which serves as the opening toSkylanders Academy, the animatedNetflix series based onActivision Blizzard'stoys to life spinoff to theSpyro series.
In June 2016, Timbaland and Andy Rubinhas teamed up withSubPac, aLos Angeles-based startup working on a wearable sound device.[82] There is still no release date for his new albumTextbook Timbo.[83] On December 15, 2017, Timbaland released the song "Grab the Wheel", which features6lack on vocals. The song also has a music video which was released on the same day.
In 2019, Timbaland began teaching through Masterclass, providing an instructional series on production and beatmaking.[84]
In March 2020, Timbaland, along withSwizz Beatz, launched theVerzuz Instagram webcast series.[85] In 2021, for their work onVerzuz, both Timbaland and Swizz Beatz appeared on theTime 100,Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[86]
In August 2021, Blackground rebranded as Blackground 2.0, withBarry Hankerson remaining as founder. Blackground 2.0 signed a distribution deal withEmpire Distribution, which will re-release the label's catalogue on CD, cassette and vinyl, onto digital download sites and, for the first time ever, streaming services. Aaliyah's catalogue began its re-release in chronological order, starting withOne In a Million on August 20, 2021.[87][88][89][90] Timbaland's 1998 LPTim's Bio: Life from da Bassment and Timbaland & Magoo albumsWelcome to Our World,Indecent Proposal andUnder Construction, Part II were re-released August 27, 2021.
On 1 September 2023, Timbaland released the single "Keep Going Up", in collaboration with Furtado and Timberlake.[91][92][93] On 20 October 2023, Timbaland released the single "My Way" with singer Anna Margo.[94][95] He released the single "Desire" with singer VITA on November 17, 2023.[96][97]
In April 2024, an unreleased track produced by Timbaland andRock Mafia titled "Karma's a Bitch" byBrit Smith surfaced after it was re-recorded the same year byJoJo Siwa as "Karma."[98] On November 22, 2024, he released the single "If It Wasn't Up To Me", alongside Zefaan.[99][100] On December 5, 2024, Timbaland released his musical meditation album,Yellow, in collaboration with Malte Marten.[101] On March 28, 2025, Timbaland released theafrobeats instrumental album,Timbo Progression.[102][103] Accusations ofAI use have been levelled against Timbaland for the album;[104][105] Timbaland himself had introduced an AI character in June 2025 and has partnered with AI music platformSuno AI, something which has been heavily criticized,[106][107] especially his claim that "AI music has more soul than new artists".[108]
An important figure in the creation of American R&B's "stuttering kick-drums template",[109] Timbaland's influence extended beyond the U.S. and crossed international borders, especially inUK garage andrave culture. Timbaland, as an R&B producer, created a distinctive, rhythmic sound using breakbeats, which break up the smooth flow of tracks to create moments of tension and release. This technique that Timbaland pioneered would later serve to create "bootleg" garage tracks, which was essential in the rise of UK garage. What began as an underground movement soon grew in popularity, with bootleg remixes selling upwards of 20,000 copies, something unheard of at the time.[6] One such example is the remix of Brandy & Monica's "The Boy Is Mine".[110] Timbaland is credited along with other Virginia artists such as The Clipse, Pharrell Williams and Missy Elliot with establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast’s strongholds in hip-hop.[111]
Aaliyah's 2001 self-titled album, produced by Timbaland, contained an uncredited sample of "Alouli Ansa" by Mayada El-Hennawy in "More Than a Woman".[112][113]
In January 2007, Timbaland was alleged to have plagiarized several elements (both motifs and samples) in the song "Do It" on the 2006 albumLoose byNelly Furtado without giving credit or compensation.[114][115][116] The song itself was released as the fifth North Americansingle fromLoose in July 2007.
Timbaland's legal troubles continued. In lieu of a copyright lawsuit over the song "Throw It on Me" from hisShock Value album, Timbaland and David Cortopassi, the composer of "Spazz", a song originally recorded by The Elastik Band and released by ATCO/Atlantic and EMI, reached a settlement agreement in July 2009.[117][118][119] The terms of the settlement remained undisclosed at the time.[117]
In January 2014, the Swiss newspaperBasler Zeitung revealed another plagiarism case concerning the track "Versus" byJay-Z, which was produced by Timbaland. The track's instrumental is very similar to, if not directly sampled from, "On the Way" by Swiss musicianBruno Spoerri.[120] According to Swiss newspaperTages-Anzeiger, the plagiarism case was settled by March 2015. Jay-Z and Timbaland were to pay 50% from the song's revenue to Spoerri as royalties for the music, with Jay-Z retaining 50% for the lyrics.[121]
Studio albums
He made ends meet with a series of menial jobs, including washing dishes at a Red Lobster, until late one night he wound up on the wrong end of a gun. The bullet passed through Tim's neck and lodged in his right shoulder (fragments remain to this day). For nine months, Tim was paralyzed on his right side, forcing him to learn to DJ with his left hand.
Tim rarely talks about the shooting, and is, in fact, quite critical of gangsta rappers who boast of their war wounds. 'I'm not a rapper,' he says dismissively. 'I'm not talking about my scars or my battles.' Still, the shooting did help him form a bond with 50 Cent. 'I'll tell you this,' Tim says. 'If you get shot and you survive, you feel like you're an Incredible Hulk. Them bullets don't hurt when they go in. But then they got that burnin', that acid burn. Goddamn! It feels like a stove burning your blood. You feel like any minute you gonna be dyin'.'
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