Timbaland

views updated

TIMBALAND

Born: Tim Mosley; Virginia Beach, Virginia, 10 March 1971

Genre: Rap

Best-selling album since 1990: Welcome to Our World (1997)

Hit songs since 1990: "Up Jumps Da Boogie," "Here We Come"

In the late 1990s the influence of producer/artist Timbaland in the R&B/hip-hop world knew few boundaries. His bounces-and-beats sound pervaded many of the top hits by such artists as the late Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Boyz II Men, Nas, JayZ, and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. Like the influential mid-1980s producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson), Timbaland created a new rap blueprint that used stuttered beats to set the rhythm and add power to rap's pop hooks. The new sound was so attractive and exciting that it helped transform modern rap into a lively and relevant part of American culture.

Timbaland began his career working in Da Bassment, a loose-knit group of producers, writers, and MCs who worked in the background behind Jodeci. He later formed a duo with the rapper Magoo in Norfolk, Virginia. The two had met as teenagers in the early 1990s and had begun to write songs for several artists, including Ginuwine and Missy Elliott. Timbaland's genius for creating infectious rhythms was first showcased in Missy Elliott's influential CD Supa Dupa Fly (1997), which bristles with electric beats, futuristic atmospherics, and dancehall flavors. The CD features guests Busta Rhymes, Lil' Kim, Da Brat, and Aaliyah. Timbaland and Magoo produced their first single, "Up Jumps Da' Boogie," in the fall of 1997. Featuring Missy Elliott and Aaliyah, the single peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. Timbaland and Magoo included the single on their platinum-selling debut album, Welcome to Our World (1997). With its eighteen tracks, the CD showcases Timbaland's knack for fusing catchy beats and minor sampling for a distinctive sound.

While waiting to work on his solo CD, Timbaland kept producing, writing, and remixing for other artists. Timbaland's Tim's Bio: Life from Da Bassment (1998) pays tribute to early funk and, radically, samples the themes from Spider-man and I Dream of Jeannie ; it features a stellar list of guests including Nas, Jay-Z, Mad Skillz, Aaliyah, and others. The album resonates with skittering beats, call-and-respond raps, and fresh, fun rhythms. Timbaland's strength is his fearless sense of experimentation in the studio. His hits, his own and the ones he wrote for others, make him a much sought-after and much-copied producer.

Legal problems delayed his follow-up, Indecent Proposal (2001), by almost a year. It provides a new sonic template that stretches the possibilities of commercial rap. Freely mixing and matching 1970s funk, disco, and soul with bits of jazz and ambient grooves, Timbaland continued with his trademark envelope pushing. "Indian Carpet" is fueled by futuristic beats, while other tunes feature snippets of Asian, Arab, and Indian music. The mellow, reflective ballad "I'm Music" features Aaliyah (her last recording) with the singer/songwriter Beck. Other guests include Snoop Dogg, Twista, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Bubba Spar, and Magoo.

Timbaland's talent for creating memorable grooves comes from his understanding that new, original, but contagious beats fuel the catchy power of tunes. Using these skills, Timbaland has elevated his game and along the way he has helped expand rap's commercial potency in the new millennium.