Timbaland is similar to producers such as Norman Whitfield in that he helped to redefine the sound of an entire genre of music with an immediately recognizable production style. The songs he produces feature unusual arrangements, sounds, and instrumentation, tied together by a trademark sense of rhythm. Like Spector and Whitfield, Timbaland's production sometimes overshadows the credited performer and becomes the actual "star" of the song. With songwriters Steve "Static" Garrett and childhood friend Missy Elliott, Timbaland has helped to create some of the most successful songs in modern pop music and urban music, including singles for Aaliyah, Ginuwine, SWV, Total, and 702.
Mosley grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, where he became acquainted with Missy Elliott and Melvin Barcliff, whose MC name was "Magoo." Originally a disc jockey known as "DJ Timmy Tim," Mosely began making hip-hop backing tracks on a Casio keyboard he owned. In 1993 Elliott heard his material and, taken by Mosley's unique sense of rhythm, immediately began working with him.
Elliott and her girl group Sista auditioned for DeVante Swing, producer and member of successful R&B act Jodeci. Devante signed Sista to his Swing Mob label, and Elliott brought Mosely and Barcliff along with her. Mosely began working under Devante, who renamed the young producer Timbaland, after the Timberland boot popular in hip-hop fashion.
Sista and Timbaland & Magoo became part of Devante's stable of Swing Mob signees known as "Da Bassment" crew, joining artists and groups such as male singer Ginuwine, male vocal group Playa, and girl group Sugah. Timbaland did production work on a number of projects with Devante, including the 1995 Jodeci LP The Show, The After-Party, The Hotel, and Sista's debut LP, which was shevled and never saw release.
Timbaland was also friends with Pharrell Williams, and had dabbled in projects with him as S.B.I., or Surrounded By Idiots. Pharrell recalls in an interview: "“In seventh grade I met Chad. That’s twenty years ago by now. Like I said earlier, we started producing beats together. But then again, I also played with this famous group which consisted of Timbaland, Magoo, myself and some other guy. Chad wasn’t a part of the group, so I was in The Neptunes and in Surrounded By Idiots at the same time.” A few tracks produced by the group float around on the internet, the most distributed being "Big White Spaceship".
In 1995, most of Devante's acts broke their ties with the producer and went their own ways. Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo, Playa, and Ginuwine continued to collaborate, and began working on individual projects of their own. Elliott began receiving recognition as a songwriter and guest artist for artists such as 702 and MC Lyte, and Timbaland was sometimes assigned to produce remixes of Elliott-penned songs. One of these, the remix to 702's "Steelo" in 1996, became Timbaland's first important production credit.
Also in 1996, Ginuwine released his debut album, Ginuwine...the Bachelor, which was produced entirely by Timbaland. The album was both a commercial and critical success, and its first single, "Pony," was the first example of what would later become the signature Timbaland sound.
The track for "Pony," which Timbaland had created two years prior during the Swing Mob days, was characterized by a shifting, syncopated rhythm, similar to samba or jungle music, which used snare and kick hits on typically non-accented beats in the measure. Stuttering high-hats typical of southern bass music accompanied the basic drum sounds, which were, unusual for hip-hop and R&B of this period, severely gated to create short, strong sounds. This use of the "short snare" is in marked contrast to the "long snare" sound in New Wave music in the 1980s, which featured a heavily amplified, almost white noise snare drum put through reverb. Accompanying the unusual rhythm were melody lines created by playing odd sound effects (vocal effects and cartoon slide whistles) through a sampling keyboard. The other tracks on Ginuwine...the Bachelor also featured similar production and arrangements. On many of the tracks, Timbaland can be heard either rapping or providing ad-libs, similar to what both Elliott and Puff Daddy where doing at the time; Timbaland's deep voice was usually vocoded to give it an electronic sound.
While work was being completed on Ginuwine...the Bachelor, R&B artist Aaliyah contracted Timbaland and Missy Elliott to write and produce most of her second album, One In A Million. The tracks that were crafted for Aaliyah featured innovative arrangements similar to those on Ginuwine...the Bachelor. One In A Million went on to sell over two million copies, and made superstars out of not only Aaliyah, but Elliott and Timbaland as well.
Elliott and Timbaland became one of the most successful and prolific songwriting/production teams of the late-1990s. By the end of the decade, Timbaland's sound had been heard in records from artists such as SWV, Destiny's Child, Nicole Wray, Jay-Z, Nas. Most of his production work during this period was reserved for his original stable of collaborators: two Missy Elliott albums (Supa Dupa Fly and Da Real World), a second effort by Ginuwine (100% Ginuwine), and Playa's debut album (Cheers 2 U). Timbaland produced much (if not all) of the material on many of their albums during this period, and also made two albums of his own: one with Magoo, and one solo album. Timbaland's own raps, which were usually ghostwritten by Elliott, Magoo, or his younger brother Garland Mosley (AKA Sebastian), were almost always accompanied by other MCs, including his main collaborators and numerous guest artists.
Timbaland spawned a plethora of imitators, some of which went as far as to sample sections of his work to create similar-sounding tracks. The popularity of the "Timbaland sound" marked a shift in hip-hop music from rougher, sample-based tracks to simpler, more synthetic musical accompainiment (unlike many hip-hop producers, Timbaland rarely sampled older records; most of his tracks were crafted by him and his in-house band). Since Timbaland worked in both hip-hop and R&B and often combined elements of one in tracks for the other, his work aided the blending together of the two genres, which became less and less distinct during the first half of the 2000s.
Foreign, especially Asian, instrumentation is present through much of his early work (Xscape's "My Secret" remix, especially, with a rollicking sitar outro and Timbaland ad-libbing "Let's take a little trip...to India"), but was most successful and prevalent with Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'" (1999), which borrowed directly from the song "Khosara" by Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi. Missy Elliott's 2001 hit single, "Get Ur Freak On" from her third album, Miss E...So Addictive, was also likewise a smash, using a speedy dhol drumline typical of Bhangra. His borrowing from these cultures has resulted in mixed reactions, with many critics embracing his musical adventurousness and eclecticism and more esoteric, purist factions reacting catiously, and sometimes negatively. In an interview with Missy Elliott in RayGun Magazine, he mentioned a diverse base of influences, from UK Drum 'N Bass to Garage.
Timbaland-produced songs such as Ludacris' "Roll Out (My Business)," Jay-Z's "Hola' Hovito," Petey Pablo's "Raise Up," and Beck's "Diamond Dogs" were recorded and released during this period, and he contributed to Limp Bizkit's 2001 remix album, New Old Songs. He also contributed three songs--all eventually released as singles--to Aaliyah's self-titled third album.
Timbaland & Magoo's second album together, Indecent Proposal, had been scheduled for release in November 2000, and was to feature appearances by Beck, Aaliyah, and new Timbaland proteges--some of whom were signed to his new Beat Club Records imprint--Ms. Jade, Sebastian, Petey Pablo, and Tweet (who was a member of Sugah during the Swing Mob days). The album was delayed until for an entire year, finally being released the following November, and was a commercial disappointment. Beck's vocals for the track "I Am Music" were not included on the final released version, which instead featured Timbaland singing alongside Static (Steven Garrett) of Playa and Aaliyah, who had been killed in a plane crash three months before the release of the album. The loss of Aaliyah deeply affected Timbaland, whose work was less omnipresent after 2001.
The first release on Beat Club was the debut album by Caucasian MC Bubba Sparxxx in October 2002, Dark Days, Bright Nights. Timbaland contributed three tracks to Tweet's debut album, Southern Hummingbird, and produced most of Missy Elliott's fourth and fifth LPs, Under Construction and This Is Not A Test! He also produced hit singles and album tracks for artists such as Li'l Kim ("The Jump Off") and Pastor Troy during this period. Collaborating with Scott Storch, Timbaland also produced a number of tracks on former *NSYNC lead singer Justin Timberlake's solo debut, Justified, including the hit single "Cry Me a River".
Late in 2003, Timbaland delivered the second Bubba Sparxxx album, Deliverance, and the third Timbaland & Magoo album, Under Construction, Part II. Both albums were released to little fanfare or acclaim even though Deliverance was praised by reviews and embraced by the internet community.
Timbaland continues to produce hit singles and albums for artists; in 2004 Timbaland-produced singles by LL Cool J, Xzibit, and Jay-Z became staples on urban radio, and he produced the bulk of Brandy's fourth album, Afrodisiac. New songs from artists such as Tweet and The Game are set for release in 2005.
2005 saw Timbaland producing a song on Tweet and The Game's albums ("Steer" and "Put You on The Game" respectively). He also produced 2 songs on Missy Elliott's 6th album (The Cookbook), "Joy" featuring Mike Jones and "Partytime."
Timbaland started his new label, Mosely Music Group, once again under Interscope. On the label are singers Nelly Furtado and Keri Hilson, and rapper D.O.E. Timbaland's parternship and mentorship of upcoming producer Nate "Danjahandz" Hills is evident in Timbaland's rejuvination in music.
Furtado looks to have her third album, Loose, released under MMG with in the first half of 2006 with Hilson's debut following shortly after. Timbaland is also slated to work with Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff as well as albums by Jamie Foxx, JC Chasez, Busta Rhymes, Diddy, Ludacris, Chingy, Chilli of TLC, Tweet, and a lot more.
In 2006, Timbaland produced songs "Promiscuous" "My love" and "Sexyback" topped the charts for over fourteen weeks. In 2007, the tracks "Say It Right" and "What Goes Around" also topped the charts. The year 2007 also saw the release of his album "Timbaland presents Shock Value" which featured Fall Out Boy, The Hives, Elton John, Nicole Scherzinger, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Missy Elliot, Sebastian (his brother), Keri Hilson, Money, Attitude, and Jim Beanz.
Come Around
Timbaland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sidekick rings, "what's up? holla!"
Text the address, I'll see you later
Baby come down
Come down, come down, come down
Run down, run down, run down
Run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run down
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
In a faraway land we got shit made
Ray-ban shades, warheads laid
Babies born in air raids
My girls run the everglades
Indian tribesmen gamble spades
Indian chicks, they get men laid
Milk and honey, smoke high-grade
Gold and diamond, gems and jade
Ride up on our tanks, invade
Blow up thing to save our name
Mina, rina, Tina, Sabrina
Being a super Indian babe
We black market, we black made
We hit shit out when it rains
Would you come down and catch my train?
Would you run down and play this game?
Check my coat in and I paid the dollar,
Sidekick rings, "what's up? holla!"
Text the address, I'll see you later
Baby come down
Come down, come down, come down
Run down, run down, run down
Run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run down
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
Baby girl
You and me, need to go to your teepee
The moon is full, and I'm shining.
Baby, I know you see me.
Put a hump or two on your back
Just like that
Oh girl you're on fire.
I don't wanna be in love with you
Imma just break you off and say goodbye
The night is young
Don't make me wait,
You just might miss your chance.
I'm gon' tell you the truth
Timbaland, I'm the motherfuckin' man.
Today's the day, girl, let me get that
Don't get mad
In fact, let me hit that
I've been overkilling them, I break backs
Come down, run down
Girl, where your place at?
Check my coat in and I paid the dollar,
Sidekick rings, "what's up? holla!"
Text the address, I'll see you later
Baby come down
Come down, come down, come down
Run down, run down, run down
Run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run down
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
Bounce
Don't get it twisted baby girl, baby boy 'cause Timbaland ain't dead
Don't get it twisted baby girl, baby boy 'cause Timbaland ain't dead
Don't get it twisted baby girl, baby boy 'cause Timbaland ain't dead
Bounce
'Cause Timbaland ain't dead
In Timbaland ft. M.I.A.'s song "Come Around," the lyrics take listeners on a journey through various scenes and situations. The song opens with the singer urgently requesting that someone simply come down, both in the lyrics and in the rhythm, which is almost like a musical invitation. The first verse situates the listener in a world where the norm is to wear Ray-Ban shades and be born in air raids. Later, the setting shifts to a place where Indian tribesmen gamble spades and Indian chicks get men laid. In between, there are references to milk and honey, high-grade smoke, and gems and jade. The song then urges someone to come down to catch the singer’s train, one that will take listeners through all of these places and more.
The second part of the song begins with a flirtatious exchange between the two singers, as they sing about wanting to go to each other's teepees and the moon stars they have placed in the sky. Later on, the lyrics become more explicitly sexual and somewhat less poetic, as both singers suggest that they won't be in love before the night is out. There's a sense of urgency to the song, as though both singers want to make the most of the current moment without getting too tied up in emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Check my coat in and I paid the dollar,
I've arrived at the venue and checked in my coat for a dollar fee.
Sidekick rings, "what's up? holla!"
My Sidekick phone rings, and the person on the other end greets me with "What's up?"
Text the address, I'll see you later
I sent a text message with the venue's address to someone to meet up later.
Baby come down
I'm asking someone to come down to meet me.
Come down, come down, come down
I'm repeatedly asking someone to come down to meet me.
Run down, run down, run down
I'm repeatedly asking someone to run down to meet me.
Run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run down
I'm urging someone to hurry up and run down to meet me multiple times.
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
This is the beat of the song, with no particular lyrical meaning.
Beat goes on
This line repeats the idea that the song's beat continues uninterrupted.
In a faraway land we got shit made
In this distant place, we have access to everything we need.
Ray-ban shades, warheads laid
People wear Ray-ban sunglasses and weapons are lying around.
Babies born in air raids
Bombings are taking place, and babies are being born in those conditions.
My girls run the everglades
The women I know are in charge of running things in the marshy area known as the Everglades.
Indian tribesmen gamble spades
Native American men are gambling with cards.
Indian chicks, they get men laid
Native American women have a reputation for being sexually promiscuous.
Milk and honey, smoke high-grade
There's ample food and luxuries like marijuana available.
Gold and diamond, gems and jade
People have access to valuable metals and precious stones.
Ride up on our tanks, invade
People arrive on tanks and take over places by force.
Blow up thing to save our name
To protect our reputation, we're willing to destroy things.
Mina, rina, Tina, Sabrina
These four names don't have any particular meaning, they're just being mentioned in the song.
Being a super Indian babe
This line implies that women can be empowered and sexy regardless of their ethnicity.
We black market, we black made
We operate underground and are made up of black people.
We hit shit out when it rains
When trouble arises, we're able to handle it.
Would you come down and catch my train?
I'm asking someone to hurry up and come meet me.
Would you run down and play this game?
I'm asking someone if they're willing to join me in whatever activity I have in mind.
Baby girl
I'm addressing someone as "baby girl," which is often used flirtatiously or in a romantic context.
You and me, need to go to your teepee
We should go somewhere private and intimate.
The moon is full, and I'm shining.
The night is beautiful and I'm feeling confident.
Baby, I know you see me.
The person I'm addressing is undoubtedly attracted to me and can't help but notice me.
Put a hump or two on your back
This line is vulgar and essentially asking for sex.
Just like that
This is a casual expression meaning that the requested action (having sex) should be done easily and naturally.
Oh girl you're on fire.
I'm so attracted to this person that they're figuratively "on fire" in my eyes.
I don't wanna be in love with you
This is a blunt statement that suggests the attraction might not lead to anything serious or long-lasting.
Imma just break you off and say goodbye
I'm not interested in anything long-term and just want a physical relationship.
The night is young
It's still early in the evening and there's plenty of time to enjoy ourselves.
Don't make me wait,
I don't want to waste any more time and hope the person will join me soon.
You just might miss your chance.
I'm warning the person that if they don't come quickly, they might lose an opportunity to be with me.
I'm gon' tell you the truth
I'm about to be honest and straightforward with the person.
Timbaland, I'm the motherfuckin' man.
I'm asserting my dominance and confidence, claiming that I'm the best in the game.
Today's the day, girl, let me get that
I'm eager to have a sexual encounter and think tonight's the perfect night for it.
Don't get mad
I'm preemptively telling the person not to react negatively to my advances.
In fact, let me hit that
I'm requesting and suggesting a sexual encounter.
I've been overkilling them, I break backs
I'm suggesting that I'm very skilled at having sex and am looking to impress.
Come down, run down
I'm using similar phrases from earlier in the song to urge the person to come join me quickly.
Girl, where your place at?
I'm asking where the person we can go to have sex.
Don't get it twisted baby girl, baby boy 'cause Timbaland ain't dead
This is a repeated line asserting that Timbaland is still very much alive and relevant in the music industry.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP
Written by: TIMOTHY MOSLEY, TIMOTHY CLAYTON, MATHANGI ARULPRAGASAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DTHUGisdashit
Check my coat in and I paid the dollar,
Sidekick rings, "what's up? holla!"
Text the address, I'll see you later
Baby come down
Come down, come down, come down
run down, run down, run down
Run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run down
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
In a faraway land we got shit made
Ray-Ban shades, warheads laid
Babies born in air raids
My girls run the Everglades
Indian tribesmen gamble spades
Indian chicks, they get men laid
Milk and honey, smoke high-grade
Gold and diamond, gems and jade
Ride up on our tanks, invade
Blow up thing to save our nam
Mina, Rina, Tina, Sabrina
Being a super Indian babe
We black market, we black made
We hit shit out when it rains
Would you come down and catch my train?
Would you run down and play this game?
Check my coat in and I paid the dollar,
Sidekick rings, "what's up? holla!"
Text the address, I'll see you later
Baby come down
Come down, come down, come down
run down, run down, run down
Run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run down
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
[Timbaland:]
Baby girl
You and me, need to go to your teepee
The moon is full, and I'm shining.
Baby, I know you see me.
Put a hump or two on your back
Jst like that
Oh girl you're on fire.
I don't wanna be in love with you
Imma just break you off and say goodbye
The night is young
Don't make me wait,
You just might miss your chance.
I'm gon' tell you the truth
Timbaland, I'm the motherfuckin' man.
Today's the day, girl, let me get that
Don't get mad
In fact, let me hit that
I've been overkilling them, I break backs
Come down, run down
Girl, where your place at?
[M.I.A.:]
Check my coat in and I paid the dollar,
Sidekick rings, "what's up? holla!"
Text the address, I'll see you later
Baby come down
Come down, come down, come down
run down, run down, run down
Run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run, make a run down
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
A dun da da dun da da dun da da dun da da dun dun
Beat goes on
[Timbaland:]
Don't get it twisted baby girl, baby boy 'cause Timbaland ain't dead
Don't get it twisted baby girl, baby boy 'cause Timbaland ain't dead
Bounce
@thedefinitionisthis
Was pleasantly surprised to hear this track in "Ms. Marvel". When the song dropped, it hit me like a ton of bricks, bringing me back to my college days.
@locutz
indeed it was a leasant surprise hearing after all this time ,this was always a favorite of mine back then when it came out
@HussleSince97
Just happened to me as well that hit me hard wtf
@aleon3000
I had to go and bop out to it. It's been a minute. The beat started and it came back.
@bigwijdsljla
It's in ms marvel? Hold up, I'm about to become knowledgeable on the entire mcu
@elysianRoblox
Ik i saw it in ms marvel and was searching for it for like ages- 😭 but then i found it in the sound credits
@hermioneganja9061
my music taste brought me here
@Dean444ful
+Angela a I'm not sure I can handle your hipsterness.
@armandolavin6907
jasjajajaja
@dona335
Angela a same