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: "βIn seventh grade I met Chad. Thatβs 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 wasnβt a part of the group, so I was in The Neptunes and in Surrounded By Idiots at the same time.β 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.
Who Am I
Timbaland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Yes yes yes yes yes yes
It's me again baby, Timbaland
And uh, we doin' somethin' like dis
Hear da beat?
Uh
Say what?
That's right
Uh right now, Ima bring a special guest in
He gon' rip it for me, like this, check it out
Who am I, nigga wid tha blunt, steady trippin',
Sippin' on the concoction,
With tha gun cocktin'
Drum knockin', gotta get off
Bitches and killas in the front watchin'
Flowin' with like a finna studda some
Betta come off a butta ton, brotha run, I hope he said he were
I'ma flow until my belly hurt
Pimp nigga rockin' on tha stage an rock on in the petty shirt
Let it ruff, ooh
Feels like anotha' one
Who you be? Mr. Shystie
The one who make you frown up like the lemon in my ice tea
The muthafucka' most likely
To get a tuba with the opposition in my position
I break em off when I give em tha heat
Steady re' for rollin'
Bullets body decomposition
I dismember the weak on the Timbaland beat
You remember the beat
Conversation we had
When my adrenaline was rushin'
Check yo brakes and knee pads
When the twis to get tha bus in
Body's gon' get rushed in
I can make em hit tha dance flo'
Brothas, bitches, and hustlers
I get up in the guts homie, never phoney
Hitta wigga when he run up on me
Y'all muthafuckas still don't know me
Let em' learn slowly
[Chorus: x2]
Who you be?
I'm tha one that stay high
Center maka up tha party, rockin' body's
With tha thugga hands up in the sky
Neva shy he's fly
Who am I, who you be?
I'm the one's gon' get buck
T-straight from the Chi
Ribal, homicidal, everybody duck
With tha party up and pimp struck
T-N-T now I say who am I
Who you be? Who am I?
The one who's surrounded by the wood
500 wid the ribs stickin' through the hood
Up to no good thats why'd stay they misunderstood
And I'm always in tha mix of some shits
Scoop a shawty an she thick
And tha bitch getts grip in them hips
Putta dick on tha lips top it doggie style, she my homie gal
So I tricked on that bitch
Now who you be?
The one who's on tha dance floor
Sex gon' be one of tha mass hoes
Freak on a bad hoe
You's could really wanna flash gold
Turn a hater to a sass hoe
Play an ballin' up at Cape Town, strippin' went down
Study, tippin' off of CDs an Tapes
Though see niggas see Gs to take
Run up to tha car, got no thangs
They got CDs to break, no easy pace
Who you be?
The crime cause other obituary an uligy
Photo stank and y'all be who to see
Only smokin' it wid you and me
Lets go hang out where tha booty be
I was on sumthin', no frontin'
Yello' wide ol' belly in the po funkin'
Grinnin' while up in the curb
Wanna journey for herb
Always tellin' somebody to smoke somethin'
True indeed
[Chorus: x2
The one thats flowin fluently
Make yo baby say goo to me
Whatcha did to her
Didn't ask why I hit her for
Cause the game like literature
Get it Get it girl
I don't know what you was waitin on
But if you aint wid a partna
This young monsters a fly guy
Shake a lil' bit of dat body
We gon' party till we sky high
To my playas an soldiers, shady niggas,
Young thugs and strap hoes,
Pimps strikin' fees and red bones
Ghetto fees and Gs an MC's for the rifols
The one that be kickin' off air time
From sunrise ta bedtime
All of y'all need ta know me, the one an only
Pimp slach tingin' twista from tha Chi
Makin' competition die slowly
Who am I?
[Chorus: x2]
Ha ha ha ha
Y'all didn't think that I would do it again twice did ya
Ha ha
I do it like that, I put it down
For tha ninety eight or T N T
Thang ya know what I'm sayin'
Timbaland and Twista
Y'all fools couldn't recognize could ya?
I put it down for all parts of the area
We out
The lyrics of Timbaland's song Who Am I feature guest rap verses from Twista to create an upbeat vibe. The song consists of multiple sections that are introduced by Timbaland. Each verse from Twista is focused on describing who he is and his unique style, which is all about being confident, pushing boundaries, and standing out in a crowd. In the first verse, Twista is portrayed as someone who is a bit crazy and is always ready to take on anyone who might try to mess with him. He talks about the guns he carries, the parties he goes to, and his love of rap and hip hop music. He also talks about how he is always in the mix of things and always surrounded by beautiful women.
In the second verse, Twista focuses on his rap skills and how he makes his audience feel. He describes himself as someone who flows fluently and makes babies say goo to him. He also talks about how the game is like literature and how he enjoys playing it. The chorus of the song is catchy and emphasizes Twista's question of "Who am I?" This can be interpreted as him trying to assert his identity as a rapper and show that he is unique and different from everyone else. The song ends with Timbaland and Twista hyping up the audience and telling them that they'll continue to put down fresh tracks for years to come.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VANESSA THORNTON, BRETT MITCHELL, ADDISON AXE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@froey198033
This should have millions of views. Beat is dope and Twista's flow is nasty.
@garedthomas0605
No shit Sherlock
@rzpadilla927
One whole album produced by Timbaland ft.Twista guaranteed he will smash it effortlessly
@KrucialKAAAA912
We saw what he did with Kanye so hell yea
@JamesKlass79
Twista and Timbaland definitely was and is a cheat code
@allbarz
Underrated classic STILL WANT THE TNT ALBUM
@garedthomas0605
Asap
@chrisrosadonyc
best beat on the album hands down
@LJones17
facts, and that's saying something. Twista killed it too
@cv64ffg47
Facts