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.
Drop
timbaLand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Timbaland Timbaland
Whatever I say why'all gotta do
Whatever I say why'all gotta do
Whatever I say why'all gotta do
(Timbaland)
Awww lord guess who's coming
Who can get it crunk like me Timbaland
Oh my nigga Scoop A.K.A fat man
Weed guaranteed to make the party people bounce
Fellas say (OH) girls say(ah)
Lookin at the cornrows up in the club
Girl don't be bashfull girl back it up
Throw it girl like its poking man
Shake that ass as fast as you can
White girl shake it like she burning from a sun tan
My dog grip it grab it like it was a soda can
What you talking bout holding back
When you get on the dance floor drop it like it was a cadillac
What you talking bout cutting nigga slack
Girl girl you betta bend that back
12 my girls roll deep in the club
Can't't wait to hit the bar and get that thug
Where my dogs that got more than a hundred bucks
Can't wait to freak one of the big old butts
Before we start to turn it out
You must learn to crunk out
Before we start to turn it out
You must first begin to
[Fatman Scoop: x 2]
Breathe in Breathe out
Breathe in Breathe out
Breathe in Breathe out
Now drop now drop now drop now drop
[Fatman Scoop]
If you got the fattest ass on the block now drop
Let a nigga see the coochie pop now drop
Do the snake do the freak do the pop now drop
Yo don't stop don't stop
Real eyes down south thighs
Waist line five six seven now drop
One time all in together now drop
Yo don't stop don't stop
[Magoo]
Get your freak on at club(?)
We ain't put the album out niggas got their leak on
I done been up in the club seen a ho with a thong
I ain't hear good at first she was singing the song
Shorty rocking donna she was pushing and popping
Red bone with a bop she was stoping and dropping
Stopping and dropping this the part of the song where
You need be snaking and popping
Snaking and popping yeah hoe Mag made the song
Why'all niggas still popping and locking
Ain't no zone (?) a white girl
I ain't turbo rocking a damn curl
Watch Mag slow while I break you down slow
When you get it right girl go for what you know
Wiggle a bit stop drop get up snake freak whop
Wiggle a bit stop drop get up snake freak whop
Get off the wall hands of your balls
Yeah nigga with the drink in his hand trying to ball
You don't want shorty I can show you the dance
Gone once gone twice you done lost your chance
Now stop for Big Pun stop for Big pun
Drop for Big L drop for Big L
[Fatman Scoop]
If you got the fattest ass on the block now drop
Let a nigga see the coochie pop now drop
Do the snake do the freak do the whop now drop
Yo don't stop don't stop
Real eyes down south thighs
Waist line five six seven now drop
One time all in together now drop
Yo don't stop don't stop
(Magoo)
Guess who came with a cape on his back
Pulled up with some gin hopped out the Cadillac
Mag is chilling Tim is chilling
When I get up in this club I'm making a hoe feel it
Got no game but I got big cash
Mess around I be leaving this club with Stacey Dash
I ain't cute enough but my jimmy got a flick and it shimmy
I'm in the club pulling hoes with Timmy
(Timbaland)
All my shadow people where freaky where you at
All my Broadway people freaky where you at
Where my fellas in the back with the (?)
Where my girls who think they got it like that
All my ndependent freaky where you at
All my get money dogs freaky where you at
Where my girls with the thongs who be shaking it fast
If you love to sing along nigga holla back
(Fatman Scoop)
If you got the fattest ass on the block now drop
Let a nigga see the coochie pop now drop
Do the snake do the freak do the whop now drop
Yo don't stop don't stop
Real eyes down south thighs Now drop
Waist line five six seven now drop
One time all in together now drop
Yo don't stop don't stop
Show me what you working with(back it up back it up)
Show me what you working with(back it up back it up)
Show me what you working with(back it up back it up)
Show me what you working with(back it up back it up)
Bend over Bend over Bend over Bend over Bend over Bend over
The lyrics of Timbaland & Magoo's song "Drop" are about dancing and having a good time at a party. The song starts with Timbaland introducing himself and his nickname, "freaky feel drumming." He calls out his friend Fatman Scoop and says that he can get the party crunk. The lyrics encourage people to dance and shake their bodies. They mention cannabis, which is guaranteed to make people bounce.
The chorus is a call-and-response between Fatman Scoop and Timbaland, with Fatman Scoop asking the listeners to breathe in and out before dropping to the floor. Magoo's verse talks about seeing a woman with a thong at the club and encourages people to snake and pop. He mentions Big L and Big Pun, both deceased rappers, telling people to stop and drop for them. The song ends with Timbaland calling out different groups of people to join the dance and asking for people to bend over.
The lyrics of "Drop" are straightforward and are solely focused on dancing and having a good time. The lyrics repeat the phrase "now drop" multiple times to emphasize the importance of dropping to the floor. This song is popular in clubs and is played at parties to encourage people to dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Timbaland Timbaland Fatman scoop
Introduction of the artists involved in creating the song
Timbaland Timbaland
Reiteration of Timbaland's name, implying his importance
Whatever I say why'all gotta do
Stating that whatever the artists say or do, the listeners will follow
(Timbaland)
Identifying the artist as Timbaland
Awww lord guess who's coming
Announcing Timbaland's arrival
Timbaland A.K.A freaky feel drumming
Introducing Timbaland's pseudonym and linking it to his innovative drumming style
Who can get it crunk like me Timbaland
Asserting Timbaland's talent in making music that can excite a crowd
Oh my nigga Scoop A.K.A fat man
Introducing Fatman Scoop, also known as Fat Man
Weed guaranteed to make the party people bounce
Suggesting that smoking weed will make people enjoy the party more and dance to the music
Fellas say (OH) girls say(ah)
Encouraging listeners to participate in the lyrics by shouting
Lookin at the cornrows up in the club
Observing people's hairstyles in the club
Girl don't be bashfull girl back it up
Encouraging girls to dance without hesitation
Throw it girl like its poking man
Instructing girls to dance provocatively, as if they were teasing a man
Shake that ass as fast as you can
Encouraging listeners to dance quickly and energetically
White girl shake it like she burning from a sun tan
Describing a white girl's dance moves as if they were caused by sunburn
My dog grip it grab it like it was a soda can
Using a metaphor to describe a man's behavior when dancing with a girl
What you talking bout holding back
Asking why people would hold back when they're dancing
When you get on the dance floor drop it like it was a cadillac
Encouraging listeners to dance freely and express themselves fully
What you talking bout cutting nigga slack
Asking why someone would criticize another person's dancing and suggesting that everyone should be accepted for who they are
Girl girl you betta bend that back
Encouraging girls to dance sensually and bend their backs
12 my girls roll deep in the club
Describing the presence of a large group of women in the club
Can't't wait to hit the bar and get that thug
Anticipating a good time and ordering drinks from the bar
Where my dogs that got more than a hundred bucks
Calling out people who have a lot of money to spend
Can't wait to freak one of the big old butts
Expressing that someone is looking forward to dancing with a woman who has a large rear end
Before we start to turn it out
Indicating the beginning of a party
You must learn to crunk out
Dancers must learn how to move their bodies to the beat of the music
You must first begin to
Introducing a series of steps to the listeners
[Fatman Scoop: x 2]
Identifying the artist and implying that he will be repeating a phrase
Breathe in Breathe out
Instructing listeners to take deep breaths in and out
Breathe in Breathe out
Repeating the previous line as a reminder
Now drop now drop now drop now drop
Encouraging dancers to drop their bodies to the beat of the music
[Fatman Scoop]
Identifying the artist as Fatman Scoop
If you got the fattest ass on the block now drop
Encouraging women with large rear ends to dance and show off their curves
Let a nigga see the coochie pop now drop
Encouraging women to dance in a sexual way
Do the snake do the freak do the pop now drop
Suggesting different types of dance moves that dancers can do to the beat of the music
Yo don't stop don't stop
Encouraging dancers to keep going and to not stop dancing
Real eyes down south thighs
Referring to a woman's physical attributes that are located in the southern part of her body
Waist line five six seven now drop
Encouraging dancers to move their waists to the beat of the music and then to drop down to the floor
One time all in together now drop
Encouraging everyone to dance together and to drop their bodies to the floor at the same time
[Magoo]
Identifying the artist as Magoo
Get your freak on at club(?)
Suggesting that the club is a place where people can let loose and dance in a wild, uninhibited way
We ain't put the album out niggas got their leak on
Suggesting that the song is not yet released and that people have illegally obtained it
I done been up in the club seen a ho with a thong
Observing a woman in a revealing outfit in the club
I ain't hear good at first she was singing the song
Jokingly suggesting that a woman dancing provocatively was actually singing the song
Shorty rocking donna she was pushing and popping
Describing a woman dancing and moving to the beat of the music
Red bone with a bop she was stoping and dropping
Describing another woman's dance moves
Stopping and dropping this the part of the song where
Introducing a section of the song where dancers can stop and then drop their bodies to the floor
You need be snaking and popping
Suggesting that dancers should move their bodies in a snake-like and popping motion
Snaking and popping yeah hoe Mag made the song
Asserting that Magoo is the one who created the song and popularized the dance moves
Why'all niggas still popping and locking
Comparing an outdated dance style to the current one
Ain't no zone (?) a white girl
Making a confusing statement about a white girl, possibly implying that there are no rules for dancing in a certain way
I ain't turbo rocking a damn curl
Indicating that the artist is not dancing in an overly-enthusiastic way, while also making a reference to a popular dance move of the time
Watch Mag slow while I break you down slow
Suggesting that Magoo is an expert dancer and others should watch him to improve their own skills
When you get it right girl go for what you know
Encouraging women to dance confidently and authentically
Wiggle a bit stop drop get up snake freak whop
Listing different dance moves that dancers can do to the beat of the music
Get off the wall hands of your balls
Encouraging men to dance and move around instead of standing still and keeping their hands in their pockets
Yeah nigga with the drink in his hand trying to ball
Observing a man who is trying to impress others but may not be dancing
You don't want shorty I can show you the dance
Offering to teach a man how to dance in order to impress women
Gone once gone twice you done lost your chance
Suggesting that if a man doesn't take the opportunity to dance with a woman, he may lose his chance to do so
Now stop for Big Pun stop for Big pun
Pausing the music to pay respect to the late rapper Big Pun
Drop for Big L drop for Big L
Continuing to show respect for another late rapper, Big L
Do the snake do the freak do the whop now drop
Mixing in different dance moves and encouraging dancers to drop their bodies to the floor to the beat of the music
(Magoo)
Identifying the singer as Magoo
Guess who came with a cape on his back
Jokingly referring to himself as a superhero
Pulled up with some gin hopped out the Cadillac
Describing the artist's style and demeanor when arriving at the club
Mag is chilling Tim is chilling
Stating that Magoo and Timbaland are relaxed and enjoying themselves
When I get up in this club I'm making a hoe feel it
Expressing confidence and suggesting that the singer is going to make an impression on someone in the club
Got no game but I got big cash
Admitting that the artist may not have great social skills, but is wealthy and can attract women with money
Mess around I be leaving this club with Stacey Dash
Jokingly suggesting that the artist could leave the club with the popular actress Stacey Dash
I ain't cute enough but my jimmy got a flick and it shimmy
Acknowledging that the artist may not be traditionally handsome, but still has attractive qualities
I'm in the club pulling hoes with Timmy
Asserting that the singer is able to attract women and is enjoying himself with Timbaland
All my shadow people where freaky where you at
Calling out a specific group of people who are known for their wild and funky dancing style
All my Broadway people freaky where you at
Encouraging people from different backgrounds and places to come together and dance
Where my fellas in the back with the (?)
Asking where the men who are dressed well and looking stylish are in the club
Where my girls who think they got it like that
Addressing confident and attractive women who know they look good
All my ndependent freaky where you at
Calling out people who are independent and free-spirited
All my get money dogs freaky where you at
Addressing people who are financially successful and able to enjoy themselves
Where my girls with the thongs who be shaking it fast
Describing a specific group of women who are dancing in a certain way
If you love to sing along nigga holla back
Inviting people who enjoy the song to sing along and participate
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELVIN BARCLIFF, TIMOTHY MOSLEY, FAT SCOOP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind