Timbaland

▪ 2009

Timothy Z. Mosley 

born March 10, 1972, Norfolk, Va.

      After two of the most successful years of his career, American hip-hop producer and performer Timbaland showed few signs of slowing down in 2008. In February he collected his second Grammy Award (best dance recording, for Justin Timberlake's “LoveStoned/I Think that She Knows”), following four other nominations, including best nonclassical producer. Timbaland's production work was prominent on new albums by pop singers Madonna and Ashlee Simpson, and Verizon Wireless announced that he would record a set of songs for the V CAST cell-phone network as its inaugural Mobile Producer in Residence.

      As a teenage hip-hop disc jockey, he became friends with an aspiring rapper named Missy Elliott, who asked him to assemble a demo recording for her rhythm and blues (R&B) group. Though the project soon fell apart, Mosley's production skills were noticed by popular R&B producer DeVante Swing, who encouraged him to pursue studio work and suggested the nickname Timbaland.

      In 1996 Timbaland experienced a commercial breakthrough with the Ginuwine single “Pony.” The song's off-kilter rhythm and creative use of electronic samples, unique among R&B recordings at the time, became hallmarks of Timbaland's production style. His reputation grew, thanks to the massive popularity of Aaliyah's album One in a Million (1996) and Elliott's solo debut album, Supa Dupa Fly (1997). Timbaland's distinctive involvement in their sound marked the start of a close association with both artists, and he was routinely hailed for his ability to craft hits that were both artistically innovative and commercially successful. Timbaland applied his singular touch to tracks from hip-hop's leading lights, including Jay-Z, Nas, and Snoop Dogg, and in 2001 he established a record label, Beat Club, to promote up-and-coming artists.

      Although he was widely credited with reinventing the hip-hop landscape, true stardom eluded Timbaland until 2006, when he produced albums for pop stars Timberlake and Nelly Furtado. Not only did their worldwide fame expand the audience for his work, but Timbaland's more visible role—he rapped between the singers' verses and appeared in their videos—also made him one of the most sought-after producers in pop music as a whole. He soon took on projects with Icelandic avant-garde singer Björk and British former new-wave band Duran Duran.

      In 2007 Timbaland unveiled a new solo record. Though he had already released four albums under his own name (including three with his childhood friend Melvin [“Magoo”] Barcliff), Shock Value was the first to gain considerable mainstream notice, owing in part to the record's extensive list of unexpected collaborators, such as rock band Fall Out Boy and British superstar Elton John. By early 2008 Shock Value had sold more than a million copies in the U.S. and had spawned three top-five hits.

John M. Cunningham

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▪ American music producer and performer

byname of  Timothy Z. Mosley 

born March 10, 1971, Norfolk, Va., U.S.

      influential American producer and hip-hop and rhythm-and-blues (rhythm and blues) performer who contributed to the chart-scaling success of a host of recording artists in the early 21st century.

      Mosley grew up in Virginia with rappers Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot (Elliott, Missy) and Magoo. At age 19, he began to learn how to use studio equipment under the direction of producer and musician DeVante Swing, whose mispronunciation of the shoe manufacturer Timberland resulted in a new name for his protégé. Timbaland's inventive production skills were first evidenced on Aaliyah's 1996 hit “One in a Million.” Soon afterward Timbaland signed with Blackground Records as both a solo act and part of the rap duo Timbaland and Magoo. In 1997 the two put out their first album, Welcome to Our World; featuring the contributions of Elliot and Aaliyah, along with the hit song "Up Jumps da Boogie," it achieved platinum sales status.

      By the late 1990s Timbaland had developed a signature sound that made him a much sought-after and often-imitated hip-hop and rhythm-and-blues producer. He used original beats—rather than samples—to create complex syncopated rhythms and complemented them with quiet background rapping or obscure sounds, such as a whinnying horse. With an uncanny knack for crafting commercially successful singles and albums, Timbaland produced hits for Jay-Z, Ginuwine, Elliot, Ludacris, and Snoop Dogg. In the early 2000s Timbaland moved beyond the genres of hip-hop and rhythm and blues to produce albums for rock and pop stars, including Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake (Timberlake, Justin), Beck, Bjork (Björk), and Madonna. In addition to his notable work as a producer, Timbaland continued to release albums, both as a solo artist and in conjunction with Magoo. He created new record labels under the umbrella of Interscope—Beat Club and Mosley Music Group—and received a Grammy Award (2006) for his work on "Sexy Back" with Timberlake.

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