Timothy Zachery Mosley
(born March 10, 1971), [1] better known by his stage name Timbaland
, is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, singer and rapper. Timbaland has produced albums and singles for a number of artists from the mid-1990s to the present day..
Timbaland's first full credit production work was in 1996 on Ginuwine...the Bachelor
for R&B singer Ginuwine. After further successful work on Aaliyah's 1996 album One in a Million
and Missy Elliott's 1997 album Supa Dupa Fly
, Timbaland became a prominent producer for R&B and hip-hop artists. Initially he released several of albums with his partner fellow rapper Magoo. He is according to britishhitsongwriters.com the 22nd most successful songwriter in the history of the U.K. charts based on the number of weeks his compositions have spent on the chart. [2]
However, in early 2007, Timbaland was accused of plagiarism regarding his work on the Nelly Furtado track "Do It". He is alleged to have plagiarized elements from the song "Acid Jazzed Evening" by Finnish artist Tempest, without giving credit or compensation [3].
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TIMBALAND TICKETS
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Biography
Timothy Zachary Mosley was born and raised October 10, 1971, in
Virginia beach, Virginia. Originally a
disc jockey known as "DJ Timmy Tim"
[4] or "DJ Tiny Tim",
[5]. Mosley began making hip hop backing tracks on a
Casio keyboard. While in high school, Mosley began a long term collaboration with rapper Melvin Barcliff, who performed under the name of
Magoo. The teenaged Mosley also joined the production ensemble S.B.I. - "Surrounded By Idiots" - which also featured
Neptunes producer
Pharrell .
Singer/rapper Missy Elliott heard his material and began working with him
[6]. She and her R&B group Sista auditioned for
DeVante Swing, a producer and member of the successful R&B act
Jodeci. DeVante signed Sista to his
Swing Mob record label and Elliott brought Mosley and Barcliff along with her to New York, where Swing Mob was based. It was DeVante who renamed the young producer Timbaland, after
Timberland construction boots, which were popular in hip hop fashion
[7].
Sista, Timbaland, and Magoo became part of DeVante's stable of Swing Mob signees known as "Da Bassment" crew, joining artists such as R&B singer
Ginuwine, male vocal group
Playa (
Smoke E. Digglera,
Static Major and Digital Black), and the 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 the theme song to
Seasame Street
, and Sista’s debut LP
4 All the Sistas Around the World'' (which was never released).
Elliott began receiving recognition as a
songwriter for artists such as R&B girl group 702 and
MC Lyte. Due to Timbaland's connection with her, he was often contacted to produce remixes of her songs
[8].
On November 26, 2007, Timbaland and his then-fiancee Monique Idlett became parents to a baby girl
Reign
.
[9] Monique was also a publicist working at Timbaland's Mosley Music Group record company. The two later married in their sweatpants in a quick ceremony.
Career
1996–2002
Timbaland produced songs including
Ludacris' "Roll Out (My Business)",
[10] Jay-Z's "Hola' Hovito",
[11] Petey Pablo's "Raise Up",
[12] and
Beck's cover of
David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" during this period.
[13] He also contributed three songs, all eventually released as singles, to
Aaliyah’s self-titled third album, the exotic lead single "
We Need a Resolution" (featuring himself rapping a verse), "
More Than a Woman", and the ballad "
I Care 4 U".
[14]
Timbaland & Magoo’s second album together was slated for release in November 2000.
Indecent Proposal
was to feature appearances by
Beck,
Aaliyah, as well as new Timbaland protégés—some from his new Beat Club Records imprint--
Ms. Jade,
Kiley Dean,
Sebastian,
Petey Pablo, and
Tweet (who was a member of Sugah during the Swing Mob days). The album was delayed for an entire year, finally released in November 2001. It was a commercial disappointment. Beck’s vocals for the track "I Am Music" were not included on the final version, which instead featured Timbaland singing alongside
Steve "Static" Garrett of Playa and Aaliyah
[15].
The first release on Beat Club was the debut album by
Bubba Sparxxx in September 2001,
Dark Days, Bright Nights
[16]. The loss of
Aaliyah deeply affected Timbaland. In a phone call to the
MTV show
Total Request Live
, Timbaland said:
She was like blood, and I lost blood. Me and her together had this chemistry. I kinda lost half of my creativity to her. It's hard for me to talk to the fans right now. Beyond the music, she was a brilliant person, the [most special] person I ever met
—Timbaland, "ref">[17]
2003–2005
Timbaland contributed three tracks to Tweet’s debut album,
Southern Hummingbird,
and produced most of Elliott’s fourth and fifth LPs,
Under Construction
and
This Is Not A Test!
[18]. He also produced tracks for artists such as
Lil’ Kim ("The Jump Off") and southern rapper
Pastor Troy during this period
[19]. Collaborating with fellow producer
Scott Storch, Timbaland also worked on a number of tracks on former
*NSYNC lead singer
Justin Timberlake’s solo debut,
Justified
, including the song "
Cry Me a River"
[20].
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
[21].
In 2004 Timbaland produced singles for
LL Cool J,
Xzibit,
Fatman Scoop, and
Jay-Z, and he produced the bulk of
Brandy’s fourth album,
Afrodisiac
[22].
Timbaland co-wrote two tracks (
Exodus '04 and
Let Me Give You My Love) and produced three tracks of the bilingual Japanese Pop star
Hikaru Utada’s debut English album,
Exodus
[23]. He continued working on tracks for
Tweet and for Elliott’s sixth album,
The Cookbook
: "Joy (feat.
Mike Jones)", and "Partytime"
[24] and continued to expand his reach with production for
The Game and
Jennifer Lopez ("He'll Be Back" from her fourth studio album,
Rebirth.
)
[25].
2006–2007
Timbaland started a new label,
Mosley Music Group, bringing some talent from his former Beat Club Records label
[26]. On the new label are
Nelly Furtado,
Keri Hilson, and rapper
D.O.E. [27].
In early 2007, Timbaland mentioned he wanted to work with female artist
Britney Spears on her album
Blackout. However, Spears refused.
Timbaland provided vocals on the singles the
Pussycat Dolls's "
Wait a Minute", Nelly Furtado's "
Promiscuous" and "
Ice Box" by
Omarion. In an interview published in August 2006 in the UK
[28] Timbaland revealed he was working on a new LP by
Jay-Z and that he had been working on tracks with
Coldplay’s
Chris Martin [29].
Timbaland worked on seven songs for
Björk’s new album, including "Earth Intruders", "Hope", and "Innocence"
[30] and he later worked on tracks for the new
Duran Duran album,
Red Carpet Massacre
, including one featuring his frequent collaborator Justin Timberlake
[31]. Later in the year, Timbaland produced songs for Bone Thugs N Harmony's LP,
Strength & Loyalty
[32] and the song "
Ayo Technology" on
50 Cent’s album
Curtis
[33]. Timbaland also produced most of the tracks on
Ashlee Simpson's third CD,
Bittersweet World
, including the song "
Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)"
[34].
On April 3, 2007, Timbaland released a collaboration album featuring artists including
50 Cent,
Dr. Dre,
Elton John,
Fall Out Boy,
Nelly Furtado,
Missy Elliott, and others called
Timbaland Presents Shock Value
.
A rivalry flared up between Timbaland and record producer
Scott Storch in early 2007. The tension initially started on the single "
Give It to Me", when Timbaland anonymously called out Storch, rapping, "I'm a real producer and you just the piano man". Timbaland confirmed that he was talking about Storch in an interview with MTV personality
Sway Calloway [35]. Storch responded with the track "
Built Like That" on February 26, 2007, featuring
Philadelphia rapper NOX, which caused a final response by Beat-Club-rapper D.O.E. on the song "Piano Man". The end of the feud was confirmed by Timbaland in the final issue of Scratch Magazine
[36].
In fall 2007 Timbaland produced a single for the British-Asian R&B star
Jay Sean, called "Caught", but the single didn't make the final cut on his second album
My Own Way
.
Plagiarism controversy
Timbaland's plagiarism controversy occurred in January 2007, when several news sources reported that Timbaland was alleged to have
plagiarized several elements (both motifs and samples) in the song "
Do It" on the 2006 album
Loose
by
Nelly Furtado without giving credit or compensation.
[37] [38] The song itself was released as the fifth North American
single from
Loose
on
July 24,
2007.
The original track, entitled "Acidjazzed Evening", is a
chiptune-style 4-channel
Amiga module composed by
Finnish demoscener
Janne Suni (a.k.a. Tempest).
[39] The song won first place in the Oldskool Music competition at
Assembly 2000, a
demoparty held in
Helsinki,
Finland in 2000.
[40] According to
Scene.org, the song was uploaded to their servers the same year, long before the release of the song by Furtado. The song was later remixed (with Suni's permission) by
Norwegian Glenn Rune Gallefoss (a.k.a. GRG) for the
Commodore 64 in
SID format - this is the version which was later allegedly sampled for "Do It". It was added to the
High Voltage SID Collection on
December 21,
2002.
[41]
A video which claims to show proof of the theft was posted to
YouTube on
January 12,
2007.
[42] Another video was posted to YouTube on
January 14,
2007, claiming Timbaland also stole the tune a year earlier for the ringtone
Block Party
, one of several that were sold in the United States in 2005.
[43]
2008
In 2008, Timbaland helped produce many albums for various artists that include
Sean Paul's
Imperial Blaze
,
Madonna's
Hard Candy
,
Brandy's
Human
[44],
Ashlee Simpson's
Bittersweet World
,
Keri Hilson's
In A Perfect World
,
Flo Rida's
Mail On Sunday
,
Letoya Luckett's
Lady Love
,
Lindsay Lohan's
Spirit in the Dark
,
Chris Cornell's
Scream
,
JoJo's
All I Want Is Everything
,
Nicole Scherzinger's
Her Name is Nicole
,
Missy Elliott's
Block Party
,
Matt Pokora's
MP3
,
Keithian's
Dirrty Pop
,
The Pussycat Dolls's
Doll Domination
,
Busta Rhymes's
B.O.M.B,
Lisa Maffia's
Miss Boss
,
Teairra Mari's
Pressed For Time
[45],
Jennifer Hudson's debut album,
Dima Bilan's
Believe
,
Samantha Jade's,
My Name Is Samantha Jade
,
New Kids on the Block's
The Block
and
Keshia Chanté's new Album.
In February 2008 the first 'Fashion against AIDS' collection -an initiative of 'Designers against AIDS'
[46] and sold in H&M stores in 28 countries- was launched, for which Timbaland designed a T-shirt print, posed for the campaign and spoke out in a video, to help raise HIV/AIDS awareness among urban youth and to advocate safe(r) sex.
On February 8, 2008, it was announced that Timbaland would be releasing an album exclusively for
Verizon Wireless's
V CAST cell phone service and was designated its very first "Mobile Producer in Residence." Timbaland will be joined by
Mosley Music Group/
Zone 4 singer/songwriter
Keri Hilson to begin work on the mobile album’s first track aboard the fully equipped Mobile Recording Studio. The only track to surface so far is Garry Barry Larry Harry "Get It Girl". In his first effort within the
video game industry, he is working with
Rockstar Games to produce
Beaterator
, a music mixing game for the
PlayStation Portable to be released in the summer of 2009.
[47]
In September 2008 it was announced that Timbaland would be inducted into the Philosophical Society of
Trinity College, Dublin as an Honorary Patron in October 2008.
[48]
Timbaland is producing the movie “Vinyl” which follows the lives of 5 young women facing life-altering decisions about their relationships to members of a rock band. Timbaland’s Mosley Media Group is teaming up with Effie T. Brown's Duly Noted Inc. to create the movie. Marcus Spence, President of Mosley Music, Timbaland’s wife and publicist Monique Idlett Mosley, will be producing the film. Shooting starts in spring with Richard Zelniker as director.
[49]
2009-Present
In 2008, Timbaland began working on his third studio album,
Shock Value 2
, the follow-up to his 2007 platinum album
Shock Value
.
[50] In January 2009, Timbaland clarified rumors about the recording process of the album and acknowledged that he would release the album within the year. It is reported that he will be working with
Leona Lewis,
Jordin Sparks,
Rihanna,
Jonas Brothers,
Emma Bunton and long time collaborator
Justin Timberlake on the album.
[51] In March 2009, he filed a lawsuit against his label,
Blackground Records, alleging that they attempted to
blackball him after he decided to move from music performance into production.
[52]
So far this year, he has worked with
Nelly Furtado and British
X Factor winners
Leona Lewis and
Alexandra Burke on each of their upcoming projects. He has also produced tracks for
Mariah Carey,
Wyclef Jean,
Missy Elliott,
Keshia Chanté and
Jay-Z's upcoming albums.
Thomas Crown Studio
Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley built a private
recording studio in
Virginia Beach. The studio was conceived and developed with long time engineer,
Jimmy Douglas. The Studio is managed by
Garland Mosley and Brian Byrd. This full service audio production center has been created in an existing (approximate) 5,000 sq. ft. two-story industrial park building. A complete renovation of the building results in a two-studio recording and post production facility, and continues the growth of the Virginia Beach music community that has spawned the likes of
The Neptunes,
Missy Elliott,
Nate "Danja" Hills and many others.
Discography
- 1997: Welcome to Our World
- 1998: Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment
- 2001: Indecent Proposal
- 2003: Under Construction, Part II
- 2007: Shock Value
- 2010: Shock Value 2
Awards
References
- Timbaland - Biography
- http://britishhitsongwriters.com/
- Is Timbaland a Thief?
- My Block: Virginia
- Bio
- Soundtrack of my life: Timbaland
- Title Unavailable
- Tim’s Brio
- Timbaland Gets Engaged, Welcomes Baby Girl
- LUDACRIS HITS THE SILLY SUMMIT
- Jay-Z and Timbaland, Together Again
- Petey Pablo, The Black Robert De Niro?
- Timbaland Film Vying For Sundance Grand Jury Prize
- Aaliyah Finds 'Resolution' With New Single, Video
- Timbaland To Release Aaliyah / Beck Duet
- Timbaland Launches Label
- Timbaland, P. Diddy, Other Artists React To Aaliyah's Death
- This Is Not A Test!
- Lil' Kim, Delivering The Goods
- Critic's Choice: New CD's
- Bubba Sparxxx : Deliverance
- Brandy evolves to "Afrodisiac"
- Leaving the Girl Behind
- EW review: Elliott's 'Cookbook' overdone
- ‘Rebirth’ at its best when J. Lo keeps it on dance floor
- Super sonic
- They write the songs — and they're singing them, too
- 'I'm up here. Everyone else is down there'
- Timbaland to work with Coldplay
- Björk Borrows Timbaland on New Album, SXSW Gets Guilt-Free, Radiohead Concerned About World, Making Record
- Duran Duran at work with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland
- FAST TRACKS; Harmony? Good to the Bone
- Timbaland Talks About His And Justin Timberlake's 'Hot' Collabo With Madonna
- Ashlee Simpson Reveals Christmas Gifts For Fans (New Album Title) And Pete Wentz (Shh!)
- Can the Star Maker Make Himself a Star?
- SCRATCH: Is This The End?
- Onko Nellyn hitti Suomesta? ('''Finnish''')
- Yhdysvaltalaistuottaja pölli suomalaismuusikolta ('''Finnish''')
- Tempest's website
- Scene.org's Assembly 2000 results data
- High Voltage SID Collection Update #34
- YouTube Producer Timbaland steals song from Finnish musician
- YouTube Timbaland steals song - more proof!
- http://www.rap-up.com/2008/10/21/brandy-records-with-timbaland-new-video/#more-8786
- Title Unavailable
- http://designersagainstaids.com
- PSP - Music Sequencer from Rockstar and Timbaland: Beaterator
- http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2008/09/09/20485954.aspx
- http://thomascrownchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/11/timbaland-tries-moviesagain.html
- Timbaland Working Up Shock Value 2 With Rihanna, Beyonce, Jonas Brothers
- Timbaland Responds To False Shock Value 2 Reports
- Timbaland Claims Blackground Label Tried To Blackball Him