It is no understatement to say that Timbaland is one of the most influential and successful songwriter-producers of the last three decades: Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Madonna, Drake, Bjork and even Chris Cornell are just the best-known of the literally hundreds of artists the man born Timothy Zachery Mosely has worked with since the Virginia-born, Miami-based hitmaker first popped onto the scene with records by Aaliyah and Ginuwine in the mid-1990s.
His monumentally prolific musical output slowed down to normal speed for a few years while he focused on a multitude of other projects — most prominently “Verzuz,” the pandemic-spawned rap/R&B battle series he launched with fellow hitmaker Swizz Beatz, which he says has a top-secret announcement coming that will “take us to a whole other level”; and Beatclub, a curated platform for producers and songwriters to sell beats, demos and other song elements to artists, brands and music supervisors.
He will receive the Pioneer Award for his work creating Beatclub and producing music with top artists at Variety’s second annual Miami Entertainment Town event taking place in the city Thursday (April 13).
Beatclub is a two-way street, as it provides an environment for Timbaland to work with young creators — and he’s collaborating with tons of them on forthcoming projects, along with new albums from Timberlake and Elliott. In a sprawling 45-minute chat, Tim expounded at length upon all of the above and much more — and check back tomorrow, when we’ll have more from Tim on the Timberlake album.
You live in Miami now — what do you love about the city?
What attracts me? It feels like Virginia, it feels like a [major] city, and it feels tropical. It’s good to hear so much diversity in music — a little bit more on the Spanish side, but that’s cool. Like Will Smith says (sings), “Welcome to Miami!”
What the status of the new album you’ve been recording with Justin Timberlake?
We just finished up and everything sounds great. Now it’s really on him how and when he envisions it to come out, but it’s done and it’s coming.
What does it sound like?
It’s fun Justin — it’s like [their 2006 blockbuster collaboration] “FutureSex/LoveSounds” but nothing too heavy, just giving you what you expect from us. Music is a young sport — of course, we’ve both seen a lot of life, but you have to bring out the 13 year old kid again, you know? We had songs that maybe were too complicated, so we said we want it to feel like “FutureSex” part two, so we did songs that will fit that.
How about Missy? It’s been more than 15 years since she released a full album.
We’ve got a lot of songs we’re gonna start recording soon, and my dream is to have it out around her birthday in July. I want it to sound how she looks — she looks incredible right now. We both look like we 19 again — see? [Holds phone camera closer to his face.] I know how Missy works: It’s got to be new and fun — or maybe not so much new as kind of underground, and everything is upbeat. Some of it has a kind of Latin feel to it, almost a Bad Bunny effect, some of it’s kinda like underground Brazilian funk. People gonna eat it up — and it might reach a just a different demographic of people. It’s like it’s her doing… not reggaeton but Missy-ton (laughter).
Both of your music seems to suit that sound, because there isn’t really a Latin influence but it’s busy and bouncy in ways that music is.
Exactly! And I would love to see her doing features with Latin artists, like I think Young Miko would be dope with Missy, and so would Bad Bunny — I think that she could show them something. She’s already global, but this takes it to a different level.
Do you get a lot of new influences coming in from working with people through Beatclub?
All day! I am Coach Timbo. I’m in my Quincy Jones phase, where I’m scouting out the best of the best. My thing is to find my LeBrons and build around them: “This is the play, let’s go execute.” This kid Skip, I feel like he’s the baby Timbaland. There’s so much talent out there. These kids want to prove how great they are, and their ideas generate new ways of doing business.
How did Beatclub come together? Who put together the technology and the marketing?
It started when somebody approached me to do a sound pack, and I was like, Why would I do that for another company when I can start my own company and sell my sounds myself, and create this hub that all the producers can come to?
My partner [and manager] Gary Morello played a huge role in it — he built the team and he has the ambition of a Jimmy Iovine, you know? Jimmy was my mentor, and you need that type of energy when you’re building a company — somebody’s who’s gonna try to solve a problem and not be like “Oh no, we got a problem, we don’t do this, we don’t have that.” He’s always trying to find a solution.
I call it the “Amazon of beats” — like, I do this thing called “Timbo Idol” on TikTok, where all these people come and some of them have wack music. So I say, “All these beats that you’re singin’ on and rappin’ on ain’t it! If you want to get better beats, come to Beatclub.” I curate all the beats, and I’m real hands-on with it, I listen to everything that goes on the service. It’s like therapy for me. Right after I get off the phone with you, I’m gonna go play a bunch of their new beats.
It’s refreshing to hear how energized you are by new sounds and young people. So many successful musicians just do the same thing over and over, and when that happens —
You die! You die [creatively], and you don’t realize it. When you look at Michael Jackson and Prince, they got lost [later in their careers]. “Why isn’t it working anymore?” Because you’re not evolving. Look at Elton John, look at how vibrant he is — why? Because he’s always wanting to evolve. It keeps you young!
What’s happening with Verzuz? You settled the legal issues with Triller, right?
Yeah, we’re about to go to the to the next level, and when you do that, there’s always little bumps in the road, a few hiccups. But we’re about to make an announcement — I can’t really talk about who we got on it because the paperwork’s not in yet, but this one’s gonna be pretty cool. Me and Swizz are still involved in a big way, and we’re doing something that nobody’s ever seen — it’s not like a battle, but it’s me and him. When you see it, you’re gonna be like, Oh, that’s kind of different.
This is kind of a personal question, but you used to be the guy who hardly ever talked, and now you’re speaking at the Axios conference. Did —
Thank you, thank you! It’s something I’ve worked on. I’m a very spiritual person, I pray a lot. And I think God says, “I’m going to put you in an uncomfortable position and see what you can do.” So I had to jump in the fire and just go out there and start doing it. I’ve never felt great in my speaking — that never was me. And [in interviews], the old Tim used to be real short with my answers, a little grumpy, never elaborate, because I’m really an introvert. I express myself through my music.
But now, I’m finding that people actually want to hear me speak, and God has allowed me to articulate it in a way that has the feeling of my music. Even doing this, I’m not gonna say I’m 100% comfortable, but I’m like 90% —
You sound 100%.
That’s great. But I feel like I could be better. And now as I keep going, I’m gonna start getting coaching. I used to think “That’s just not my thing,” but now it’s becoming my thing — at least a secondary thing. You just don’t know whose life you might touch. So for me it’s been like therapy. I ain’t there yet — I’m not gonna get up and be giving speeches, but now it’s an uncomfortable-comfortable position. I gave some answers on this call that even shocked myself!
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