Timbaland

Biography

Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythmic style. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly stated that "just about every current pop trend can be traced back to him—from sultry, urban-edged R&B songstresses [...] to the art of incorporating avant-garde sounds into No. 1 hits." He has won four Grammy Awards from 22 nominations. Timbaland's first major production credit was on the album Ginuwine... the Bachelor (1996) by R&B singer Ginuwine. Further commercial success on his following productions—including Aaliyah's album One in a Million (1996) and Missy Elliott's album Supa Dupa Fly (1997)—made him a sought-after producer for R&B and hip-hop acts. He performed as a recording artist himself while doing so, releasing three albums as part of the Virginia-based hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo, along with his debut solo album, Tim's Bio (1998). He produced Justin Timberlake's 2002 single "Cry Me a River", and thereafter produced the majority of Timberlake's subsequent releases—including FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006) and The 20/20 Experience (2013)—along with their respective hit singles. Timbaland's 2007 single "Give It To Me" (featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake) peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of his second album, Shock Value (2007). It spawned the singles "The Way I Are" (featuring Keri Hilson) and "Apologize" (with OneRepublic), which peaked at numbers three and two on the chart, respectively. His third album, Shock Value II (2009), was supported by the top 40 singles "Carry Out" (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Say Something" (featuring Drake) and "If We Ever Meet Again" (with Katy Perry). Meanwhile, Timbaland's production credits throughout this time expanded to include songs for Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Madonna, Kanye West, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, and Björk, among others. Timbaland founded the record labels Beat Club in 2001 and its successor, Mosley Music Group in 2006, through which he has signed artists including Nelly Furtado—whose album Loose (2006) peaked the Billboard 200—as well as OneRepublic, Keri Hilson, Bubba Sparxxx, and Chris Cornell. Beat Club is namesake of a service in which Timbaland mentors upcoming producers, launched in 2020. Along with fellow producer Swizz Beatz, he co-created the webcast series Verzuz that same year.