Timbaland Biography You might not know him by name, but chances are you’ve heard some of Timbaland’s music. After all, he has created songs for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Aaliyah, Jay Z, and Ludacris. Born Timothy Z. Mosley on March 10, 1971, Timbaland hails from Norfolk, Virginia. Today he is known only by his stage name, and he is considered one of the predominant hip-hop and R&B producers and rappers around. Timbaland’s success can be accredited to several factors. For one, he has immense talent. His unique sound effectively blurred the lines between rap, hip-hop, and R&B. The end result was a new genre of music that was surprisingly accessible to the public. However, Timbaland also knew all the right people. Growing up in Norfolk, he became acquainted with a then-unknown female rapper named Missy Elliot. He also met Melvin Barcliff (know by the MC name of Magoo) with whom he would later found the hip-hop group Timbaland & Magoo. The threesome moved to Suffern, New York, to pursue their musical aspirations.
When Elliot and her group, Sista, were signed to DeVante Swing’s label Swing Mob, Mosley began working intimately with DeVante. DeVante is even attributed with giving young Mosley his nickname, after the popular hip-hop footwear Timberland boots. During this time, Timbaland continued to do some light production work, but his big break came when fellow swing mob artist Ginuwine released his 1996 album Ginuwine…the Bachelor. Timbaland produced the entire record, and the hit single “Pony” illustrated how innovative he was in the music industry. The song heavily featured syncopation and the short snare, two elements not used in hip-hop until Timbaland popularized them. He was also heard rapping on many of the tracks. While working on The Bachelor, highly popular singing sensation Aaliyah contacted both Elliot and Timbaland to work on her second album One In A Million. Selling over two million copies, the record made superstars out of everyone involved, including Aaliyah, Elliot, and Timbaland. Throughout the late 90s and into present day, Timbaland established himself as one of the most prolific, talented, and highly sought after artists in the music industry. However, his songs are present through more media outlets than just radio. He is also an established go-to artist for film song production. His music has found its way into many varied films including but not limited to Dangerous Minds, Can’t Hardly Wait, Doctor Dolittle, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Romeo Must Die, Moulin Rouge!, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. He was also a production runner for the 2005 film Mrs. Henderson Presents starring Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. He also produced the 2001 film 30 Years to Life starring Erika Alexander and SNL funnyman Tracy Morgan.
Timbaland has also been present in front of the camera. He has made several film and television appearances as himself. He took part in the Jay Z documentary Fade to Black in 2004 and the E! True Hollywood Story on Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot also in 2004. He was also invited to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, an honor only extended to the most popular artists of the day. Timbaland has never been engaged, married, or romantically linked with any other high profile celebrity. Let us know of updates to the Timbaland biography at editor@yuddy.com |
