Timbaland - Timbaland Presents: Shock Value (April 3, 2007)

Missy Elliott’s sixth album, The Cookbook, was her first to barely feature any contributions from her longtime creative partner, Timothy “Timbaland” Mosely. In yesterday’s post, I speculated that it could be due to the fact that her prior effort, This Is Not A Test!, was her lowest-selling album to date, and Missy decided that she needed to evolve her sound past Timbo. But there is one other, much more probably explanation: Timbaland was simply too busy working on his own second solo attempt, 2007’s busily-named Timbaland Presents Shock Value (which I will be referring to as just Shock Value from this point forward).

Timbaland & Magoo - Under Construction Part II (November 18, 2003)

Especially observant readers will recall that Missy Elliott released an album entitled Under Construction in 2002. This is because I wrote about it just yesterday, you dorks. One year later, a sequel was released, conveniently entitled Under Construction Part II: this will be the subject of today’s post. This continuation is notable for its creative direction, one which just wouldn’t fly with any major studio: Under Construction Part II reduces the protagonist’s role to that of a mere cameo, while the focus shifts to two different characters, one of whom was in the background of nearly every scene in Under Construction, while the other is a brand new entrant to the series, and the narrative chooses to follow this pair instead.

Which means Under Construction Part II should be considered more of a spinoff, not a direct sequel. But Timbaland likes to court possible lawsuits from consumer advocacy groups for false advertising: given how loosey-goosey he is with clearing his samples, it’s not like he doesn’t have several lawyers on retainer.

Timbaland & Magoo - Indecent Proposal (November 20, 2001)

Embrace the mainstream reviews, folks: that sub-genre of hip hop isn't going away anytime soon, so it's impossible to pretend it doesn't exist.

I'd be willing to bet money that most of my two readers could give a flying fuck about Timbaland, but the man has created a staggering amount of hot beats, and has changed the very way pop radio sounded more than a few times. These days, he just seems to delegate production work to his many minions (Danja being the most successful), but there was once a time when he handled the beats for dolo. He even managed to keep some of them for his own projects, both his collaborative effort with partner-in-rhyme Magoo (Welcome To Our World) and his own solo disc, Tim's Bio: Life From Da Bassment.

In 2000, Tim Mosely decided to hook up with Magoo again for Indecent Proposal, their not-so-highly-anticipated follow up, released four years after their debut. In between their first project and this one, Timbaland had formed the Beat Club, a Fight Club-inspired crew of producers, rappers, and singers, which included Magoo, Missy Elliott, Tim's brother Sebastian, vocalist Tweet, Ms. Jade, and Mad Skillz, among others, and he decided to turn Indecent Proposal into a collaborative effort. Unfortunately, Missy didn't get the memo, as this is the only Timbaland project that she had nothing to do with, strange considering their past history. Skillz only appeared on one track, as he was about ten seconds away from leaving the crew behind entirely, hoping to move on to a hip hop career that consisted of having bloggers (and those that follow blogs daily) hanging on to his every word at the end of every year. Tweet was a new Timbaland discovery, and was poised to make her debut on here. To whet appetites, Timbaland helped executive-produce the soundtrack to Romeo Must Die, a film which starred Aaliyah and Jet Li, and included the Tim & Magoo track "We At It Again", which, I have to admit, was actually pretty good, for what it was.

However, label politics (and the fact that the first single, "Drop", well, dropped with little to no fan reaction) forced Indecent Proposal back onto the drawing board. Originally intended for release in 2000, it finally hit store shelves in late 2001, a few months after frequent collaborator Aaliyah, who appears on one track, passed away in a plane crash. Indecent Proposal also failed to properly introduce Tweet to the masses: this disc came out after Missy Elliott's third album, which included what was now officially the first appearance of Tweet on officially-released wax.

When it finally dropped, Indecent Proposal barely made a dent in the genre, even though it does feature a vastly improved Magoo and a, well, coherent Timbaland on the mic. They are surrounded by such a large number of guests that it's almost impossible to discern who's actually supposed to be there and who isn't. Which probably contributed to the project's low sales (according to the RIAA, this shit didn't even go gold).

1. INTRO (FEAT DJ S&S)
This obnoxious bullshit already has me upset. That can't be good.

2. DROP (FEAT FATMAN SCOOP)
This is not so much a Timbaland and Magoo song as it is their interpretation of a club track that Fatman Scoop would shout during be involved with if he were available. Which, luck would have it, he was. Both Tim and Magoo sound much too calm for this to be the club banger it wants to be when it grows up. It's also six fucking minutes long, and there is no real excuse for that. Moving on...

3. ALL Y'ALL (FEAT SEBASTIAN & TWEET)
The second single (the first was the previous song, although I never heard that one on the radio around my way), which may be censored on my copy: I'm pretty sure Timothy mentions being called the “fuckin' governor” and not the “effin'” one, as he seems to on my disc, but whatever. Anyway. I don't understand why Timmy has to wait for the first of the month before he can do whatever he wants: he's fucking rich. It's almost as confusing as to how he can have all of this disposable income, and yet, not have any money, flowers, or a “red” American Express in order to woo Keri Hilson. I can't figure out why this dull track was a minor radio hit.

4. IT'S YOUR NIGHT (FEAT SEBASTIAN & SIN)
I'm a fan of Timbo, but I readily admit that not all of his beats click. This one was boring as shit, but then again, this leaves room for all of the rappers involved to try and impress the listener. Amazingly, Magoo sounds pretty good, but Timbaland destroys all goodwill by comparing himself to 2Pac. Maybe all of the steroids were affecting his thought processes.

5. INDIAN CARPET (FEAT STATIC)
The title is ridiculous, as it has nothing to really do with the song: the phrase is repeated within the hook merely because it's the fucking title. That said, Timbo's beat is really fucking good, coming off as something he may have meant to give Aaliyah (R.I.P.) earlier in his producing career, and Magoo is actually not horrible. The vocals (provided by the late Static Major (R.I.P.), formerly of the group Playa) are also entertaining. You can't help but wonder how much better this song could have been had a better rapper taken the reigns, though (*cough* Ludacris *cough*).

6. PARTY PEOPLE (FEAT JAY-Z & TWISTA)
This sounds like it wants to be “Lobster & Scrimp II”. Hova and Twista completely outshine Timbaland and Magoo (as was expected), but the hook is pretty terrible, and even though Timbo's instrumental is alright (especially during its final minute), there's a very valid reason why this song never comes up whenever hip hop heads discuss hot Jay-Z and Timbaland collaborations.

7. PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF (FEAT STATIC)
I actually liked this song when Indecent Proposal dropped, mainly because of the beat and the way that Static Major takes over vocal duties for Timbo toward the end. There isn't much to this track, but it's still enjoyable enough today.

8. VOICE MAIL
Interlude...

9. SERIOUS (FEAT PETEY PABLO)
Not the biggest Petey Pablo fan (he lost me when he started working with Lil' Jon and Ciara; also, when he appeared in Drumline), but I like his work with Timbaland, and he comes across as the only artist on “Serious” that can handle its hyperagressive beat. A beat which sounds really good, by the way. But Tim and Magoo are overwhelmed to such a degree that I'm surprised they allowed this track to make Indecent Proposal's final cut.

10. ROLL OUT (FEAT PETEY PABLO & SEBASTIAN)
Timbaland already produced a song called “Roll Out” (for Ludacris: it was released on a Luda album one week after Indecent Proposal dropped, but had been a massive hit prior to this), so the title of this track is confusing. Not in a “Huh?” kind of way: more like a “What the hell was he thinking?” type of mindset. Also, this song sucks monkey taint. If you played this track for someone and then explained that this was the same Timbaland that too over pop radio airwaves from 2005 through 2008, they would smack your father for raising such an obvious fucking liar. For those of you two who care (and I doubt you two actually exist, but I'll say this anyway), every rapper on here sounds a little bit worse than the last.

11. LOVE ME (FEAT TWEET & PETEY PABLO)
Timmy passes off production duties to Craig Brockman, who slows down things a bit too much on here, with Tweet's vocals inducing sleep much more than any form of love. This is probably someone's favorite track on Indecent Proposal, and I just trashed, it, so all I can say is, I feel sorry for you.

12. BABY BUBBA (FEAT PETEY PABLO)
I may like some of Petey Pablo's work with Timbo, but this dull-as-a-child's-butter-knife track is the exception. Pass.

13. IN TIME (FEAT MS. JADE & MAD SKILLZ)
Ms. Jade, Timbaland's former protege who was last seen assistant-managing a Foot Locker, pops up on here with an unimpressive performance. She manages to outrap all three other artists on here by the mere fact that she simply has more verses (yep, even Skillz, who, to be honest, doesn't really seem to care on here), and thus, more of an opportunity to try.

14. MR. RICHARDS (FEAT PETEY PABLO)
Skit...

15. CONSIDERATE BROTHA (FEAT LUDACRIS)
Magoo's pimp rhymes during the first verse are the funniest thing ever. Timbo's waking up in the morning and “fixing” orange juice is an image that is also pretty hilarious. It shouldn't be a shock at all to learn that Luda completely outshines his hosts, even though he hardly comes across as the “Considerate Brotha” of the title: he actually sounds like a dick.

16. BEAT CLUB (FEAT TROY MITCHELL, SIN, & SEBASTIAN)
A song titled after Timbaland's crew of producers and weed carriers should have the illest beat on Indecent Proposal. Should. Instead, the instrumental is wholly ineffective. The artists who spit verses all sound okay, though. This actually sounds like Timbo's interpretation of Swizz Beats, doing the “Jigga My N---a” beat that the Ruff Ryders later spit to for “Scenario 2000”. Or is that just me?

17. I AM MUSIC (FEAT AALIYAH & STATIC)
This was originally supposed to be a duet between Beck and Aaliyah, but to this day I'm still not sure what happened to him. (Timbaland produced Beck's David Bowie cover “Diamond Dogs” for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack, which I happen to like, but their heavily-touted collaborative album has not materialized, and it probably never will.) Not that his presence would have made this dull song sound any brighter, though. Thank fucking God this disc is finally over.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Indecent Proposal borrows its name from a movie starring Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Demi Moore's breasts, but the album presents listeners with an unfair proposition of its own: in exchange for your hard-earned cash, Timbaland and Magoo provide mostly inferior-sounding songs with little to no cohesion between tracks. For folks who listened to the first Timbaland and Magoo album (Welcome To Our World), this formula shouldn't be much of a surprise, but it appears that their calculations were off a bit this time around, because most of these songs suck. Timbo (very) occasionally brings us some inspired beatmaking, and while Magoo has stepped up behind the mic, he still doesn't captivate an audience with his Q-Tip-inflected phrases. In short, Indecent Proposal is best left ignored.

BUY OR BURN? If you're a Timbaland fanatic, a burn is sufficient, but if you're like everyone else who read this blog and bitch about the commercial albums when they pop up, you'll probably skip this one, and I can't fault you for that. Besides, according to Amazon.com, this shit costs $21.99. Seriously? The fuck? I paid two dollars for this shit, and even that was too much!

BEST TRACKS: “People Like Myself”; “Indian Carpet”

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Timbaland & Magoo – Welcome To Our World
Timbaland – Tim's Bio: Life From Da Bassment

Timbaland - Tim's Bio: From the Motion Picture 'Life From Da Bassment' (November 24, 1998)

For starters, there is no motion picture called Life From Da Bassment. I'm sure that Timbo, along with every other rapper in history, has aspirations of starring in his own movie, and even came up with the title, but then lost his nerve. (Mobb Deep, we're still waiting for that Murda Muzik movie!) Even if there were such a film (and I just shuddered when I typed the word 'film'), Tim's Bio would be a terrible soundtrack for it, since the songs themselves don't follow any sort of conceptual flow.

Tim's Bio is best considered as the precursor to Timbaland Johnson's pop-radio-dominating Shock Value, since the entire purpose of Tim's Bio was to aid Timbaland in his attempts to take over urban radio (a market that he had already conquered, so the conceit of this project was mostly self-serving). Timbaland even briefly separated from his counterpart Magoo during the course of this disc, to reposition himself as a solo artist that could make hits with anyone, but especially with people that he worked with on a daily basis, such as Missy Elliott, Magoo, and Ginuwine.

Tim's Bio sold decently enough to allow Timbo to continue his journey into sound, but not well enough to dominate the radio (unlike Shock Value, which is all over the airwaves in my neck of the woods). It only really spawned two singles to my knowledge, which I will get into later, and later Tim Mosely ran back to Magoo to record a second full-length effort with his partner at his side.

Obviously, this all took place before his chance meetings with Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberland...sorry, I mean, Timberlake.

I remember picking this up because I actually still liked Timbo and Magoo's Welcome To Our World (for some reason), and was starting to become a Timbaland junkie. I also remember not listening to it until much later, because better things kept coming up. Except for one song, it didn't leave much of an impression on me, but hopefully enough time has passed to allow a more thorough write-up.

We'll see.

1. INTRO (FEAT T.K. KIRKLAND)
Rap album intro. Zzzzzzzzz..............

2. I GET IT ON (FEAT BASSEY)
Timbaland has admittedly gotten a lot better on the mic (see his more recent output on Shock Value), but back in 1998, he was still pretty weak. The production on this song doesn't help.

3. TO MY (FEAT NAS & MAD SKILLZ)
Nasir Escobar is alright on this song, but hopefully Nas and Timbo will never work together again, since "You Owe Me" is a good enough reason for them to avoid each other's calls. The formerly mad Skillz, however, is effortless on a track that even Nas seems to find a bit awkward.

4. HERE WE COME (FEAT MAGOO & MISSY ELLIOTT)
The first single, which rips off the theme song from the old Spider Man cartoon. The video was visually interesting, but the song without visual representation is meh at best.

5. WIT' YO BAD SELF (FEAD MAD SKILLZ)
Mad Skillz rhymes come-ons to an unknown female over the theme music from I Dream Of Jeannie. The hook is terrible (most Timbaland hooks are), but the concept itself is decent, and the execution is, admittedly, pretty damn good.

6. LOBSTER & SCRIMP (FEAT JAY-Z)
The second and final single, and bar none, the best Shawn Carter/Timbaland collaboration available today, and it's not even on a Jay-Z album. "Dirt Off Your Shoulders" and "Big Pimpin'" may have gotten more airplay (rest in peace, Pimp C), but "Lobster & Scrimp", ridiculous spelling notwithstanding, wears the crown. Seriously.

7. WHAT CHA KNOW ABOUT THIS (FEAT MOCHA & BABE BLUE)
I always kind of liked Mocha. Whatever happened to her?

8. CAN'T NOBODY (FEAT 1 LIFE 2 LIVE & LIL' MAN)
The part toward the end, where the beat changes completely, is much more interesting than this song in its entirety, rhymes and all. There is a reason you've never heard of 1 Life 2 Live until today, folks. And, for the love of God, that Lil' Man alias of Timbaland's (I'm just assuming here) is fucking annoying, kind of like Warren G's G-Child character.

9. WHAT CHA TALKIN' 'BOUT (FEAT LIL' MAN, STATIC, & MAGOO)
Nothing that's of your concern.

10. PUT 'EM ON (FEAT STATIC & YOSHAMINE)
Thank God Timbaland switched up his sound a bit. If he were still making beats like this weak shit, his career would have ended years ago, and he would be working the register at Burger King while Magoo handled the fryer.

11. FAT RABBIT (FEAT LUDACRIS)
Since this album didn't sell as well as everyone involved would have hoped, many people missed out on the mainstream debut of Chris Bridges, who has his rap name misspelled in the liner notes as 'Ludichris'. Truthfully, he comes off as nothing special, except for the fact that it seems to be easy for him to keep up with the beat. SInce this song was later included on his Def Jam debut anyway, most Luda fans aren't missing anything. The term "fat rabbit", as used here, though, is unsettling.

12. WHO AM I (FEAT TWISTA)
Brilliant collaboration. These two need to work together more often. Next!

13. TALKING ON THE PHONE (FEAT KELLY PRICE, MISSY ELLIOTT, & LIL' MAN)
We have now entered the R&B portion of Tim's Bio. Timbo has made some damn good R&B songs (most of which with the late Aaliyah), but this is not one of them.

14. KEEP IT REAL (FEAT GINUWINE)
My favorite Ginuwine song is "What's The Difference?", which featured that Godzilla sound effect layed into Timbo's beat. Damn, I wish I were listening to that song right now, just so I could ignore this travesty.

15. JOHN BLAZE (FEAT AALIYAH & MISSY ELLIOTT)
Probably the best R&B track presented here, but unnecessary nonetheless.

16. BIRTHDAY (FEAT PLAYA)
I always kind of felt bad for Playa, since they pretty much disappeared off of the musical map after dropping their Timbo-produced debut (along with Ms. Jade, now that I think about it). This song rescinds some of those feelings.

17. 3:30 IN THE MORNING (FEAT VIRGINIA WILLIAMS)
Meh.

18. OUTRO
...

19. BRINGIN' IT (FEAT TROY MITCHELL)
And for no reason, some unknown rapper finishes off the album by hammering the final nail into its coffin.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Tim's Bio is a rambling mess. There are a handful of tracks (not surprisingly, they're all rap, not R&B) that are worth seeking out, but Tim's Bio was proof that not all of Timbaland's friends were musically talented. His premonition regarding Chris Bridges, though, was impressive, and he did reinvent Nelly Furtado for a more mainstream audience, so I'm not saying that Tim doesn't have an ear for talent; he's just said "yes" way too fucking much back then. (I'm guessing that, with the insane amounts of money he makes these days, saying "no" is a hell of a lot easier for him now.)

BUY OR BURN? Track down the songs listed below, pull up your iTunes, and burn them, but leave the disc itself in the bargain bin of your local f.y.e. Trust me, you don't want to actually buy this one. That's why I'm here, to take the monetary hit for you, my dear two readers.

BEST TRACKS: "Lobster & Scrimp"; "Who Am I?"; "Wit' Yo Bad Self"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Timbaland & Magoo - Welcome To Our World

Timbaland and Magoo - Welcome To Our World (October 28, 1997)

In the midst of the bizarre war of words between superproducer Timbaland and wannabe superproducer Scott Storch, I decided to dust off an older album that could possibly prove Storch right.

If he had made his point ten years ago.

See, the indisputable fact is that Tim Mosely is a fucking fantastic producer. Completely changed the sound of hip hop. He can make a club banger and something to ride in your car to in the same sitting. The fact that he doesn't even really do hip hop tracks anymore speaks volumes for the amount of respect he gets in the music industry alone. Accordingly, he's also changed the face of pop music. Next up, of course, is Norwegian polka.

Whereas Scott Storch has...well, he did the beat to Terror Squad's "Lean Back", which was good but not great. He was a founding member of The Roots, a great rap group that uses a live band (read: sells zero copies). He's worked side by side with Dr. Dre. And who could forget his collabos with Paris Hilton and Brooke Hogan?

Storch obviously was offended enough by Timbo's dismissing of him as a "piano man" on his newest single, so he decided to go into the booth and rap. He's not any good, either. And of course, this being a rap beef, the other guy on the record calls Tim a fag. Raise your hand if you didn't see that coming.

It's funny and a bit unsettling watching a beef unfold between two people who are best known for their beats, but are fighting with their rhymes. It's funny because neither of them can rap for shit. It's unsettling because everyone already knows that Timbo won this one, and now it's just wasting our time, time better spent on reading the other posts on this blog. 

I should point out that I'm biased. I'm a huge fan of Timbo's work. He's a pop artist now, and he gets as much shine as the artists that he works with, but he came up out of the hip hop shadow. Not every track he does is genius, but pair him up with a great rapper and the shit is bananas. God help me, I even like his work with Justin Timberlake. And even the Nelly Furtado work, even the song that he allegedly stole from some guy in Finland.

As I said before, I'm a lover of a good pop song. Timbaland can make a good pop song.

In 1997, though, he was mainly known as an R&B producer just hitting his stride, producing hits for established artist Aaliyah (R.I.P.) and his own fam, consisting of Missy Elliott, Ginuwine, and the group Playa (which I've never actually heard any music from). To showcase his work, he made the odd decision to release an album featuring himself rapping over his own beats. He teamed up with his friend Magoo, another guy who can't really rap, and they ran with the idea for several albums.

Have I mentioned enough times yet that neither of the artists are great rappers? Or even good ones? Timbo always sounds better when he's on someone's hook or ad-libbing. And Magoo may sound great when he's trying to get you to switch your long-distance service provider. On a record together, though, they apparently sounded okay enough to go platinum. Which means this album must be good, right?

Welcome To Our World is probably the worst example in the world to use when you're debating about the genius that is Tim Mosely. I also realize that some readers (all two of you) may not agree with this album being featured on a hip hop blog. But, tough shit, this is the album I found today.

1. BEEP BEEP

Sure, it's over four minutes long, but don't be fooled: it's a fucking intro on a rap album.

2. FEEL IT

I assume that Timbaland wrote his own rhymes for the album. Read into that whatever you wish.

3. UP JUMPS DA BOOGIE (FEAT MISSY ELLIOTT AND AALIYAH)

True story: when the single for this track was released, it was credited to "Magoo and Timbaland". Then when the album comes out, the names are transposed. In an unrelated note, "I Know What Girls Like"??? What were you thinking?

4. CLOCK STRIKES

People say that Magoo sounds like Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Hearing this song, I can see their point.

5. 15 AFTER DA' HOUR

This is like an episode of Seinfeld - about absofuckinglutely nothing.

6. MS. PARKER (INTERLUDE)

Because what would a rap album be without skits? An R&B album, that's what.

7. LUV 2 LUV U (REMIX) (FEAT SHAUNTA)

This still sounds as good as I remember. Hilariously sequenced before the original track.

8. LUV 2 LUV U (FEAT PLAYA)

For good reason, obviously; this sounds weak.

9. SMOKE IN DA' AIR

Reminiscent of really shitty early Ginuwine songs.

10. INTRO BUDDHA (INTERLUDE)

See #6.

11. PEEPIN' MY STYLE

Turns out that Mr. Mosely is a fan of Easter candy. Who knew?

12. WRITTIN' RHYMES

But not a fan of Spellcheck.

13. DEEP IN YOUR MEMORY

Beat doesn't match the song.

14. CLOCK STRIKES (REMIX)

Much better than the original, even if it uses the same Knight Rider sample as that Busta Rhymes song. There's a remix of this remix that features Skillz, the video of which rips off From Dust 'Til Dawn, featuring a recreation of the Salma Hayek dance sequence. Great, now I'm distracted.

15. SEX BEAT (INTERLUDE)

A song about the rise of capitalism, on a rap album? Huh.

16. MAN UNDERCOVER (FEAT AALIYAH)

I'm sure that other rapper on that Scott Storch song was using the title of this song as his evidence. Never mind the fact that this is basically an Aaliyah song that was left off of her own album.

17. JOY (FEAT GINUWINE AND PLAYA)

The beat isn't very joyous.

18. UP JUMPS DA' BOOGIE (REMIX) (FEAT MISSY ELLIOTT)

So, in the "remixes have better beats than the originals" competition, Timbo is three for three.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The Timbaland on this album isn't the same guy who's making those hits now. The talent is evident; some of the beats on this album are pretty good. But you know what may be better next time? An instrumental album.

BUY OR BURN? Burn it. This is probably readily available in any used CD store, but it's there for good reason. To separate T.I. from The UN, of course. What did you think I meant?

BEST TRACKS: "Clock Strikes (Remix)"; "Luv 2 Luv U (Remix)"

-Max