From the Vault: Timbaland Interview

With Timbaland heading to Australia this April for Supafest 2011, it’s only right that we have the producer extraordinaire officially launch our ’From The Vault’ series.

Rhyme & Reason interviewed a rather melancholy Timothy Mosley for our first print issue back in 2005 - back before he was built like the Hulk, before he found love with his publicist, even before we could imagine him ever winning a Best Dance Recording Grammy.

So join us in revisiting a lovelorn Timbaland as he remembers Aaliyah, laments the fickle music industry and brands himself an inconsiderate loner. His words, not ours.

Exactly how long have you been in the industry?
About eleven, twelve years.

What motivates you?
Music. I love Music but nothing musically is motivating me right now. The world is changing and I’m getting older. I knew it was something when I started looking at B2K funny. As I think about it, I’m sure it’s like how when we were young, how [older] people looked at Rakim. We’re like those people now, the older generation. We’re getting older.

I like doing music but I don’t like what’s being said on top of the music. It’s like all the images are the same old, same old. There’s really no creativity. It’s just a repeat, a cycle. It’s all a bunch of bull crap.

What’s in your CD player now?
Coldplay, Maroon 5… stuff like that.

What inspires you to keep going as a producer?
Old school music. I might hear some old school music and that might inspire me to go forward.

What is it about your music that makes people come back for more from you and Missy?
I don’t know, maybe it’s just that VA [Virginia] sound that me, Missy and Pharrell all got.

Do you think that style of music comes from you all being brought up in VA?
It could be ‘cause we were all limited. We didn’t have a lot of things. We had to create our own little sound.

What was it that made you say to yourself, ‘I want to be a producer’?
I never wanted to become a producer. What happened was, I wanted to be a DJ and when I met Missy and them, I was doing beats on this little Casio keyboard. I was just doing stuff ‘cause people weren’t making the kind of music I wanted to hear.

What was Missy doing at that time?
She was singing and doing her thing with her group Phase 2.

If you could be doing anything else as a career what would it be?
If I could do anything it would probably be the same thing, nothing spectacular ’cause I don’t really like nothing else. I’m starting to get into other things now. I’m starting to branch out. By being in music, it makes you explore other avenues and other things in life that you might not normally do - like maybe play tennis or something.

Do you play tennis?
Yup, I be out there. I’ve started to [play]. Now that’s something I wouldn’t normally do, but being exposed to different things in life makes you do things you normally won’t.

What artist haven’t you worked with that you would like to before pulling a Michael Jordan on us?
None. I’m satisfied.

Is there a particular artist that you really enjoy working with?
No, not really. It’s all the same thing. It’s just making great music. It’s not so much the music, it’s more about the time spent with the artist, you know?

‘Peace and quiet’ or ’party hardy’?
Oh, peace and quiet.

Is there a special place you go for that?
Hawaii.

What is it about Hawaii?
There ain’t nothing there. I mean, it’s nice, the water’s nice. It’s so relaxing and it’s so peaceful.

Pardon me for saying, but you don’t seem to be excited about much.
Nope. I’m cool. I enjoy buying property, buying houses, stuff like that. Enjoying life.

What’s your sign?
[laughing] Pisces.

What are some of the Pisces characteristics you would say stand out about you?
People draw to me. Different kinds of women draw to me.

What type of women do you like?
At one point in time I used to be real judgmental about females and about their characteristics. I’m not like that no more. As far as women, it varies. I mean, I could like a person’s eyes or her mouth. I don’t know.

So basically you don’t discriminate anymore?
No, I don’t really discriminate, but I want a woman who has some kind of morals. I mean, if I have a child with her, how would they raise our child?

Do you have any children?
No.

What gives you a sense of security. What’s makes you feel secure in life?
I don’t. I just live life as it goes.

What would you say are some of your flaws?
I’m kind of inconsiderate.

Ha!
I am. I’ve been told that by different woman I fooled with. They say I’m inconsiderate. My timing is messed up. I don’t know. I’m a strange person. I’m real strange. A lot of women that I do get close to fall in love and I wouldn’t know until the last seven or eight months. But hey, I’m nonchalant. I can care less.

What do you consider a major turn-off in a woman?
A woman who smokes. Just one that does things unladylike because I’m trying to go back to the old school. I don’t want a woman who got a foul mouth, like she’s on a ship. I can’t clean up a woman. It takes God to do that. They got to have God in their life. That’s how I made it this far, you know, always keeping God first. If a woman doesn’t have the same morals, it will probably never work.

What is your ultimate goal in life, or have you already achieved it?
I really don’t have an ultimate goal. You just live life and then you die. That’s all.

What’s one word to describe you best?
Loner.

If you could have dinner with anyone, whether they are still here on earth or not, who would it be?
If I could have dinner with somebody, I’d want to have dinner with Aaliyah and just hug her. That’s about it.

Wow! I don’t know why, but I wasn’t expecting that. I’m such a mush when it comes to Aaliyah. Now look, you almost made me cry.
Hey, you asked me the question.

How would you say that you’ve rebuilt yourself from the loss of Aaliyah?
I don’t think I have. I think we just go on.

With your newer artists, or other artists that you’ve worked with, have you tried in anyway to recreate or package them in the mold of Aaliyah?
No, never! But I think Ciara is like Aaliyah.

What is it about Ciara?
I like her energy, her attitude.

What other artist do you admire?
It’s all about groups. Maroon 5, Coldplay… a lot of European groups.

I noticed Brandy, on her album Aphrodisiac, mentioned Coldplay. Was that inspired by you?
Probably. The guy who wrote her songs liked Coldplay, too.

Do you ever see yourself going in that direction, maybe alternative?
I don’t know. I could. I could not.

If you could change the music industry, how would you?
I did!

If you could change what the newcomers are doing in the industry, how would you?
I would tell them to go back and listen to real music, 70′s and 80′s music, something that ya’ll young people don’t know nothing about. Ya’ll don’t know nothing about it. Go back and study the art of where real music comes from. Feel me?

What advice would you give the newcomers to the industry?
Everything is fleeting. At first you’re hot then someone new comes and knocks you off. I don’t know. There’s no advice to give. This game is corrupt.

Do you care to elaborate?
I can’t really elaborate, you just have to be in it to see. There are so many things. So many things happening everyday that I just block my mind from it.

See Timbaland live at Supafest 2011. Purchase tickets here: NSW / VIC / QLD / WA