Timbaland gets his freak on with Shock Value

Besides being the best friend of Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, born Thomas Mosley, has found himself the Yang to Timeberlake's Yin. As audiences has engulfed his CD, from the ex-'N Sync lead singer and scores of other musical heavyweights, his creation is a completely Timbaland masterpiece. The 35 year-old is continually changing what is considered hot in a business dependant on heat.  

Decade of dominance

Celebrating ten years as a purveyor of the music business the impresario, who was raised in Norfolk, Virginia, made a name for himself in Virginia Beach behind the turntables. SheKnows was given an exclusive look into how, even as he releases his first solo effort, his true motivation in music is the collaborative effort -- regardless of who sits across him. "Part of the satisfaction for me is us getting in the studio and whatever we come up with is a bonus," Timbaland said.

The first single "Give it to Me" with Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, is blazing up the charts. His producing magic is witnessed in five tracks currently in the Top 10 from Timberlake's "What Goes Around Comes Around" to Furtado's "Say It Right," Timbaland's golden touch continues. Timberlake's album has almost sold three million copies and to expect the same from the man behind countless musical tours de force is not a long shot.

"Timbaland Presents Shock Value" arrives in stores April 3. The man who now could easily be the hardest working person in show business only had a few moments before his album drops, but illuminated a lifetime in one conversation. Timbaland has created a musical menagerie worthy of his track record and beyond. Proving his ability to produce thrilling work with extensive artists, "Shock Value" visitors run music's gamut including Fall Out Boy and Dr. Dre.

Summer 2006 saw him take two drastically diverse songs to number one alone. Helping Timberlake bring "Sexy Back" and encouraging Furtado to be "Promiscuous," his sound is as varied as his client list. Madonna, 50 Cent and Coldplay have each placed requests for Timbaland to craft beats for their new record. "It's crazy the people that want to work with me," he recently said on MTV. Beyond those heavyweights, his schedule is still filling with a Missy Elliott reunion and British new wavers, Duran Duran.

But this is nothing new to the man who introduced Aaliyah, Elliott and Jay-Z to the world through his beats. And anyone who has gotten hooked by the hooks in Ludacris' 2001 smash "Roll Out" knows it is pure Timbaland.

Totally Timbaland

Now the spotlight is shining on Timbaland himself. It seems anyone he has helped in the past is showing up on "Shock Value." The collaborator that raises eyebrows is a piano man who Timbaland has previously never had the pleasure of working with: Elton John. The British legend couldn't be further from the Jay-Zs of the world, yet the song cracks with the same intensity. With a heavy emphasis on the piano for "2 Man Show," the producer immediately thought of John solely for his work on the black and whites.

"(It's) just the soulful playing that he does," Timbaland said. "The song that I presented him with was him playing the piano, which is what he is great at. I said to him, 'let me get at you doing something unexpected -- but not really unexpected -- and something that you like to do which is play the piano.' That's what I did. I got him playing the piano."

He clearly is proud of everyone who aided this personal project.

"Part of the satisfaction for me is us getting in the studio and whatever we come up with is a bonus," Timbaland said. "

Listening to Elliott's early songs, she occasionally raps about "me and Timothy"; that's Timbaland. With "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" Timbaland's skills exploded. Elliott's hit found him turning music on its ears and their "Get Ur Freak On" and "Work It" further pushed the envelope. He first joined Timberlake for "Cry Me a River" and the rest was history. He has been on the road with his good friend appearing throughout Timberlake's current tour and manning the turntables during intermission.

For fans that think they have a clue from where his name derives, if the guess is the wilderness footwear, simply, that is it. And, mirroring those shoes, you can forgive the man for being a work horse. He keenly understands that life is short. In Virginia Beach, while working as a DJ in the city's clubs, he was shot and lived to tell. After surviving a car crash that killed a friend, he rebounded to produce the late Aaliyah, and their collaboration sold millions. With that first project he became the definition of originality, in his opinion, a concept completely vacant from music's current landscape.

"I think music is going on a down slope. As far as some of it being too gimmicky, I'm tired of gimmicks in the music industry. That's the problem," Timbaland said. Working with a plethora of varied artists on "Shock Value" further added to his musical mission ten years in the making. For Timbaland, the collaboration is the muse. "Getting into and just working together in the studio is the greatest satisfaction."

Timbaland articles on SheKnows:

Ashlee Simpson's SheKnows interview: talking about working with Timbaland
Missy Elliot returns to work with Timbaland and produces sonic succulence
One Republic and Timbaland scores Ear Candy with "Apologize"
Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland score a hit with "4 Minutes"