Timothy Zachery Mosley, known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, and singer. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinctive "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."
Timbaland & Magoo were an American hip hop duo composed of producer/rapper Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and rapper Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff, formed in 1989 . The duo signed with Blackground Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records to release three studio albums: Welcome to Our World (1997), Indecent Proposal (2001), and Under Construction, Part II (2003). Following the latter's moderate reception, Timbaland then focused on his solo career and production work, while Magoo failed to release any solo material. Magoo died of a heart attack in 2023.
Swing Mob was a loosely knit musical collective consisting of artists and record labels first discovered by Jodeci member DeVante Swing in 1991. The artists on Swing Mob included Missy Elliott with the group Sista, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, Static Major and the rest of Playa, Darryl Pearson, Mike "Funky Mike" Jackson, Tweet with the group Sugah, Majik, Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, Maija Max, Renee Anderson, Bazaar Royale and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others, although the group's full membership has never been documented comprehensively. A list of some known artists in Swing Mob at the time of the group's activity can be found in the liner notes of Jodeci's third studio album, The Show, The After-Party, The Hotel (1995).
Blackground Records 2.0 is an American record label founded and owned by Jomo and Barry Hankerson. Initially named Blackground Enterprises, the label switched its name to Blackground Entertainment then later Blackground Records in 2000. In 2021, the label rebranded as Blackground Records 2.0, reviving its company and catalogue onto streaming services, with a partnership with Empire Distribution. It co-operated with a publishing company founded by Hankerson, named Black Fountain Music.
Playa was an American R&B/hip hop group, formed in 1990. The original lineup consisted of Jawaan "Smoke E. Digglera" Peacock, Benjamin "Digital Black" Bush and Stephen "Static Major" Garrett. Playa is best known for their 1998 hit song, "Cheers 2 U", produced by longtime collaborator Timbaland. Static was notable for being a successful songwriter of hit singles and album tracks for artists such as Ginuwine, Aaliyah, Truth Hurts, Lil Wayne and Brandy.
"Make Me a Song" is a song by American singer Kiley Dean. It was written by Candice Nelson, Walter "Lil Walt" Millsap and Timbaland for her unreleased debut album Simple Girl, while production was helmed by the latter, with additional production by Scott Storch. A rhythmic and lyrical push and pull in which Dean describes her journey to the studio to find the perfect melody and beat, the song references "Rock the Boat" (2001) by American R&B singer Aaliyah. Released as Dean's debut single, "Make Me a Song" peaked at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
American singer Aaliyah has released three studio albums, two compilation albums, and 31 singles. Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At age 10, she appeared on Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah signed a deal with Jive Records and Blackground Records. During that time, she met R. Kelly through her uncle Barry Hankerson; eventually, he became her mentor, sole lead songwriter, and producer for her debut album. Released in 1994, Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold three million copies in the United States. Months after the release of her album, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records due to allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly.
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on June 10, 2008, by Cash Money, Universal Motown and Young Money Entertainment. It follows a string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists' albums. The album features appearances from Jay-Z, T-Pain, Fabolous, Robin Thicke, Busta Rhymes, Juelz Santana, Babyface, Bobby V, and Kanye West, among others. It also features Static Major, who is credited posthumously following his death in February of that year.
Tim's Bio: From the Motion Picture – Life from da Bassment is a 1998 album released by Blackground Records. Though nominally the debut solo album by hip-hop/R&B producer Timbaland, the LP is technically a compilation of tracks produced by Timbaland and often – though not strictly – featuring his vocals. A litany of guest stars appear on Tim's Bio, from Timbaland's "Swing Mob" partners Magoo, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Playa, and Skillz, to outside performers Nas, Jay-Z, Twista and others. Tim's Bio notably marks the on-record debut of Ludacris on "Phat Rabbit", later included on his major-label debut LP Back for the First Time (2000).
Welcome to Our World is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Timbaland & Magoo. It was released on November 11, 1997, through Blackground Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The production was handled by Timbaland, except for the song "Joy", which was produced with Smoke E. Digglera. It features guest appearances from Playa, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Shaunta Montgomery, & Mad Skillz.
"Hot Like Fire" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah for her second studio album One in a Million (1996). The song was written by both Missy Elliot and Timbaland, with the latter producing the song. In 1997 it was re-recorded and released as the fifth and final single from One in a Million with "The One I Gave My Heart To" on September 16, 1997 by Blackground Records and Atlantic Records.
"Make It Hot" is the first single from Nicole's debut album of the same name. The single was released on June 2, 1998. The single was written by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Tim Mosley, and A. Richards, and was produced by Timbaland. The song features Mocha and Missy Elliott and uncredited lead and background vocals from Keli Nicole Price.
"Hit 'Em wit da Hee" is a single by singer/rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. The track is found on her debut album, 1997's Supa Dupa Fly. The single was not eligible to chart in the U.S., and it was a success overseas, reaching No. 25 in the UK, her fourth consecutive top 40 hit. The music video edit of the song contains sampled strings from the Björk song "Jóga". In The U.S. the album version was released to radio and it received minor mainstream urban radio airplay and peaked at No. 61 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Released from Supa Dupa Fly, it was the final single from the album during summer 1998.
Timothy Mosley is an American rapper and record producer better known as Timbaland. This discography lists the recorded performances, writing and production credits as Timothy Mosley, as Timothy Zachery Mosley, as Timbaland or DJ Timmy Tim. Song names that are bold are singles, album names/releases are in italics.
"Up Jumps da Boogie" is the debut single by hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo, released on July 11, 1997, as the first single from their debut studio album, Welcome to Our World. Featuring rapper Missy Elliott and R&B singer Aaliyah, the song peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, and No. 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The song's chorus interpolates funk-disco group Heatwave's 1977 single "Boogie Nights".
"Lollipop" is a song by American rapper and singer Lil Wayne posthumously featuring fellow American singer Static Major, issued on March 13, 2008, as the lead single from the former's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III (2008). The track, which heavily utilizes the Auto-Tune vocal effect, was produced by American record producers Deezle and Jim Jonsin. A remixed version with a guest appearance from American rapper Kanye West was released a bonus track for the album on iTunes.
Cheers 2 U is the only studio album by American R&B group Playa, released March 24, 1998, on Def Jam Recordings subsidiary Def Soul.
"Here We Come" is a song by American producer/rapper Timbaland. It features frequent collaborators Missy Elliott and Magoo and serves as the lead single for Timbaland's solo debut album, Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment (1998). The song also features background vocals by Playa and Darryl Pearson. While the song charted and was released via radio airplay on November 17, 1998, it was not granted a physical release in the United States until March 2, 1999; and on October 5, 1999, for Germany.
"Poison" is a song by American singer Aaliyah featuring Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on December 17, 2021, through Blackground Records 2.0, as the lead single from Aaliyah's upcoming posthumous album, Unstoppable. The Weeknd has writing credits alongside Belly and Static Major. Production was handled by DannyBoyStyles and Nick Lamb with engineer Mike Dean.
