Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American musician, record producer, DJ, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. 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’s first full credit production work was in 1996 on Ginuwine…the Bachelor for R&B singer Ginuwine. Further work on Aaliyah’s second studio album One in a Million (1996) and Missy Elliott’s debut studio album Supa Dupa Fly (1997) made him a prominent producer for R&B and hip hop artists. As a rapper he initially released several albums with fellow rapper Magoo, followed by his debut solo album Tim’s Bio in 1998. In 2002, Timbaland produced the hit single “Cry Me a River” for Justin Timberlake and went on to produce most of Timberlake’s subsequent LPs, such as FutureSex/LoveSounds and The 20/20 Experience along with their respective hit singles.
The Timbaland-owned imprint label, Mosley Music Group, featured artists such as Nelly Furtado, whose Timbaland-produced album Loose (2006) was a commercial and critical success. In 2007, Timbaland released a solo album, Shock Value, which was followed by Shock Value II in 2009. Timbaland’s production credits during the 2000s also include work with Jay-Z, Nas, Ludacris, Bubba Sparxxx, Madonna, Rihanna, OneRepublic, Brandy, Bj rk, Drake, Rick Ross and others. As a songwriter, he has written 85 UK hits and 99 US hits, as of 2014. With Swizz Beatz, he created the popular webcast series Verzuz in 2020.