During an interview with iHeartRadio and The Breakfast Club, Norfolk, Virginia producer Timbaland spoke on his relationships with Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, and Jay Z. The beatsmith doted on Jay Z while speaking on the pair’s relationship, even stating that Hov “might be the smartest man that I probably know.”
Timbo later stated that Jay Z is a true testament to the quote, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
“He’s a big brother. He’s a mentor,” Timbaland said. “Being with Jay I can tell how he was even though I didn’t grow up with him. I can tell how he was as that guy in the street…He’s a very smart man. He didn’t belong, but he was. So, he’s a true testament to saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ He is the true testament of don’t judge. ‘Just because I live in this building and I hang around these people, I’m just as smart as you and your mama and your grandmom.’ That might be the smartest man that I probably know. As a black man and just the way he thinks. The way he sees music. The way he envisioned out his life.”
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Prior to speaking on Jay Z, Timbaland was asked how he got his start in producing. According to the musician, he got his start when his mother bought him a Casio keyboard that could only sample one second of a record.
“If you didn’t deejay you can’t really be a producer,” he said. “That’s my opinion. So, I loved Mantronix back in the day. So, what happened was people stopped making good beats. I was like ‘I can’t mix this.’ So, I was like ‘Maybe if I make my own beats.’ I couldn’t afford nothing, so my mama got me this Casio keyboard where you could only sample one second. So, you had to be creative. How to sample in a second. You know how crazy you gotta be…When you love music you figure out how to make the best mixtape. And that’s how you make money.”
In his interview, Timbaland also addressed the constant upgrades and new products in the production world as well as the products world in general. He then addressed the willingness of Hip Hop fans to label a song hot rather than critique it.
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“When Atari came out you had to live with Atari,” Timbaland said. “When Pac-Man came out that was the only game that was good. And it was out like two years before the next one came out. And the problem today is they put out too much upgrades…That’s why we have the thing ADD because it’s always some way you can find something new to upgrade it.”
Timbaland’s interview with The Breakfast Club can be found below.
For additional Timbaland coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
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