Super producer Timbaland, known initially for his contributions to Hip Hop, says that he’s done with the genre.
“After my last album, I know where my bread and butter is at,” explained the producer, whose latest album features contributions from pop acts such as Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus, to MTV News. “I know 75 percent [of the people who buy my album] are women who love Timbaland and most are the women who watch Desperate Housewives and all those others. I did this research. It’s the women who watch Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives — all the real go-to-the-bar women like Timbaland, and mostly European women. It lets me know that my fanbase is mostly women and they are from all cultures. So it’s not a person who loves mostly Hip Hop. It’s a person who loves everything besides Hip Hop.“
Known for his innovative and always-evolving sound, Tim says that it’s not only the almighty dollar that’s driven him to this decision – he’s also not impressed with the Hip Hop music of today. “I was done with hip-hop a long time ago,” he said. “Once my generation left, I left. I do it, but there’s nobody from my generation besides Jay who’s doing it. I look at Lil Wayne as being from my generation. Some people are still acceptable. Kanye is acceptable from my generation.
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“It’s just not the same. By it not being the same, I kind of fade to black. I did music [on this album] that fits where I was going to in my age bracket. ‘What does Tim listen to in his car all the time?’ I love ’80s music. So how do I infuse ’80s with modern-day music? You Timbo the King, you gotta figure it out. I figured it out a couple of years ago with Nelly [Furtado] and Justin and myself. We had a tremendous run. I think it was good for me to do it that, because some people would say ‘Tim is cold.’ The same people who smile in my face would be the same ones to talk behind my back. But I got this run, I’m not gonna stop until I wanna stop.“
As for Timbaland‘s immediate musical future, the producer says that if the success of his latest LP, Shock Value 2, is anywhere close to the first, he’ll release a third for free.
