Timbaland fans have a reason to get excited after the decorated producer revealed that he’s back in the studio with his frequent collaborator from the mid-2000s, Nelly Furtado.
Taking to Instagram on Monday (July 17), Timbo shared a video and a photo from the studio with the singer – who he previously racked up hits with including “Promiscuous,” “Maneater,” “Say It Right” and more from 2006 through 2008.
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“I’m cooking,” Timbaland captioned the pic.
Fans then proceeded to flood his comments section. “Prayers answered!!! Lol Throw JT into the mix,” one person wrote. One person called them “the duo we need again,” while a third fan added: “The dynamic duo [fire emojis] the Dre and Snoop of pop music.”
Outside of reconnecting with Nelly Furtado, Timbaland recently unveiled his plans to venture further into artificial intelligence – despite recently receiving criticism for using AI-generated Biggie vocals.
As he explained to Forbes magazine in a May interview, Tim plans to “commercialize artificial intelligence software” with the goal of “revolutionizing how songs are made.”
“It’s going to really be a new way of creating and a new way of generating money with less costs,” he said. “I’m already here. This is what I’m doing. I’m going to lead the way.”
According to Forbes, the software was developed by Light Energy Labs, a Miami-based company the producer cofounded last year with software programmer and producer Zayd “Creatrgod” Portillo.
It is Timbaland’s belief that AI voice filters will “open up an unprecedented world of creativity in music.” As a result, he hopes his startup and AI voice filter technology will “usher in the new era.”
Besides benefiting emerging artists, the software could also benefit established ones, he explained. Also, it may mean that a producer can use the voice of “a music legend who is no longer with us.”
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However, he pointed out there are a host of “legal issues centering on copyright and revenue-sharing” that need to be resolved before the music can be released.
The internet has been saturated with AI-generated songs in recent months — notably “heart on my sleeve,” a track with AI-generated vocals from Drake and The Weeknd that was released earlier this year.
But in Timbaland’s opinion most AI voices have been amateurish, and that “it’s not being done in a way that would make artists and record labels feel proud to be involved.”
