Hitmaking super producer Timbaland opened up in a recent interview with New York Magazine. In the piece, Timbo shares his thoughts on the current state of music and the years when his popularity had been in decline. He also talks about his relationship with hip-hop superstar Jay Z.
Jay and Tim collaborated frequently in the late ’90s, but their relationship soured in subsequent years. The two reconciled this year, with Timbaland handling much of the production on Jay’s Magna Carta Holy Grail album. Tim says that a higher power helped him mend the error of his ways.
“I’m very religious so I’m gonna put it in this terms: God done [sic] work on me,” said Tim. “That’s the best way I can put it. God did a lot of work on me, and when I looked in the mirror I saw a different person. I did some changing, and the first person I apologized to was Jay.”
As far as those years when he had seemingly lost touch with pop culture and fell out of fashion? Timbaland says it was just a case of changing times.
“Every year changes, every generation,” said Timbaland. “I feel like I was getting whacked. The music of today, it’s not like the music I’m making. And, um. It just … it was humbling.
“They have no stars in this generation,” he added. “They have these D.J.’s, techno-whatever, that’s not music. That just goes to show you that drugs is [sic] that popular. don’t want to feel like I’m dissing people. Because guess what, they found a way to make a living for theyself [sic]. So who am I to diss the next man who know [sic] how to make a living for theyself [sic]?”
