Timbaland has been at the forefront of popular music for almost three decades and now the Virginia-raised hitmaker is in line to receive one of the biggest honors a musician can be awarded: induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
On Jan. 17, the 51-year-old beat maestro was announced as a part of the incoming 2024 class. Other inductees include Steely Dan, whose song “Peg” is sampled in De La Soul’s “Eye Know.”
“I’ve said it before, but the music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first,” Grammy-winning Chic co-founder and Songwriters Hall of Fame chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement. “Without them, there is no recorded music, no concert business, no merch … nothing, it all starts with the song and the songwriter.”
“We are, therefore, very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time and that the 2024 slate represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender — songwriters who have enriched our lives and literally enriched music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world,” Rodgers concluded.
First getting his start in Devante Swing’s “Bassment” crew in the early ’90s, Timbaland broke out on his own in 1996 producing Ginuwine’s debut hit, “Pony,” before going on a legendary run with hitmaking partner Missy Elliott. He worked with Beyoncé on “Drunk In Love.” Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” has earned him many Grammy Award wins and numerous other accolades.
Timbaland’s induction makes him just the fifth hip-hop artist ever to achieve the honor with Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott and Snoop Dogg.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala will take place in New York on June 13.
