Hip-hop super-producer Timbaland is known for being one of the most innovative beat makers in the history of rap music. The 51-year-old Norfolk, Virginia-born artist rose to fame and popularity thanks to his partnership with artists like Aaliyah and Missy Elliott, and he later worked with just about every big name under the sun, from Jay Z to Justin Timberlake.
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But while the musician, who has also put out popular solo albums like Shock Value, is known for his music, some may wonder just what he has to say about life outside of his songs. What are his thoughts on his craft, love and the world at large? Well, for that let’s explore below. These are the best 20 Timbaland quotes.
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1. “I’m trying to do something real different; I’m trying to bring the street to real pop. I’m trying to bring the street to pop. Not watering it down, no nothing.”
2. “My first love is producing.”
3. “I been through some junk. It ain’t all been peaches and cream.”
4. “I’m weird, I do crazy things, it’s not like the average norm.”
5. “The same people who smile in my face would be the same ones to talk behind my back.”
6. “An artist don’t make you bigger than life—being that person that can break artists can make you bigger than life.”
7. “I consider myself a composer.”
8. “I listen to a lot of alternative types of music: I listen to a lot of Chinese music, I listen to a lot of Asian music. It might surprise you, but I listen to a lot of Arabic music. And I don’t care—music is music.”
9. “I don’t think about other people. If I did, I’d wanna compete. But I don’t think like that, because I’m above everybody.”
10. “I have ideas whirring around my head all the time.”
11. “I never had any plans to become a producer when I was a kid. I wanted to be a DJ, like most other kids at the time. Then my mum bought me a Casio keyboard and I started to sample sounds that I liked.”
12. “Everyone wants to work with the big new producer or the hot new singer. The key is to find them before they’re hot.”
13. “My style is to take something unexpected and make it into a hit. That’s what I do.”
14. “When I first met Aaliyah—it time for the world to hear this, I’m gonna give a little secret – I was in love with her.”
15. “Good production is like a beautiful marriage. It makes a happy home.”
16. “I don’t have beef with nobody.”
17. “I don’t repeat myself and I don’t look back because everything is hard work and the only way forward is to continue to be creative.”
18. “I’ve always tried different stuff in the studio. I use rakes, spoons, cans… I’m a surround-sound type of guy.”
19. “I’m the type of person who tries to save the world.”
20. “You don’t question where the music comes from, because it all comes from God.”
Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images
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