Timbaland

Norfolk beginnings

Timbaland was born Timothy Zachery Mosley on March 10, 1972, in Norfolk, Virginia, where he was raised. He graduated from Salem High School in Virginia Beach and worked as a DJ under the names DJ Tim and DJ Timmy Tim. As a teenager he teamed with the rapper Magoo, and in high school he joined the production crew S.B.I. alongside Pharrell Williams. Missy Elliott, then signed to DeVante Swing's Swing Mob imprint, brought Mosley and Magoo with her to New York, where they worked among the label's Da Bassment crew with Ginuwine and others.

The 1996 breakthrough

His name spread in 1996, when he produced most of Ginuwine's debut “Ginuwine...the Bachelor” and much of Aaliyah's “One in a Million.” The records carried the “stuttering” rhythmic style he became known for, mixing hip hop's pace with R&B arrangement. In 1997 he produced all of Missy Elliott's debut “Supa Dupa Fly,” recorded in Virginia Beach, and released “Welcome to Our World” with Magoo as Timbaland & Magoo; it went platinum. His solo album “Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment” followed in 1998, and in 1999 he produced Jay-Z's “Big Pimpin'.”

Pop peak

Timbaland founded the Beat Club label in 2001 and Mosley Music Group in 2006. That year he was the main producer of Justin Timberlake's “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” which included “SexyBack,” and his label released Nelly Furtado's “Loose,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. His own “Timbaland Presents Shock Value” debuted at No. 5 in April 2007 and was certified platinum. From it, “Give It to Me” with Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, “The Way I Are” reached No. 3 and his remix of OneRepublic's “Apologize” reached No. 2. “Shock Value II” followed in 2009.

Later work and legacy

He returned as a main producer on Timberlake's “The 20/20 Experience” in 2013. In 2020 he and Swizz Beatz created Verzuz, the online series of head-to-head catalog battles, and both were named to the Time 100 in 2021. Timbaland has won four Grammy Awards from 22 nominations. His work with Elliott, Aaliyah and Ginuwine put the Tidewater area of Virginia at the center of late-1990s R&B and rap production.