Timbaland has long been regarded as one of the top record producers in the game, aiding in shaping the sound of some of R&B music’s biggest names including Missy Elliot, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, and the late Aaliyah, to name a few.
Now Timbo is back in his bag, partnering with a fresh face, Anna Margo —a 21-year-old L.A.-based singer-songwriter — for what some believe is a failed attempt at recreating his magic with Aaliyah.
“You wanna find out/ If I’m what I seem, what I’m like now/ Oh, you think I’m the vibe now/ And there’s nobody else on your mind now/ So tell me ’bout your big plan/ You wanna see if I’m anything new/ What makes you think I want somethin’ from you?/ Try not to blink when I walk in the room,” sings Margo, whose voice softly graces the beat.
Check out the video below.
Despite Tim’s contributions to albums such as Ginuwine‘s 100% Ginuwine, Aaliyah’s debut, and TLC‘s 3D, fans were skeptical about his recent move to “waste” his efforts on Margo. Many flocked to the comment section of an Instagram post highlighting a visual for the track to share their thoughts.
“Tim I know you miss Aaliyah but stop trying remake her. You been giving her songs to anybody. Just stop. Let it go,” wrote one user. “Not him wasting this beat on this nonsense singer,” commented another.
“You can’t make her be Aaliyah bruh At Least get a black girl. You tried it,” reads another comment. “That’s Ginuwine beat…”not right now I’m busy, call me in the morning….” [laughing face emoji],” added another viewer, pointing to similarities to Ginuwine’s 1999 song “Final Warning.”
Still, there were some among the ranks who felt the criticism surrounding Timbaland was a bit harsh, considering his role in creating Aaliyah’s unique sound.
“Y’all keep saying “it’s giving Aaliyah vibes” but Timbaland WAS the Aaliyah vibe, what you expect?,” wrote one user in defense of Tim. “Why do y’all keep saying he’s trying to remake Aaliyah??? He just used a sample of his own beat from a song he produced for her…” reads another comment.
While Timbaland may not be on the receiving end of praise this week, he’s not above giving others their flowers.
Just this week, Timbaland made an appearance on 99 JAMZ in Miami. While discussing his desire for more album releases from artists of his generation, he created a wave of anticipation for what’s in store from a pair of MMG artists next month.
“Like I’ma tell you right now, the Meek [Mill] and [Rick] Ross album,” he said. “That’s what we been missing. Ross giving you that Big Meech Ross. And that’s all we want, we don’t want Ross to sound like Uzi Vert. We don’t hear him on those tracks. We want to hear Ross today. We want to hear that.
“When I hear their album and it’s a masterpiece, just be good at what you good at. Be great at what you great at. Don’t change for nobody. That album says a lot to me because Meek is being Meek whether you like it or not.”
Timbaland went as far as calling Meek and Rozay’s upcoming Too Good To Be True a “classic.”
“It’s not dated, it sounds current, it sounds fresh and it sounds like a classic,” Timbo testified. “And you could tell the space they’re in. I don’t even have to talk to them or ask what space they’re in, you could hear it through the music.”
Discover more from Today Headline
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.