Grammy-award-winning super producer Timbaland is a one-of-a-kind artist, and since his emergence on the scene in the mid-1990s, the musician has gone on to achieve incredible things within the genres of R’n’B and hip-hop. From ‘Sexy Back’ to ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulder’, the Virginia act is responsible for countless chart-topping songs.
From Jay-Z to Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, Timbaland (real name Timothy Mosley) has worked with a vast range of MCs. However, in an interview with DJ Whoo Kid, the legendary beatmaker spoke about his love for Detroit emcee Eminem and revealed some of his other hip-hop idols.
When asked about the first time he heard Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers), Mosley recalled a studio session he had with Missy Elliott for her 1999 album, Da Real World, when he heard her track ‘Busa Rhyme’ featuring Mathers. Looking back at the session, Mosley recalled how impressed he was with Em, stating, “When I heard Eminem come in there and spit that verse, I was like, ‘Oh, can’t nobody see this guy! This boy different.'”
Referencing the bars that blew him away, the producer rapped, “Well, I do pop pills, I keep my tube socks filled / Then pop the same shit that got 2Pac killed.” He added, “Those two bars — I couldn’t get past that.”
Timbaland has always shown a lot of love to the Detroit legend and regularly gives him his flowers, and after praising Em’s ‘Busa Rhyme’ verse with Whoo Kid, in an appearance on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, he revealed his hip-hop Mount Rushmore includes Em.
Unveiling his rap icons, Timbaland disclosed, “Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, they changed my life! I started getting more into it. Rakim, who really set the bar high for me. I was like, ‘Oh, this bubblegum rap gotta go.’ Then Big Daddy Kane, you know what I’m saying? Then I was like, for me, like who is this? Then came LL COOL J. I’m goin’ from my DJ career. I’m naming them from that perspective.”
He continued, “And then there was Run-DMC. Run-DMC might’ve been before LL COOL J because Run-DMC had a lot of lyrics and they was poppin’. Now, if you want to talk about lyrics, I’m goin’ by what moved and changed lives. Then after that, then came DJ Premier and Guru. Then Wu-Tang, Method Man. Then came, I can say after that, Fat Joe and Big Pun, for me. But then, OutKast. Then Ludacris.”
Mosley concluded by listing Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G, 2Pac, Nas and Eminem as his picks for his fantasy rap Mount Rushmore. You can watch Timbaland’s interview in the video below.
Timbaland’s four favourite rappers:
- Jay-Z
- 2Pac
- Biggie Smalls
- Eminem
