Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Ashlee Simpson's debuts at #4, sells less than 50K

Ashlee Simpson's new album Bittersweet World comes in at #4 on the Billboard charts this week with only 47,497 sold. Less than 50 thousand sold yet still #4 on the charts and with Timbo all over the album. It's a point I bring up to prove that even with Timbaland on your album, even with 6 tracks, you are not guaranteed a hit record. My question is though, why is that? Is it really the production itself? People have criticized Simpson's album saying the beats are weak but is that enough to translate to bad sales? Is it the label? Promotion? The state of the music industry today?

Though there have been many more hits for Timbo the last couple years then misses, what about those misses. Redman's "Put 'Em Down" failed to jumpstart his new album, Lloyd Banks made "My House" into promo single versus the intended official first single as it too did not go over well with fans. I'm still not sure if Matt Pokora's album has been officially released in the States but know it has not faired well in Europe despite it's A list producers. This is not to say anything against those who helped create the music or the artists themselves, all of the above are more than talented.

Timbaland is arguably the best if not the most globally popular producer in the world right now, Danja is right there too, of the only 13 Royal Court productions released, half have been singles, Hannon is starting to make a name for himself, and when it comes to writing and vocal ability and ingenuity it doesn't get much better than Jim Beanz. So with such amazing talent as well as the talents and name sake's of the artists themselves, what makes the difference between selling less than 50 thousand in your first week and selling a million? Is it simply production or deeper than that? Just think if Ashlee Simpson got the "4 Minutes" beat and Madonna had "Outta My Head" would it have made a difference?

Discuss...

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

T.I. "No Matter What" produced by DanjaHandz

It's been awhile since we've heard some new music from T.I. but he's just as hungry as ever. Here's his first single off his new album Paper Trail:

"No Matter What" produced by DanjaHandz


Thoughts? Props to Big A.

Cali Stylz-Calistylulated: The Animation

Now available for download is Cali Stylz's new drop, "Calistylulated: The Animation." The album features production from Danja, Rikki Allsum, Owe, and none other than Keith "Unreal" Hawkins, one of the hottest under-the-radar producers on the planet right now. "The Animation" is the first of a series of Cali Stylz albums dropping this year. Following "The Animation" will be "Calistylulated: The Population," due for release sometime this fall. Details on the upcoming projects for Crown Life, Danja, and Cali Stylz will be coming up in a "Thomas Crown Chronicles" exclusive feature. For now, check these exclusive Danja joints from "The Animation." You won't hear these anywhere else!


"Two in da Mournin"


"Make It Happen"


"Top Guinna"

UPDATE:

Check out this repack, up to the scene's standards!
Download here.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Cop That Disc: Madonna Hard Candy



Today is a big music day with the release of Santogold's debut, the first Portishead album in 10 years!, Lil' Mama, and of course Madonna. The more I listen to Hard Candy the more I like it. Stand out tracks for me are "Miles Away", "Dance 2Night", "Candy Shop", and my favorite part of the whole album the last 2 minutes of "Incredible." The 'Tunes are back in a big way and you can see why Chad is so essential to their production. The writing and production team of Timbo, Danja, and JT strikes again. I never thought one day I'd hear a Timbaland/Madonna collaboration let alone actaully like it but here we are. Great too to see Hannon's name on such a big project as he's worked really hard to get here. Best album of the year to date? I wouldn't go that far but I would say it's in the top 5. And now for the main event we've all been waiting for, here are the truly OFFICIAL liner notes from Madonna's Hard Candy:

1. Candy Shop
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams
Produced by The Neptunes
Co-produced by Madonna

2. 4 Minutes
Written by Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Nate Hills and Timothy Mosley
Produced by Timbo, Danja, and Justin Timberlake
Recorded by Marcella "Ms. Lago" Aracia and Demacio "Demo" Castellon
Programmed and Mixed by Demo
Drums by Timbo
Keyboards by Danja
Scratching by DJ Demo (LOL)
Timbaland appears courtesy of Blackground Records (believe it ya'll, it's still very true)

3. Give It 2 Me
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams
Produced by The Neptunes
Co-produced by Madonna

4. Heartbeat
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams
Produced by The Neptunes
Co-produced by Madonna

5. Miles Away
Written by Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Nate Hills and Timothy Mosley
Produced by Timbo, Danja, and Justin Timberlake
Recorded by Marcella "Ms. Lago" Aracia and Demacio "Demo" Castellon
Programmed and Mixed by Demo
Additional keyboards by Hannon Lane

6. She's Not Me
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams
Produced by The Neptunes
Co-produced by Madonna

7. Incredible
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams
Produced by The Neptunes
Co-produced by Madonna

8. Beat Goes On
Written by Madonna, Pharrell Williams & Kanye West
Produced by The Neptunes
Co-produced by Madonna

9. Dance 2Night
Written by Madonna, Timothy Mosley, Justin Timberlake, & Hannon Lane
Produced by Timbaland & Justin Timberlake
Co-produced by Hannon Lane
Additional production by Demo
Recorded, programmed, and mixed by Demo
Drums by Timbaland
Guitars by Dan Warner & Darrell Pearson (wow still after all these years!!)
Bass by Darrell Pearson
Keyboards by Hannon Lane

10. Spanish Lesson
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams
Produced by The Neptunes
Co-produced by Madonna

11. Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
Written by Madonna, Timothy Mosley, Justin Timberlake, Nate HIlls, & J. Henry
Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, & Danja
Recorded by Marcella "Ms. Lago" Aracia and Demacio "Demo" Castellon
Programmed and Mixed by Demo
Drums by Timbaland
Keyboards by Danja
Additional keyboards: Hannon Lane
Scratching: DJ Demo

12. Voices
Written by Madonna, Timothy Mosley, Justin Timberlake, Nate Hills, & Hannon Lane)
Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, & Danja
Co-produced by Hannon Lane
Recorded by Demo and Marcella
Programmed and mixed by Demo
All instruments by Danja
Additional keyboards by Hannon Lane

iTunes Bonus Tracks:

13. 4 Minutes (Peter Saves New York
Remix by Peter Rauhofer

14. 4 Minutes (Junkie XL Remix Edit)
Produced by Junkie XL (go figure)

15. Give It 2 Me (Paul Oakenfold Edit)
Remix by Paul Oakenfold

16. Ring My Bell
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams
Produced by The Neptunes
Co-produced by Madonna

Check Amazon, check HMV, check Best Buy, check iTunes, check anywhere this is a Madonna album and support Timbo, Danja, Hannon, JT, Demo, Marcella and Madonna herself and COP THAT DISC!!

Video: One Republic "Say (All I Need)"

Their third single:

Friday, April 25, 2008

How Does He Do It?: "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"

The Delay Lama has long been a tongue-in-cheek virtual instrument in the music-making world. It's a plug-in that is programmed to simulate the vocal chords of a Buddhist monk that is easily recognizable by its humorous interface.



The first time I saw the Delay Lama in action was in this video from Tim's "MTV Diary." Check it out:



I've always wondered how Tim would ever use the Delay Lama in any song without sounding like a complete dumbass. That's why I was surprised to hear the Delay Lama used as the main lead in Madonna's "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You." Hear it?

On a side note, check this interview with Mike McKnight, who has worked with Madonna numerous times. In this old article, he says that a song called "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" was scheduled to be included in the set list for Madonna's "American Life" tour as of February 19, 2004. The song is noted as a "new song from the musical she was working on [to be announced]." That could sprout many conspiracy theories; had Tim already worked with Madonna in 2004? Was "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" an old song that Tim just remixed? Were the "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" lyrics already written by the time Tim came around? We'll see...

Timbaland signed on for The Game's L.A.X

So it says in June's edition of XXL:

Esmée Denters works with Timbaland & Hannon Lane

You've all heard of Esmée Denters by now right? She's the young woman from Netherlands with an amazing voice who on the strength of her soulful cover of Justin Timberlake's "What Comes Around Goes Around", scored millions of hit via Youtube and even caught the ear of JT himself who quickly signed the internet phenome as his first act on his own Tennman Records. We told you about Esmée working with The Clutch and now she has confirmed that she is also working with Timbaland and Hannon Lane for her debut album. Here's the latest news from her:

Hey everybody!

I'm flying over the Atlantic Ocean right now at 33,000 feet (approx 10 km) high in the sky on my way to Miami. I still have 4 hours and 56 minutes to go and I wanted to fill you guys in on what my plans are. In sunny Miami, I will be working with Hannon Lane, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland on some new tracks. Can't wait to go in with them because I just know we will create magic ☺. After that, I will be flying to New York to work with some incredible producers as well (check out my next writing blog to see which producers).

After that, I will come back to Miami again for some additional writing with Timbaland and Justin T. Overall, I will be in the States for a month or so, and I promise I will keep you guys updated on what's happening, ok?


Thanks to Tom for the good eye.

The Clutch talks Britney, Omarion, & Ciara

The Clutch are everywhere these days and well deserved as they all work tirelessly and are very passionate about their craft. You can hear their current work on Cassie first single "Official Girl" and Tiffany Evans debut album along with future projects by Menudo, Jesse McCartney, Teyana Taylor, Usher, and Jennifer Hudson right around the corner. Allhiphop.com caught up with J. Que and Ezekiel "Zeke" Lewis to talk about the hit songwriting process and a few of their most memorable song creating moments:

On working with Ciara for her song “Like a Boy”:

Ezekiel: That was dope. That record was fun, because we were sitting around talking about like what would a girl…what would the ultimate girl want to say as it relates to male/female relationships?

She probably would say she wishes she could act like a boy in certain ways to just see…like how would you feel if the shoe were on the other foot? Even though the song was saying, “I wish I could be like a boy,” it was really in a sarcastic way.

On working with Britney Spears for her song, “Radar”

J.Que: When I tell you she was the best – minus she got there a little late. She did show up a little late. But when she showed up, I think it caught both of us off guard ‘cause Zeke and I flew to New York to record the record on this.

And I think it caught both of us off guard because, when I tell you when she walked in the booth she stayed in the booth until the sun came up.

Ezekiel: Yeah she was there. She almost outlasted me, I don’t know.

J. Que: It was absolutely nuts, and she took directions very well. I agree like I don’t know what I was expecting because we went in to cut that record the day after she filed divorce from Kevin.

Ezekiel: Right.

J.Que: So we were expecting all kind of nonsense and she was super professional and when she got in the booth, she was super-efficient.

On working with Omarion for his song “Ice Box':

J.Que: That record was written…I would say all in all that record was written probably in about 20 minutes. It was very easy. It just flowed.

Ezekiel: Yeah it was very fun, very very fun. Omarion’s a complete professional. He’s dope, he was coming up with dance routines while he was recording [in the booth].

Yeah, it was fun; it was really fun. That’s the only word for me to describe that day for me personally that’s the first word I think of…“Icebox” equals fun.


Full Article

Also a BIG congratulations goes out to Candice Nelson (along with Walter Milsap) for their work with Trin-I-Tee which won 2 Dove Awards for Urban Recorded Song of the Year and Urban Album of the Year. Congrats!

Madonna's "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" Sample? Interpolation?

If you remember a few months back, we talked about the sample from the Silent Hill video game, "Promise (Reprise)" composed by Akira Yamaoka, that Tim used for an unreleased track. Well a few readers have pointed out that the same sample, or could it be an interpolation of the sample, is used in Madonna's "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You". Here is the trailer for the movie as a reference:



as well as the soundtrack for the Silent Hill games. Now listen to "Devil Woulnd't Recognize You", hear it?

So as we always like to do let's ask our readers, what do you think? Is it a sample or an interpolation? Or maybe none of the above just a piano with similar melodies? Let us know!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Lil' Mama "What It Is (Strike A Pose) produced by Danja



This will be Lil Mama's next single and the video for the track has already been shot so be on the lookout for it very soon. Also you can check out Lil' Mama's album VYP: Voice Of The Young People in stores this Tuesday, April 29th but in the meantime get a preview of the entire album at her myspace:

"What It is (Strike A Pose)" F/ T Pain


Lil Mama Vs. Madonna who will win? :) Props to Bigmac on the info.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Throwback: 30 Years to Life Soundtrack

The year was 2001 and the news had just broke about Timbaland executive producing his first movie 30 Years To Life starring Tracy Morgan, Erika Alexander, Kadeem Hardison, Paula Jai Parker, Melissa DeSousa, Allen Payne and T.E. Russell as a group of New York friends approaching their 30th birthday. The film opened to rave reviews at the Sundance Fil Festival and competed for the coveted Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category.

It's a very good movie," Timbaland said. "It's not your average black or urban movie. It's a crossover. It's like a pop film, and it's about life at 30 years and how the younger generation starts to take over. "We're getting [to be] 30," said the hip-hop producer, who is 28, "and wondering how do we fit in? Where's our life at? Are we comfortable with our life, and do we feel like we've made a lot of adjustments in our life at the age of 30? It has a real concept, this movie.

Along with executive producing the film, Timbaland also scored the movie and produced the film's soundtrack which we talked about way back when on our first post on The Chronicles. Here is the tracklisting as well as the screen shots from the movie of the soundtrack:

Special - Sebastian f/ Bubba Sparxxx
Marred -Kelly Price
She Ain't So Bad
Baby Girl-Playa (Same as Playa's "Lust")
Happy Birthday -Playa
Simply Irresistable -Ginuwine
Explain It To Me -Tijuana
Baby Girl -Playa
You Owe Me -Nas F/ Ginuwine
Feel The Girl - Ms Jade
Hey Papi -Jay Z

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

So what happened to the soundtrack? It was never released. And why? That remains one of the biggest Unsolved Timbaland Mysteries. Big thanks to timnmagoo3 for the pics.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Cop That Disc: Ashlee Simpson Bittersweet World



Timbo and Royal Court get 6 tracks and Jim Beanz gets 10!

1. "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, King Logan, Jerome Harmon, Santi White, & Kenna.
Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions, King Logan for Royal Court / Timbaland Productions and Jerome Harmon for Bronze & Brains / Timbaland Productions
Vocal Production by Jim Beanz
2. "Boys"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, Chad Hugo, Kenna and Jim Beanz
Produced by Chad Hugo for The Neptunes & Kenna
3. "Rule Breaker"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, King Logan, Jerome Harmon and Jim Beanz
Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions, King Logan for Royal Court / Timbaland Productions and Jerome Harmon for Bronze & Brains / Timbaland Productions
Vocal Production by Jim Beanz
4. "No Time For Tears"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, Chad Hugo and Kenna
Produced by Chad Hugo for the Neptunes & Kenna
5. "Little Miss Obsessive"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, Jim Beanz, Victor Valentine and Karl Berringer
Produced by Jack Joseph Puig and Karl Berringer
Vocal production by Jim Beanz
6. "Ragdoll"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, King Logan, Jerome Harmon, Santi White, & Jim Beanz
Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions, King Logan for Royal Court / Timbaland Productions and Jerome Harmon for Bronze & Brains / Timbaland Productions
Vocal Production: Jim Beanz & Kenna
7. "Bittersweet World"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, King Logan, Jerome Harmon, and Kenna
Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions, King Logan for Royal Court / Timbaland Productions and Jerome Harmon for Bronze & Brains / Timbaland Productions
Vocal Production by Jim Beanz
8. "What I've Become"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, Kenna, King Logan, Jerome Harmon and Jim Beanz
Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions, King Logan for Royal Court / Timbaland Productions and Jerome Harmon for Bronze & Brains / Timbaland Productions
Vocal Production: Jim Beanz
9. "Hot Stuff"
Written by Ashlee Simpson, Kenna, Chad Hugo and Jim Beanz
No producer listed (odd) but safe to say it's Chad Hugo for The Neptunes
10. "Murder" f/ Izza Kizza
Written by Ashlee Simpson, King Logan, Jerome Harmon and Jim Beanz
Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions, King Logan for Royal Court / Timbaland Productions and Jerome Harmon for Bronze & Brains / Timbaland Productions
Vocal Production by Jim Beanz
11. "Never Dream Alone"
Written by Ashlee Simpson and Kenna
Produced by Kenna and Ashlee Simpson / Additional Production: Jerome Harmon
Arranged and vocal production by Kenna

The album is defiinitely a grower. Chad & Kenna make a great combo especially on "Hot Sutff" but it's the Royal Court and Jim Beanz who really shine with their production, writing, and vocals upgrading Simpson's prior young girl sound and giving it that edgier yet pop appeal. Take note this is one of the first times Timbaland has been credited with prodcution but not writing credits. Very interesting indeed. Make sure to get check out your local retailer, Amazon or iTunes to pick up your copy of the album in stores today!

And who is Santi White you ask? None other thanSantogold, who for me has the most anticipated album of the year coming out next week. I can only hope she and Tim got the chance to work together.

Cop That Disc: Tiffany Evans Tiffany Evans



The long awaited debut album from Tiffany Evans is in stores and online today so make sure to get your copy. The album features The Clutch on writing duties for 3 tracks:

"About A Boy" (produced by Eric Hudson)

"Promise Ring" (produced by Mr. Collipark)

and after 3 versions prior that have all come out this last year, The Clutch and Brian Kidd give us the final version of my favorite Kidd beat to date, the bangin':

"Girl Gone Wild"

Thankfully he went with the original snippet and added a lot more sounds. Check the end with the "mama said mama said" sample. So are we hearing the Timbaland influence on Kidd or did Kidd influence Timbo? The debate rages on...

Monday, April 21, 2008

50 Cent confirms Timbaland for G-Unit album

We told you about the G-Unit/Timbo collabo and now 50 Cent just confirmed it:



Props to Big A.

Stan Alert: Five Versions of "4 Minutes"

In all the Madonna madness as of late it's hard to keep all the tracks straight. Remember to always keep the original versions of tracks as you never know if they will change. Case in point: there has been a bunch of different versions of "4 Minutes" making their way around and if you're a collector of Timbo's music like I am make sure you have all the versions. So far we have:

1. Original Snippet :17
2. Album Version 4:05
3. Radio Edit 3:12
4. Remix 3:31
5. Timbaland's Mobile Underground Remix 3:21

Now just in case you have heard that last one take a listen:

Timbaland's Mobile Underground Remix

I guess Timbaland decided he wanted to hop on his own hit song.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

We get ALL of Madonna's Hard Candy

Some leaked Madonna tracks have hit the net, 6 to be exact and the buzz is HUGE! Both The Neptunes and Timbaland weren't playing around when they got into the studio and of course neither was Danja and Hannon. The tracks finding their way around at the moment are:

"Give It To Me"
"Heartbeat"
"Incredible"
"Miles Away"
"She's Not Me"
"The Beat Goes On" featuring Kanye West

that's along with "Candy Shop" which leaked along time ago and of course "4 Minutes." I have to say Timbo and Danja killed it on "Miles Away." They took a very classic Madonna style and flipped it in their own way. Pharrell (and Chad from what I keep hearing) proved with this album why they are who they are. "The Beat Goes On" is definitely a highlight and blows the original version out of the water. The whole album has that uptempo dance feel, with a little disco mixed in along with a technoesque sound as well.

Update:: Hard Candy has made it's way online in all it's Timbo, Neptunes, Danja, Hannon glory with the added touch of Justin Timberlake. What's your favorite track? What do you think of the album as a whole? Best album of the year so far? Let us know!

You know we all talk of leaks and how great they are but make sure you got out their and support these artists. On April 29th, go to Amazon, go to iTunes, or go to your favorite music store and COP THAT DISC!

Friday, April 18, 2008

The Chronicles reaches 1/2 a million in 1/2 the world

The Thomas Crown Chronicles has recently surpassed the 500,000 hit mark and counting. 1/2 a million, are you kidding me?! It's hard to even grasp that amount of people stopping by to check out what's up with Tim and Co. So who's getting their daily Chronicles fix you ask? Over 1/2 the world!! That's right, over 110 countries have tuned in to get the latest on Timbo, Danja, MMG, and the whole crew. From Sudan to Malaysia, New Caledonia to Sri Lanka, French Guiana to the Cayman Isalnds, Suriname to Reunion, The Chronicles is proof of the universal language called music.

It blows my mind to think that what started out as a place for a few fellow stans to come and rant about all the Timbaland knowledge we had has turned into a website visited by so many people all across the world. I am humbled each and every day by the power of music. I am thankful to my Chronicles team: Big A, Czar, Roderick, Nick, Bigmac, Unreal, and Safehandz. You all have contributed so much to making this site what it is today and I am eternally grateful. To Timbalandchick, the O.G. Timbaland stan, I thank you for paving the way.

I'm also very thankful to ALL of you out there who have e-mailed, commented, and messaged me with news, links, videos, and simply checked out the site in general. The success of The Chronicles is because of you, so I thank you!! It was always a goal of mine to create a very interactive website where anyone can contribute and that vision has been achieved more than I could ever imagined. Here's to another 1/2 million and the other 1/2 of the world. THANK YOU!!

Madonna is #1 in the world with "4 Minutes"

"4 Minutes" has just hit #1 on the United World Chart which tracks sales, both digitally and physically, from nearly every country in the world. Go Timbo! Go Danja!

Rare Reel




Stan alert: there is a version without Tim's rap.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Kiley Dean backs Flo Rida's "Elevator"

I had heard the rumor quite some time ago but didn't think it was true. Well based on her myspace it looks like it is indeed a fact: none other than Kiley Dean is singing background on Flo Rida's "Elevator."

Does this mean Kiley really will be working with Timbo again? It's definitely a good start.

Throwback: Timbaland talks Nelly Furtado, Dr. Dre, & Indecent Proposal

The year was 2002 and Timbaland was coming off another year with a #1 R&b/Hip Hop album with Missy Elliott's Under Construction in 2001. Now it was time for Timbo to stop making #1 hits for other labels and instead concentrate on his own, Beat Club. The players needed to realize that vision were being introduced one at a time with Bubba going first and gaining critical acclaim, and a gold plaque, for his debut album. Ms. Jade, Tim's newest signee at the time, was just being introduced with "Dream" hitting the airwaves and the buzz slowly started to build. Tim also created the Missy Elliott "Get UR Freak On" remix featuring a then "folk" songstress named Nelly Furtado. Who could predict what would happen 4 years later when the two hooked up again.

Tim was also in works with Dr. Dre for their pick-your-favorite-rapper album Chairman of the Board which still to this day has Timbo and Dre stans drooling at what would have been. Finally, Timmy had just finished his proposed "last" album Indecent Proposal with longtime friend Magoo and talked about the future with a Beat Club compilation album release in the same vain as Pink Floyd's The Wall:

****LAUNCH: So you got a couple of things going: Beat Club Records, and the first artist is already going nuts. What made you finally decide to get out there in the label game?

TIMBALAND: You know what it is, man? It's like, a lot of times I hear a lot of people saying, "Tim quiet, it's hard for you to get something out of him." And it's the truth, because the whole thing is, the whole industry will destroy you, destroy your personality, destroy everything about you, and turn you into a monster that's really not you. And you gotta stay grounded--I'm real close to my family, I always go home to my Mom, get prayer and everything. So it keeps me grounded to Tim Mosley, not "Timbaland." So that's why I'm kinda just quiet and I just watch and observe and I be like, "When this person goes home, is this person really like this? Do they really talk like this, do you really dress like this, do you really talk to your mom that way, do you really talk to your friends that way?" And it's like, a lot of that was going on and I wasn't feeling it, and that's why I kept quiet, 'cause it seemed fake. But I felt like, with people biting your stuff, biting your beats, you need to speak up, you need to talk. And I was like, "In due time." So now that I got my label, I was like, "Now I gotta prove to people that Timbaland don't just do hit songs"--Missy, Ginuwine, and all the rest of them, you know, my camp, Aaliyah. You know, that's what made Timbaland; Timbaland was known for breaking artists. I said, "Well, I'm going to do it again and I'm going to shock the world, because I changed radio--people gotta understand this music has been going on for decades, and you can count on your hand how many have changed a music for a generation and for our generation. I am the only person to change music for the year of 2000. Nobody has done it like I done it. And then I done it by just making people small believers.

LAUNCH: What was it like back then, working with Aaliyah?

TIMBALAND: Man, God bless her, rest her soul. I mean, that girl was so happy, man. We did One In A Million, me and Missy, 'cause I did this new style. I came with that new style back when I came out with "Pony" and Missy said, "This is a good time to give Aaliyah that new sound that you were doing back in the day." And I was like, "Yeah." And Missy wrote that record and I tell you, we the king of flows and hops. We know how to hop on a beat to make you move your shoulders in a certain way. And when we did that, Aaliyah, her face glowed so much. She was the happiest girl--we always rode together, we did a lot of stuff together. She always asked for advice on a lot of things and this time around, every song I put out on Aaliyah, like the first records, I never thought that I could beat "Are You That Somebody?" "Try Again" was just a fluke; it just came out of nowhere. And [with] "We Need A Resolution," I said, "Let me just start back and work my way back up," like I knew "Resolution" was going to be the one, because it's slow-paced and the songwriting was incredible.

LAUNCH: I understand that losing her has kind of changed your perspective on things.

TIMBALAND: Yeah. I mean, you know, it's hard, man, because I was close to they family, not just to her. You know, I just think about her mom and the dad and stuff like that. And you know, working with another female...I think that I can do it. I have this other female I'm about to sign, I think. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna sign her. Her name's Twanna from Atlanta, but she's not like Aaliyah. But she's makes me feel good like Aaliyah so that's kinda inspiring to have somebody like that, but it's still kinda hard. I doubt if I'll ever have that magic that I had with her, so like, I'm good with R&B because she was magic, as far as female vocalists.****

Full Interview

Definitely a great interview and it's interesting to see how much ended up changing from Timbo's views back then. Imagine if Indecent Proposal was his last album? Or I have to wonder, what if Beat Club Records became a success? Would we have gotten the Nelly and JT albums? Would Tim have changed pop music? Would we have ever heard of Danja? Food for thought.

Now of course in traditional Chronicles style we have to give you that little extra. Re-read those last few lines from Timbo. Does the name Twanna, sometimes spelled Tijuana, sound familiar? Well it should. She was mentioned in The Chronicles very first post as being part of the 30 Years to Life Soundtrack on the track "Explain It To Me" and Sebastian posted 2 tracks by her "Rain" and "Tonite" F/ Petey Pablo last year. She also has another unreleased called "Caught Up" she did with Static. I've been looking for her for a long time, so Twanna if you're out there, hit me up!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Bishop Lamont "Smokin' King Kong" a Dr. Dre beat?

Bishomp Lamont has been everywhere lately with various mixtapes as well as assisting the good Dr. for his highly anticipated album Detox. A recent Bishop Lamont track that hit the internet is the ominous "Smokin' King Kong" off DJ Whoo Kid's DJ mixtape Pow Radio Vol.10. Whoo Kidd calls out the beat as a Dr. Dre production and quickly sent blogs and websites in a frenzy over finally getting some new Dre. Here, take a listen:



Sounds like a Dr. beat and Whoo Kidd says it's a Dre beat but as in turns out it's not. Here's what Dae One, one of Bishop Lamont's inhouse producers, had to say about the track:

"OK SP LET ME CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP HERE GUYS BEFORE THIS THREAD GETS CRAZY,1ST OFF THATS NOT DR. DRE BEAT IM NOT SURE WHAT WHOO KIDD WAS DOING ON THAT ONE, THATS DONE BY DANJA HANDZ(THINK TIMBO,)"

That's right Danja did the beat and it's not the first time he's worked with Lamont, as we showed you when we discussed the other Bishop/Danja track called "So Sad" for his Pope Mobile mixtape. I have to say I'm surprised this is a Danja track, it's very different than most of his other productions and I'm a big fan of when a producer steps out of the box of what is expected or his/her signature sound and shows us another side of what they can do behind the boards. That's my 2 cents, what are your thoughts?

Props to Trent on the info.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Madonna "4 Minutes" Sampler



Here are snippets of the album most of us have been waiting for since it was first announced so many months ago. Check out

Madonna's Hard Candy album

Discuss...

Ashlee Simpson "What I've Become" and "Murder" F/ Izza Kizza

We've heard the Ashlee Simpson track "Murder" that Timbo and Royal Court did but only the version with Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heros, that is until day. Here is the album version featuring Izza Kizza:



We've also heard various snippets and versions on 5 of the Timbaland/Royal Court tracks and now we give you the very last one called "What I've Become":



Make sure to cop that disc next Tuesday, the 22nd!

Video: Dima Bilan "Believe"



Will it win the whole contest? Let's hope so!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Verizon releases Madonna "4 Minutes" Timbaland Remix

Looks like we found out where the Timbaland remix came from as Timbaland's 2nd release off the Verizon's mobile album will be a remix for Madonna's soon to be #1 hit "4 Minutes" released today. Along with the remix comes 2 other possible versions, here they are by name:

4 Minutes (Tick Tock Version)
4 Minutes (Groove)
4 Minutes (Timbaland Mobile Underground Remix) this is the one we've heard

"Working with Madonna and Justin on this underground mobile remix has been a lot of fun," said Timbaland. "With Verizon Wireless, we are able to create and distribute music straight from the studio directly to fans as well as give them access into our creative process behind-the-scenes." "As Madonna is one of the most iconic artists of our time and Timbaland is one of the most influential producers of today, we are undeniably excited to team up with them, as well as Justin, to deliver this exclusive remix to our customers," said Ed Ruth, director of digital music for Verizon. "Together with Vodafone, we will set a new precedence for the global release of a song, with a combined reach of hundreds of millions of fans across the globe via their cellphones."

And as Verizon did with Keri Hilson, you can check Madonna, Timbo, & JT in the Verizon bus talking about the track and about each other as artists:



So calling all Verizon V Cast users: hit us up with these 3 different full versions of "4 Minutes"!! Props to PLM on the video find.

Test Drive "Body Shots" produced by Danja

The duo of Test Drive continues to peak my interest. We first mentioned them when their Hannon produced track "Drive Me Crazy" featuring Sebastian showed up randomly on Seb's myspace page a few months back. Now, just as random, another of their tracks was found this time produced by Danja. Check it out:

Test Drive "Body Shots"

Sounds like an old Danja track from the "Shatiez" & "Patty Cake" days but none the less a Danja track indeed. So who are Test Drive? That's a good question. According to their myspace they have an album in the works titled Test Drive Me Crazy so looks like we'll have to wait and see who shows up on the debut. Props to Big A on the find.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Madonna "4 Minutes" Timbaland Remix

There was some doubt if the remix was official considering the single just came out but yes it's true Timbo has given Madonna a remix:

Madonna "4 Minutes" Timbaland Remix

What ya'll think?

Will we finally get Jojo's "Sho I Can"?

JoJo has been a part of the Blackground family for some time now. She hit it big with her song "Leave (Get Out)" off her debut self-titled album in 2004. The track was an international hit and soon became #1 in the US making JoJo, at a mere 13, the youngest solo artist to ever have a #1 single. The album went platinum and JoJo was well on her way to a very bright future. Her 2nd album The High Road didn't quite fair as well but between her split time as a musician and an actor she has become a household name. Now in a recent interview with theLIFE.Files, JoJo (once again) confirms she is working with Timbaland (and Tank, DJ Toomp, and Polow) for her 3rd album coming in late 2008. Take a listen:



The Timbaland produced JoJo track "Sho I Can" is sort of an urban myth. It was said to exsist, then thought to be made up, and then rumored to be a part of her last album but was never released. Let me set the record straight, the track 100% exsists, as it is written by Static and produced by Timbaland, but when will we get a chance to hear it? Will we finally get to hear "Sho I Can" on All I Want Is Everything? Only time will tell...

On a side note, make sure to cop that Teyana Taylor album From A Planet Called Harlem mentioned in the interview as their will be at least 3 confirmed Clutch tracks "Color Me Pink" "Complicated" and "Young Girl." Props to SafeHandz for the info.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Timbaland wins ASCAP Songwriter of the Year

Timbaland didn't win the Grammy for Producer of the Year which raised a lot of eye brows both from his musical peers and fans alike, but he did take home the top honor last night at the 25th Annual ASCAP Pop Awards winning Songwriter of the Year. Timbaland won ASCAP awards for 9 yes 9! tracks he was a part of and was by far this year's biggest winner of the evening. The winning tracks include:

Justin Timberlake: ""What Goes Around...Comes Around"
Timbaland: "The Way I Are"
Justin Timberlake: "Until The End Of Time"
Justin Timberlake: "Summer Love/Set The Mood"
Nelly Furtado: "Say It Right"
Justin Timberlake: "My Love"
Fabolous: "Make Me Better"
Omarion: "Ice Box"
Timbaland: "Give It To Me"

Other related winners include:

Ryan Tedder: "Aplogize"
Justin Timberlake: "Give It To Me" "My Love" "Summer Love/Set The Mood" "Until The End Time" "What Goes Around... Comes Around"
Nelly Furtado: "Give It To Me" "Say It Right"
Attitude: "Give It To Me"
Keri Hilson: "Ice Box" "Runaway Love" "The Way I Are"
Royal Court: "Ice Box"
Missy Elliott: "Let It Go" (Keyshia Cole)
D.O.E: "The Way I Are"
Sebastian: "The Way I Are"
Candice Nelson: "The Way I Are"

Congratulations to ALL the winners! 2007 was a huge success and 2008 looks to be even better.

Official credits for Madonna's Hard Candy

Candy Shop
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams

4 Minutes
Written by Madonna, Timothy Mosley, Nate Hills and Justin Timberlake

Give It 2 Me
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams

Heartbeat
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams

Miles Away
Written by Madonna, Timothy Mosley, Nate Hills and Justin Timberlake

She's Not Me
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams

Incredible
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams

Beat Goes On
Written by Madonna, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West

Dance 2night
Written by Madonna, Timothy Mosley, Hannon Lane and Justin Timberlake

Spanish Lesson
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams

Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
Written by Madonna, Timothy Mosley, Nate Hills, Justin Timberlake, and Joe Henry

Voices
Written by Madonna, Timothy Mosley, Nate Hills, Hannon Lane, and Justin Timberlake

Ring My Bell
Written by Madonna and Pharrell Williams

I'm definitely looking forward to this album!

Cassie "Official Girl"

We heard what we can assume is the demo and now here is the real thing:

Cassie "Official Girl"

The timing seems a little ironic that a day later we get to hear the Cassie version but you can never predict a leak. This will be her official first single confirmed by her blog. Also my mistake on the writing credits, this track is obviously written by The Clutch.

Now that we've heard both, which do you think is better?

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Keri Hilson confirms "Get It Girl" for her album



I know what you're thinking: I thought Timbaland was making "exclusive" tracks for the Verizon album? Yeah so did I and it was reported as such but it doesn't look to be the case. It's month 4 of 2008 and all we have so far is one track that we thought was an "exclusive" for the Verizon project.

With this addition to Keri's album let's review what tracks we know so far for In A Perfect World:

- Return The Favor more than likely 1st single
- Get Me Off (The Bench)
- Mic Check alternate first single
- Let Me Go F/ Justin Timberlake
- Slow Dance
- Happy Juice F/ Ludacris stan alert: there are 2 other alternates to this track one featuring Stat Quo & Snoop & the other featuring Timbo
- Alienate
- Too Proud
- Get It Girl
- I Got You

Possibly included:
- Cover's Blown
- Where'd He Go
- Lova Ya'
- Quick Sand
- Tell Him The Truth
- Ohh F/ Tank

Doubtful
- High Heels
- Come Clean

Hopefully we'll have an official tracklisting here real soon.

Diddy calls Cassie's "Official Girl" a 'smash'

Cassie's yet untitled album is looking for a September release. Production duties reported so far include Seven, Mario Winanas, Bryan Michale Cox, long time collaborator Ryan Leslie, Eric Hudson, Sean C and LV, and Danja. With over 300,000 copies sold for her first album, Cassie and her label head, Mr. P Diddy Combs are looking to break the possbile sophmore slump. Here's what Diddy had to say:

On the album:
"That's going to really, really catch people off guard. There's a huge [cry] out there for a younger Britney Spears, a younger Janet Jackson. Those two great artists have paved the way. She has a single out called 'Official Girl' and Danja produced it, and it is a smash.

On her past performances:
I just don't think she was ready," Diddy says. "I think that we threw her into the spotlight without the artist development -- that goes on with a lot of new artists. We pulled out, we took our time, we developed her for like, a year-and-a-half. People are just going to see her there and be like, 'Wow, she's really cocooned into a butterfly.'"

Remember as we told you, Jim Beanz has vocal production and writing duties for "Official Girl" so you can bet the Danja/Beanz will be in full effect.

Rare Reel










Now take a listen to Mel B's "Word Up", anything sound familiar? Also for the stans, there's an alternate to this track as well.

Props to Alex on the reels.

Monday, April 7, 2008

The Chronicles First Listen: Izza Kizza & Timbaland

If it isn't obvious by now, I'm a big Izza Kizza fan. Why you ask? The simple answer is because Kizz represents a creativity in the hip hop game that seems to have eroded with time. What happened to the days of Missy's "beep beep" and "hee hee hee haaaw"? and Timbo and the crew dancin' around shouting "Up Jumps Da Boogie"? Are those days gone forever? Does fame breed complacency? That's not for me to say but I do know that from the second I heard Kizza, he was going to take the Timbaland of now right back to my favorite Timbaland of old with those drum stutters, crazy sounds, and beats that just make your jaw drop like "huh??" Complacency? Yeah right...

I was fortunate enough last week to preview 3 Izza Kizza/Timbaland tracks and let me just say they're all FIRE! Gone are the heavy pop synths (I'm not hatin' just sayin'), gone are the looped sounds and samples, instead you have beats that Timbo is known for. Yes THOSE beats that through time have seemed to all but disappear from Tim's productions. It looks like he just needed the right person to revisit them with. I also got to listen to Kizza tracks from Soul Diggaz and Koolade and all I can say is get ready. All of these producers are digging deep into their creative arsenals and Kizza rides each beat like a pro, incorporating the same verbal trickery Missy and Andre 300 have been known for. Go ahead and make the comparisons, Kizza doesn't care he'll be the first to admit it as he did in a recent interview:

"If you like Outkast, you’re gonna love Izza Kizza. If you like Missy, you’re gonna love Izza Kizza. If you like Luda, you’re gonna love Izza Kizza. If you like Timbaland, you’re gonna love Izza Kizza. If you like music to the left, then you’re gonna love Izza Kizza. If you like something that inspires you to get up, you know?

The hipster crowd, hip hop heads – if you’re into gangsta-gangsta rap, you into shootin’ people and killin’, that ain’t what I’m about. You’re probably not gonna go get my album if you into, shootin’ people, or sellin’ drugs. I’ve been up those avenues before, but that’s not something I wanna do in my music. My music is made for people who love music. The hipster crowd, the hip hop crowd, people who love lyricism, people who like to hear music."

Call me a hipster then cuz Kizza has made a believer out of me. Keep checking his myspace for new music and news. Along with an album in the works, could we see Izza Kizza on a new episode of The Family Guy? Stay tuned folks!

Check out Keri Hilson in Usher's "Love In The Club" video



Though we can't give details quite yet, be on the lookout for another collaboration between these 2 coming in the very near future.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Mariah Carey f/ T-Pain "Migrate" (CDQ)

Finally we get the HQ version of Mariah Carey's 2nd single "Migrate" produced by Danja and featuring T-Pain:



Track is solid but it's definitely not on the level of Danja's Danity Kane tracks.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Video: Madonna "4 Minutes" f/ Timbaland & Justin Timberlake

Here we go:



Since most of us have seen it by now on whatever site what are your thoughts on the vid?

Sample of the Week & Who Flipped It Better? Timbo or Daz Dillinger

Big A prepped us with a great (and rare) find from Danja and now it's Timbaland's in the sample hot seat. Let's take a look at the sample debated track "Bounce." As you may remember, The Chronicles first identified 3 samples from "Bounce": the laugh, the bass line, and the "tempo has reached critical level" announcement all from a set of sample CDs Tim has being using his entire career. It was much to my surprise that the laugh from "Bounce" recently turned up in the Daz Dillinger produced track "Cheat". Take a listen:

The Doggpound F/ Pharrell "Cheat"


So first question is: Who Flipped It Better? Daz or Timbo?

Now as you can hear the laugh is slightly longer than the one from "Bounce" and therefore didn't come from the sample CD set Tim used. So where did Daz get his "laugh"? Of course it could be from a different sample CD or could it possibly be from an actual track? Well let me let a long time Timbo fan Schmenkee explain the sample:

The "laugh" that Timbaland samples in his track "Bounce" was from a little known "Italo Disco / Electro Funk" group from Italy in 1982 called Klein and MBO. The groups producer was Tony Carrasco. They had a handful of songs. Timbo samples "Dirty Talk" (European Connection Mix ). There were about 3 remixes of this track. The dub / instrumental versions was a monster in the early days of electro club music. Tim wasn't the first to sample the track. Todd Terry, a producer known for his New York "hard house" sounds, used the laugh for his massive club hit "Bango". It was later sampled countless times by other house music productions.

The second sample in "Bounce" is more of a reinterpretation. The breathing part is taken from Kraftwerks hit "Tour De France" (Francios Kervorkian 1985 Extended 12 inch Remix). The breathing again was also a huge sample for many club, house and electro freestyle music in the late 80s. Egyptian Lover, an old rap electro act, used the sample / interpretation for almost every track he created. Now Tim brings these gems to the masses.


Listen:


So not only do we have where Daz (could have) got the longer laugh from, we also know the origin of where the sample CD Timbo used got it's "laugh" from. That's not all though. Yes the bassline also comes from this same sample CD, but what's the original song? None other than:

The Beastie Boys "Shake Your Rump"

BIG props to Shmenkee and Jochem for the info!

Madonna "Miles Away" HQ Clip

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Danity Kane vs. Gino Marinuzzi Jr.

So I was listening to some older horror movie soundtrack compilations two days ago and came across a track off the movie "Planet Of The Vampires (1965)". Guess what I discovered. Nah, no Timbo sample this time. I might have discovered the first Danjahandz sample/interpolation. And please don't tell your boy Big A now he is wrong...

Danity Kane feat. Missy Elliott "Bad Girl"


Gino Marinuzzi Jr. "Opening Titles"

Madonna makes history with some help from Justin, Danja, & Timbo



Madonna has made music history by beating the king of Rock N Roll, Elvis, for her 37th top 10 hit with none other than her latest smash "4 Minutes." The track made a huge leap going from #68 to #3 on the Billboard charts as well as being the #1 song on iTunes. Make sure to tune in tomorrow for the world premiere of the music video.

The reign of Danja and Timbaland continues...

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Mariah Carey F/ T-Pain "Migrate" (Radio Rip)

We're getting closer to the real deal:



Each version gets better.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Cali Stylz & Crown Life in the Studio w/ Danja



Beat is ridiculous!
myspace.com/stylzcal



Sound familiar?

Can you seperate "Apologize" and One Republic? Ryan Tedder hopes so

MTV recently talked with Ryan Tedder about the pitfalls of a first single being so big that it is the only defining criteria of that band. "A song can become too big," Tedder said. "If, in the next six months, you bring up this band's name and people still can't connect who we are, and you have to bring up 'Apologize' every time to reference us, I would say the song got a little too big — that it's bigger than the band. I know certain bands that have literally called radio stations and asked them to stop playing their songs, because it could burn out fans. A year from now, we'll be able to tell if it was too big. And I think we could have a hit that big again. We're constantly running this race, and your goal should always be beating your previous record. Lightning can strike twice; we just want people to connect with another song, other than 'Apologize.'

With One Republic's "Apologize" being the biggest radio airplay hit in the history of North American Top 40 radio you'd think mission accomplished, but if that's the only song your known for, the audience loses out on what else you have to say as musicians. "As wonderful as 'Apologize' has been for us, I think any band is kind of afraid of their first single. If it blows up enormously, it's a lot to live up to. Plus, you're also trying to solidify the fact that you're not a one-hit wonder. We want to move past that phase, to where people are like, 'OK, it's a legitimate band.'

Late last year, we could do a 45-minute set and it wouldn't matter — the crowd would sing along to one song, and the rest of the songs, you can see they're kind of deciding, 'How much do we like this band?' or 'Are we here for one song?' " he said. "You see that from the stage. They're just kind of staring at you. But we played Philadelphia recently, and 1,500 people or so sang every single song we played. I've had a lot of people ask me how we measure success — it's a weird question. What makes us feel more validated is people coming to see us. Because, think about it, to go out on a Friday night, and pay parking ... all the nonsense you go through just to see a live show — when someone shows up, it's like, 'Thank you for showing up."

You can check the full article on MTV Newsand be on the lookout for One Republic's 3rd single "Say" very soon. Also be on the lookout for Ryan Tedder's production on such projects by James Morrison, Varsity, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, and The Pussycat Dolls to name but a few.

"The Way I Are" & "Icebox" win ASCAP Awards

Congratulations to Timbaland, Keri Hilson, and Candice Nelson for their writing credits on the worldwide hit "The Way I Are" and to Timbo and Keri for their writing on Omarion's "Icebox." All three have just won ASCAP Awards today for their writing contributions on both songs at this year's 2008 ASCAP Pop Awards.

Sneak Peek of Madonna's "4 Minutes" video

Via Madonna Tribe:

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Props to Fabio.

Timbaland working with Michael Jackson?

So says Matt Pokora in a recent interview he did though he might have let the cat out of the bag. The interview is entirely in french and when "translated" to english via Goole you get a very bad and hard to read interview. Thankfully a friend of mine from France was able to give us the highlights:

-Matt Pokora did his project on his own, booking studio sessions, etc.
-Tim's beats for his album are NOT left overs. Tim played demos and Pokora told him which ones he liked.
-Madonna's album is "wicked". Pokora thought the beats were for him and was upset they weren't.
-He's not Justin Timberlake Part II, though they're both blued eyed, blond, white guys from a boyband who went solo and worked with Tim. He is NOT a JT fan. If he wanted to be JT, he wouldn't have all the tatoos.
-Tim's crew told him they were working on Michael Jackson's album.
-He met Pharrell 3 weeks ago and wants to work him in the future.

Full Article (thanks to Dr. Nep for the translation)

So MJ and Timbo, what do you think that will sound like?

 
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