Timbaland and Missy Elliott were a match made in heaven, but it sounds like the relationship wasn’t always easy. The producer recently revealed his experience of working with Missy, his close friend and frequent collaborator. The pair are legendary for the hits that they made together on Missy’s early albums. Together, they created legendary tracks like “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It,” and “Pass That Dutch.” However, producing such big hits comes with quite a bit of pressure. In fact, it turns out that Missy was extremely selective in order to continually outdo herself. Timbaland described her as having a strict and demanding approach similar to a “drill sergeant.”
During an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, Timbaland discussed various aspects of his life and career. Of course, this including his long-standing partnership with Missy Elliott. The duo’s professional relationship goes a long way back, and they have collaborated on many projects. Timbaland was a staple on Missy’s albums from the beginning, starting with her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly. However, the producer shared that after the initial excitement of success wore off, they faced immense pressure to produce another hit. It was during the creation of Missy’s second album, Da Real World in 1999, that Timbaland admitted she subjected him to intense scrutiny and demands.
Missy Elliott apparently became extremely selective about the production on her second album. In his interview, Timbaland says that while Missy acknowledged that what the producer was making was good, it wasn’t for her. “She’d be like ‘that might be dope for JAY-Z or a Ludacris, but I gotta dance to it. I gotta see the video. I gotta see how my girls [are] gonna look,'” he said. However, the producer was quick to acknowledge that the experience made him a better artist, noting “She made me not settle.” Timbaland went on to compare Missy’s work ethic to that of an NBA player, saying that her preparation was unmatched.
Missy was quick to respond to the interview on social media. She expressed her gratitude for the experience and called Timbaland a genius. “Awww @Timbaland I love you bro this interview made me tear up because of how far we come,” the rapper wrote. “BLESSED I knew from the day I came to your house after school that you would change the sound & cadence of music as we knew it multiple times! #genius I Thank you.” Of course, Missy just made history as the first female rapper to be inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. So, it looks like the her tough demeanor paid off.
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Music photographer Jill Furmanovsky said she wasn’t taken aback by the overwhelming excitement surrounding the Oasis reunion tour.
The photographer has been capturing the Wonderwall hitmakers for more than thirty years and shared that the Oasis Live '25 Tour, which brought Noel and Liam Gallagher back on stage together for the first time in 16 years, worked so well because the concerts have always been “about the audience”.
Jill, who first crossed paths with Oasis at one of their early shows at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1994, explained to NME: “It didn’t catch us off guard, because Oasis have always been about the crowd. Always. There was never much to shoot on stage.
“Even at the Cambridge Corn Exchange, the performance itself was simple, but the people in the crowd knew every word and were completely swept up in it.
“And that hasn’t really changed over time. They just bring out that songbook and deliver it. Liam is still magnetic and captivating, even when he keeps it minimal. It remains incredibly powerful. That’s the essence of their show.”
Furmanovsky, who has photographed icons like Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin over the course of her fifty-year career, added: “What they’ve done with this new tour, the production, and the visuals… it’s something special.
“The mix of generations in the crowd is also striking. I went with my 13-year-old granddaughter, and there were plenty of kids her age singing along word for word. It’s incredible.
“‘Biblical’ is the term people throw around. It sounds almost silly, but when two brothers who’ve been at odds for years come together again, there really is something biblical about that alone. Combine it with what they’re putting on stage… it’s unlike anything else.”
Jill’s latest book Trying To Find A Way Out Of Nowhere reflects her years documenting Oasis, and she shared that no current act matches what the Supersonic band represents. She was also able to photograph them once again at one of their massive Wembley Stadium shows during the reunion tour.
She said: “There aren’t many artists today who can step into the space Oasis occupies and actually live up to it.
“We’re in a different time now, a kind of in-between phase. It feels like the closing of a rock ‘n’ roll chapter. That doesn’t mean talent or creativity is gone. It’s like with painting — we still have great impressionists, but we’re no longer living in the impressionist era.”
