Timbaland has shared a glimpse into working with Missy Elliott, his long-time friend and collaborator, and noted she can behave like a “drill sergeant.”
During his recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, Timbaland discussed his life, career, previous collaborations, and more. Eventually, the pair discussed Missy Elliott, a long-time collaborator of his.
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Their relationship dates back to their late teens, and they have worked on several projects together, including Missy’s debut album, Supa Dupa Fly.
However, according to Tim, after the glow of success faded away, all that was left was the pressure to create the next hit. It was then, while creating Missy’s sophomore album, 1999’s Da Real World, that the producer revealed that she “put him through the ringer.”
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“Missy was like ‘ah this my sophomore album, we gotta beat what we did,'” he began.
He mentioned Missy being like a “drill sergeant” when it came to being in the studio. Tim even claims she would make him cycle through “100 beats” before selecting one.
He added: “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.'”
At the time, the producer felt that the process was somewhat exhausting, but in the end, it made him all the better.
“That’s part of being great,” he said before drawing a comparison between Missy and LeBron James, saying that when it came time to be in the studio and put the work in, it’s similar to what a player would have to prepare themselves to go up against the NBA superstar.
“So [with] Missy, [it] [was] like, ‘your on this team, [so] let me show you what Missy is really about,” he continued.
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In addition, he noted that he is grateful for the process because it “made him into who he is today,” doubting that he would’ve been able to score hits with heavyweights like JAY-Z had it not been for his time with Missy.
“She made me not settle,” he said.
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Missy responded to a clip of the interview shared on the podcast’s official Twitter account by quote tweeting the post, admitting she was moved by Timbaland’s words.
“Awww @Timbaland I love you bro this interview made me tear up because of how far we come & 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,” she wrote.
