Hands down Timbaland is one of the best producers of our time. With 14 of this CD’s 16 tracks to his credit, the album does boast a handful of phat beats and funny, braggadocious rhymes. The big surprise is the radio favorite “Cop That S**t” featuring Missy. Over a hot beat, all three MCs jack rhymes by Rakim (Timbaland reworks “I Know You Got Soul”), MC Lyte (Missy updates “Paper Thin”) and Special Ed (Magoo recites a version of “I Got It Made”). On “Shenanigans,” Timbo surrounds Bubba Sparxxx’ soulful flow with video game sounds and the beat for “Leavin'” resembles the airy drums often used by the Neptunes — which brings us to a touchy subject for Tim. On “Don’t Make Me Take It There,” he warns, “Where would the music be if it weren’t for Timothy.” He makes it clear he doesn’t feel appreciated and he doesn’t like to be compared to other producers. He furthers these thoughts on “That S**t Ain’t Gonna Work,” where he chants, “Before ya’ll suckers count me out. N***a, I’m a problem. Still can’t be figured out.” He complains that people still don’t give him his props for his innovative work and signature drum kicks and snares that people love to imitate.
“Can We Do It Again” sounds like a track Tim might have given Hova, and Brandy doesn’t add the sensual vibe to “N 2 Da Music” that say, Aaliyah or Kiley Dean would. But Tim comes back swinging by once again incorporating exotic flavor, a la “Get Ur Freak On” in “Indian Flute.” Then he gets personal on “Hold On” featuring Wyclef, where he reminisces about Aaliyah, and enlists Beenie Man on “Naughty Eye II,” making this joint perfect for both dancehalls and clubs.
There’s no denying Tim is dope. It’s just sometimes we wish he wouldn’t have so much love for his man Magoo (whose rhymes are often silly), and that he would redirect his creative energy from dissing haters to creating more of that next-level ish.
