{"title":"Timbaland and Magoo","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"under-construction-part-ii","title":"Under Construction, Part II","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe second part of a record that \u003cstrong\u003eTimbaland\u003c\/strong\u003e apparently began with \u003cem\u003eMissy Elliott's Under Construction\u003c\/em\u003e, this one may have a few similarities -- the stylistic bent and the production finesse certainly -- but the replacement of an energized rapper like Missy with a mush-mouthed mess like Magoo (\u003cstrong\u003eTimbaland\u003c\/strong\u003e's usual henchman) could be an immediate deal-breaker.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFortunately for fans of the most exciting producer in hip-hop (superstar favorites Neptunes are to Timba little more than what a pop princess like Britney Spears is to the intriguing, multi-talented Pink), \u003cstrong\u003eTimbaland\u003c\/strong\u003e keeps Magoo in the background while offering a wide-ranging set of backing tracks with limber percussion, speaker-rattling subbass, and very little else. \u003cem\u003eUnder Construction, Pt. II\u003c\/em\u003e is the most spartan record of his solo career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTimbaland\u003c\/strong\u003e's still very proprietary with his sound, warning off biters with \"\u003cem\u003eDon't Make Me Take It There\u003c\/em\u003e,\" \"\u003cem\u003eThat Sh** Ain't Gonna Work\u003c\/em\u003e,\" and \"\u003cem\u003eCan We Do It Again\u003c\/em\u003e,\" then cautioning bootleggers with the sure hit \"\u003cem\u003eCop That Disc\u003c\/em\u003e\" (the only track that features \u003cstrong\u003eMissy\u003c\/strong\u003e). Aside from \u003cstrong\u003eMissy\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eBubba Sparxxx\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eTimba\u003c\/strong\u003e's actually the best rapper on display, much improved from his previous solo shots or his infrequent rhymes on other artists' records.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Empire","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50454652944715,"sku":"1129390","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50454656188747,"sku":"1129391","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/b8ca0358-9b6a-4129-a517-4953b2506c8c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727185236"},{"product_id":"indecent-proposal","title":"Indecent Proposal","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt's easy to forgive Timbaland for putting his solo career on the back burner during the late '90s; after all, he'd been incredibly busy, lending his track-master skills to some of rap's biggest hitters: Ludacris, Bubba Sparxxx, Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and Snoop Dogg, as well as old friend Missy Elliott. Three years after \u003ci\u003eTim's Bio\u003c\/i\u003e, hip-hop's most distinctive producer finally returned with another project, co-billed with right-hand man Magoo. Though it finds him caught between providing an outlet for his more experimental productions and trying to hit on his own, \u003ci\u003eIndecent Proposal \u003c\/i\u003estill succeeds on most counts. True, it starts off with the uninventive \"Drop,\" but then moves into a set of productions certainly stranger than anything else in the world of commercial rap. Timbaland airs out one of the oddest vocal treatments ever heard on the languorous \"Love Me,\" gets in touch with his P-Funk roots by replaying an early Funkadelic track (\"I Got a Thing...\") for \"Baby Bubba,\" and pumps up the beats to match Jay-Z and Twista's excellent rhyme-trading on \"Party People.\" \"It's Your Night\" and \"Indian Carpet\" both spin the Timbaland blueprint into new dimensions, the former with a quirky love jam and the latter with an infectious, inane chorus. Stuck at the end of the LP is the most eagerly awaited track -- \"I Am Music\" -- featuring one of the last performances from Timbaland protégé Aaliyah. (Alt-powerhouse Beck was originally slated to duet.) It's not an exciting track and comes as a bit of a letdown (the closest a conscientious producer would ever get to dripping the pop syrup of Puff Daddy), but it doesn't sink the album. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Empire","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50475607392587,"sku":"1129388","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50475608113483,"sku":"1129389","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/12e0e607-ae38-4d29-92c2-e26ea89de521_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727448133"},{"product_id":"welcome-to-our-world","title":"Welcome To Our World","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWelcome to Our World\u003c\/i\u003e was one of the better rap debuts of 1997, establishing Timbaland \u0026amp; Magoo as gifted hip-hop musicians in their own right. The pair had previously written or produced tracks for such stars as Missy \"Misdemeanor\" Elliott and Ginuwine, and the spare, kinetic beats of \"Supa Dupa Fly\" and \"Pony\" are a good indication of what's available on \u003ci\u003eWelcome to Our World\u003c\/i\u003e. Without relying too heavily on samples, producer Timbaland has created a distinctive sound that is funky in an edgy, creative way -- these beats are modern yet timeless, as the hit \"Up Jumps da' Boogie\" illustrates. Furthermore, Timbaland is clever enough to keep shifting the tone of the album, balancing the up-tempo party numbers with ballads and menacing, mid-tempo crawls. Magoo is generally up to the challenge, delivering fluid freestyle raps and only occasionally lapsing into cliché.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Empire","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50475609162059,"sku":"1129387","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50475609653579,"sku":"1129386","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/8358deda-c152-4e82-a63a-4f48207c2262_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727448165"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/collections\/timbaland-and-magoo.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}