Welcome to THIS edition of GOOD QUESTION, brought to you by THISENT.com! I’m your columnist M.J. Walker.
We’re longtime fans of Red Alert Studios’ award-winning producer/recording artist Sam Rhansum, and with this series we wanted to honor him and his incredible career in the music industry.
During our recent conversation I asked Rhansum THIS GOOD QUESTION: Who are your TOP 5 favorite music producers?
His second answer was, “Timbaland.
Timbo, straight up, was always organic in feel. I love this style. Loose but in the pocket. Stories of him just going into the booth to beatbox the idea, hum the instruments, vocal scratch the cuts; his way of just getting the idea out of his head became a trademark sound. His demo beatboxes stayed in so many of his tracks just for the live feel under the programming.
Man, check one of his first hits, “Brand New” from Sista – Missy Elliot’s first group. That’s the Timbo sound out the gate. That loose beatbox under drums and them instrument chops, and he had this way of making an R&B joint grooves different. The swing of his hats and the busy kick drums worked to make even love songs head-nodders.
Go back and listen to Aaliyah’s “Four Page Letter” and “One in a Million”. The drums are busy, way busier than love songs were used to, but sonically they were clean and tight. And they create this irresistible groove. Everybody was copying that sound. It was the sound of pop music for years. And dude would experiment with sound, shit other producers would be scared of or even laugh at if you never heard how he did it.
That gravely ‘Yeah’ vocal bass line from Ginuwine’s “Pony”? Man, come on.
The baby sounds in “Are You That Somebody”? Dude.
Then all them foreign music samples. After joints like Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin”, Missy’s “Get Ur Freak On”, and Bubba Sparxxx “Ugly”, so many producers were copying this sound too. Or trying hard to get that feel.
Dude could move a damn club.
Petey Pablo’s “Raise Up”, Luda’s “Roll Out”, Missy’s “Minute Man”, and Fatman Scoop’s “Drop”, DJs owe Timbo for them being able to make a living for years, and this was all BEFORE he worked with Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado. And he still had that ‘Timbo’ sound. That loose organic groove was just addictive.
“Dirt of Your Shoulders”, “The Jump Off”, “Headsprung”… But the one that still kills me is this Cee-Lo joint that was so unappreciated; “I’ll Be Around” is everything I loved about my days on the drumline. The marching band horns, lazy rimshots, and them tom fills; man, that’s my shit.
Dude has mad versatility and an incredible, experimental ear.” |THIS.
[By M.J. Walker]
“My five favorite producers is a tough one. I dig every style of music out there and try to find something that moves me in every song I hear. But I do gravitate to those that evolve and create stuff that influences their entire genre. Like, it made such an impact sonically with their style and pallet that what they created became the sound of music for a while. When I get impressed by these types, I study them. I go back and follow their evolution. And I can talk about them like I was there. As much as Hip Hop and music in general is who I am, not just what I do, I’m still just a student and a fan.” – Sam Rhansum
