Welcome To Our World (1997)
Classic Status
by Arik C.
When listening to Timbaland doing his grunts, his "uhs" and his "vicka-vicka-vickas" on his older work, it's very difficult to avoid conjuring up the persona of the new Timbaland: The body-building pop-champion. It takes a bit to remember what Timbaland once was. He wasn't just a pop chart-climbing superproducer, but a super talented producer climbing the industry one sick drum loop at a time.
When his finest complete work, Welcome To Our World came out in 1997, he was already halfway there. Ginuwine's successful "Pony" (1996) gave national exposure to both Ginwuine and Timbaland's production style. Missy Elliot swung hard on her major label debut Supa Dupa Fly, which featured nothing but Timbaland's new form of up-tempo chill rap: Somehow having a slow burn beat with a fast BPM. It was perhaps the first full album that was the perfect LP for both puff-puff-pass and dance-dance-dance. If Supa Dupa Fly had any weakness it might have been its consistency. No peaks or troughs of either quality or style. (With the title track being the only real exception)
Timbaland hooked up with fellow Virginia Beach MC, Magoo, and released Welcome To Our World not three months after Supa Dupa Fly. It was the necessary one-two punch to get Timbaland on top. Sure he could do singles, but now he could do albums. It was at this moment that he grabbed the torch from Dr. Dre.
Keeping with his blend of reggae dancehall, electronica, and Midnight Marauders-style chillout hip hop, Timbaland was able to produce what is one of the most prolific and stand-out 72 minutes of LP production in all of hip hop history. Not a bad beat on the album. And by prolific I don't necessarily mean prolific in context of the industry, but in the context of the album. Very rarey has the production become the star of a rap album so quickly, fittingly, and without it being a drawback. The entire album could be considered Timbaland's Beats feat. Timbaland and Magoo.
It starts out with the standing-in-the-rain somber, chill, yet uptempo "Beep Beep" with Timbaland just doing a trash-talking lecture giving you an intro to the album. Maybe it's in bad tasted to introduce your own album, but by doing so in a low volume Timbaland makes no mistakes: He makes the beat the star of the track.
Timbaland is by no means a talented MC, having some lines so elementary and absurdist that they come out as parodies of Rick Ross nine years before Rick Ross would record anything. The rare Timbaland-only track, "Peepin' My Style" features lyrics like, "I can make you dance, shake your butt and wiggle / When it's hot outside I eat popsicles / check it" Sure on one hand it's a bit gut-wrenching, but when realized in the full context of the album we see that Timbaland's strange, absurd, and amateur lyrics are inconsequential, as just hearing Timbaland's deep commanding voice saying anything becomes an instrument itself. The words don't matter, it's the tone.
But that's why Timbaland brought on talented and distinctly-voiced Magoo to accompany him. They make a perfect partnership. Magoo's rhymes are quick, efficient, creative, often meaningful and fun. This makes Magoo a perfect foil for the slow, non-sequitur rhymes of Timbaland. Timbaland has no problem making Magoo the dominant force in the 16 bar world, probably due to the confidence of having his hand in every beat from the ground up.
[Timbaland and Magoo: "Clock Strikes"]
All it takes to understand all of this is the album's MVP: "Clock Strikes" (not to be confused with the single, "Clock Strikes [remix].") This, the 4th track on the album, has all the elements perfectly assembled: The production is ridiculously mellow. Listening to the chanting of the hook is like slipping into a warm bath. Yet, somehow, Timbaland uses the drums to keep you from falling asleep in the bubbles. The very first second the track plays it already has Magoo rhyming right out of the gate: "See, them other crews could not figure me / It's the Mag and double oo, got that fat CD." Nothing groundbreaking, but his smooth/fast style accentuates the production's uncanny ability to be both relaxing and energy-inducing. (For other reference, check out the Timbaland-produced Timberlake hit "My Love" which was his most recent foray into R&B style at a breakneck speed).
But the entire album can be summed up in the single "Luv 2 Luv U (remix)" It's a long, epic dance hit at 6 minutes and 9 seconds. But take note: The actual song ends in the standard three-and-a-half minute box, with Timbaland's last line being "let it ride." And let it ride they do, the beat then continues on for the length of an entire song. No real changes. The beat doesn't switch up. The beat doesn't mutate anymore than it has previously. The beat is Timbo talking. Magoo and Timbaland decided to step back and let the real star of the show take center stage.
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