Timbaland and Missy Elliott were the Batman and Robin of hip hop/pop music in the '90s and a good chunk of the '00s. Missy was the songwriting phenom while Timbo was the beatmaster. The pairing was genius and together they helped launched the career of the late Aaliyah while building a deep catalogue of their own hits.
But then they seemed to drift apart. Tim left Missy to collaborate with bigger mainstream artists. He formed a bond with Justin Timberlake, in particular, and produced half of the former NSYNCer's debut and sophomore solo albums. Missy, too, moved on to greener pastures and teamed up with Janet Jackson and Madonna for their own projects, helping to bolster her starpower. She also stepped into the role of producer in her own right, helping relaunch Monica's career with the hit "So Gone."
But both suffered missteps in recent years. Missy's last album was 2005's The Cookbook, on which Timbaland only produced two tracks. There was the random single "Ching a Ling" in 2008, but it didn't really make an impact on the charts. Timbaland, on the other hand, was on a roll recently, scoring a successful album, Shock Value, in 2007. 2009's sequel,Shock Value II, however, faltered. And his much ballyhooed production on Chris Cornell's solo album Scream was widely panned and a commercial flop.
Putting the challenges of yesterday aside, Tim and Missy are ready for another round in the showbiz ring. Timbaland recently spoke about the pair releasing new solo albums in June, as "a movement," with MTV News.
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