Timbaland interviewed on "Elliot in the Morning", 2007-02-02
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transcribed by Matt Westcott - comments and corrections to
gasman@raww.org
Presenter: Timbaland is with us this morning - the CD "Shock Value", that's up next for you. Interesting mix of people on it.
Timbaland: Yes. Lot of shocking news.
P: Let me ask you this. How hard is it- well, I mean, it's easy for you to, like you said, create a beat. Is it, um- we were talking about it before you got here. Is- If somebody is close to the same level as you are, is it conceivable that two people could sit down and create something that's pretty similar?
T: [long pause] You could have sampled something to similar, but you can't- In our opin- Music today, you [look at] some old song, and it's like "hey, that's how [it went], this song out today".
P: Right.
T: And what if they got it from that. And somebody says, "I've never heard that song a day in my life." Music isn't nothing but sounds and notes that repeats itself.
P: Do you feel like you get ripped off a lot?
T: Yeah. All the time, but I'm used to it now. But now I'm like "Hey, you love me don't you." That's what I tell people. "You love me, I'm [all your mine]".
P: Have you ever ripped anybody else off?
T: Er - I haven't *ripped* nobody else off. But have I sampled? Hell, yeah.
P: Right.
T: I didn't rip- go say "Hey I'm gonna steal your beat". I don't have to, I'm too good. [laughs]
P: Now what is the- so what's with the- okay, I love it! - What's with the case with these- with the Finnish guys, who say-
T: Finn- er...
P: From Finland, who say you stole their stuff?
T: I put it this way. 'Cause, that mess is so ridiculous, I can't really talk about it because I'm in legal- legal discussions and whatever, but I'm gonna tell you, if people- That's what I don't believe. Look at my face- I don't know who they faces are.
P: Right.
T: The hell wrong with them? [laughs] That's all I can tell you.
P: Right.
T: It's from a video game, idiot! [laughs]
P: [laughs]
T: Freaking jerk.
P: So that's, so that's all in, tied up in court right now?
T: Yeah, 'cause it's like, my whole thing is, yeah, because don't say I stole some- like, you act- like you just say- A sample, and stole, are two different things.
P: Right. Give me the quick definition that splits those.
T: S- Stole is like I walked in your house, watch you make that beat, took your pro tools and went to my place and gave it to Nells and said "Hey, I got this great song."
P: Right.
T: Is he crazy? I live in America. I don't even stay in Finla- I ain't gonna get into it. Then sample is like, you heard it somewhere, and you just sample it.
P: Right.
T: But you didn't know, maybe you didn't know who it was by because it don't have the credits listed.
P: Right.
T: So you just use it. Hey, I don't know, I like it, but I'm gonna use it. Maybe somebody, you know, might well put a sample claim in, or, I don't know. You know what I'm saying, but-
P: Right.
T: I like it, I don't have no researchin'- time is coming up when I got to turn a record in.
P: Right.
T: So, that's what sampling is. That's not stealing, 'cause everybody sample from everybody every day.
P: Right.
T: And that's what a sample is, like, it maybe [even needs a] credit, cause, hey, I sampled it, I got it from a game. I don't know.
P: Right.
T: And you have a listen. And it say, C-64, Commodore 64. I don't know. You know what I'm saying? So, I like it. I found it. I got sounds upon sounds upon sound. I don't know what's public domain and what's not. Some stuff don't say.
P: Right.
T: Some stuff say it, it says it.
P: So the stuff that's public, you just - "F- it, I'm gonna use it"?
T: Yeah, you can use it. It's like, I think Swizzy got sued one time for using the Casio thing, in the Casio equipment that you buy. But who- well I think they settled, because it's like "Yo, I brought 'em keyboard. I brought it. They made it for me to use..."
P: Right.
T: "It was a demo in there that I like, and I flip it a certain way - how you gonna sue me? It's a demo. I brought - the demo."
P: Right.
T: "Don't - you can't sue me for buying what I b- I purchased this." You just say "Hey, by the way, don't sample"- it's like, "Well why am I gonna buy the keyboard?" You know?
P: In the world you live in, in terms of being a producer, does that kind of stuff, all the behind-the-scenes legal stuff, does that go on a lot?
T: It go on a lot 'cause everybody want to come out of the woodwork, say like "you done something. You stole this." Or, You- whatever. Whatever. Whatever. Whatever. Come on man, I'm good.
P: [laughs]
NO way, I thought he was the producer of that song. Meaning he came up with it and co wrote it or something.
