Timbaland has acknowledged that he did encourage Bryson Tiller to leave his job before the breakout success of his hit single “Don’t.”
“At that time I just saw a talented kid. I didn’t know if he wanted to be a full-fledged artist,” Timbaland told The Shade Room, explaining that his focus then was on developing his artist Link.
Despite the misunderstanding, Timbaland made it clear there’s no bad blood: “Bryson is one of the illest writers and most talented guys I know.”
Timbaland’s response comes after Bryson Tiller opened up about their past, saying the producer once pushed him to quit his job only to later “abandon” him.
On Monday, @spadetvofficial shared a recap of Tiller’s sit-down on The Rory & Mal Show, highlighting claims that Timbaland encouraged him to leave his 9-to-5 after “Don’t” took off, but eventually lost interest in supporting him musically. The post added that while Timbaland offered some financial help, it quickly dried up, leaving Tiller struggling once their connection faded.
Though Tiller didn’t speak with bitterness during the interview, he wasn’t happy with how the narrative was twisted online. He jumped into the comments to call it out, writing: “Malicious Media. smh I can’t wait for yall to play BRUTAL INDUSTRY!!! @trapsoulgames.”
Timbaland revealed that Bryson Tiller actually called him ahead of time to warn him the Rory & Mal interview had been edited.
In that original interview, the Louisville singer recalled how Timbaland was the first big-name figure to tell him to take music seriously after hearing “Don’t.”
“He was like, ‘Yo, quit your job,’” Tiller remembered. Unsure how to balance both, he asked for confirmation: “‘Well what you sayin’, like I should quit my job?’ He was like, ‘Yeah.’”
Tiller said he rushed back home from Philadelphia and quit immediately, joking that his bosses probably thought he was heading off to work for the Timberland boot company.
He soon got back to recording, laying down tracks that would later land on TRAPSOUL. But Timbaland wasn’t sold—he wanted more songs in the vein of “Don’t,” while Tiller was pushing a different sound. Cuts like “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Been That Way” didn’t move the producer.
Their relationship fizzled from there. Tiller returned home with some cash Timbaland had given him but felt lost about what to do next. When he called to clarify if he was even officially signed, he claims Timbaland denied ever telling him to quit his job. The two never spoke again.
Ultimately, Tiller finished TRAPSOUL on his own in New York, a move that launched his career independently.
