Timbaland got candid about his addiction struggles on The Pivot podcast, sharing how drugs impacted his music creation.
When asked about the timeline, the hit-making producer revealed his addiction began around Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience and continued while producing major tracks like Jay-Z and Timberlake’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” and Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “Drunk in Love.”
“It was fun,” Timbaland reflected. “Those were cool albums, but my best work was done when I wasn’t on drugs. It was just fun and creative. I was doing all of those albums back to back.”
Timbaland went on to share that he doesn’t consider those tracks his finest work. “I look back at it now and they were great, but they don’t stand out like my big records, like ‘Big Pimpin,’ ‘Dirt Off Ya Shoulder,’ and ‘One In A Million,'” he added. “Those are drug-free, so when I look back at my highlights, that (drug period) is probably a dip.”
The producer has recovered from his struggles and is back in creative mode. Last month, he expressed interest in an In the Booth session with Plaqueboymax during a stream with emerging artists.
“Somebody said I should do a stream with Plaqueboymax,” Timbaland mentioned. “Yes, we should. Any of ya’ll know him? Send this out to him, ’cause yeah, we should. ‘Cause he do music and I’d love to be on his stream and do some music with him. Yeah, that would be dope.”
In a previous interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, Timbaland discussed his pill addiction and how it nearly cost him his life. He credits Jay-Z and Drake for helping him through his darkest times, revealing his addiction began with Vicodin that made him feel invincible, eventually leading to taking 160 milligrams of OxyContin daily.
