WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU? Timbaland's Nasty Remarks About Britney (and when did it become the 2000s?)
I thought about writing about something else first, but it involves my girl (not really) Britney, and I seem to be the Peckerwood expert in residence.
I am no stranger to the problems associated with Hip Hop and its long history of misogyny. Some of the songs I love, or I have to accept it was a different time, or else I wouldn't like the genre. As a feminist, this always filled me with conflict because I am a Hip Hop Head. I would write about hip-hop gossip, but I don't think Peckerwood is much like 90s Vibe magazine.
This, however, deserves an airing because it goes straight to how some men really think about women but also the act of separating the artist from their art. How do you choose when to move on and when to cancel someone for good? I will shamefully watch old Miramax films, but I won't go near Woody Allen or Kevin Spacey. It is hypocritical in some aspects, but I think we all have our own lines in the sand. Timbaland, love or hate him, could make some bangers in the 2000s, and against my will, I found his beats catchy. Even Bjork worked with him for Volta, so I felt a little better tapping my foot. He was riding high in 2007 and then suddenly disappeared into prescription drug addiction and tax issues. In my view, he should have stayed gone.
Was he in an Oxy haze when the world changed, and saying shitty things about women had become something intolerable to a lot of the public? We have a new generation of music fans who would never listen to 2 Live Crew, NWA, or even LL Cool J and accept the way they talk about women. It can be said that Justin Spaghetti Head owes Timbaland for igniting his solo career, catapulting him to the top of the charts. He also infused their music with the same kind of sexist viewpoints that were okay to a large segment of society at that time. Thanks for nothing. And it makes sense there was a synergy between them since they both seem to be obnoxious throwbacks before social media outed people's terrible behavior.
Timbaland made the controversial comments during an interview at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in October 2023. He was asked about the renewed interest in Timberlake's 2002 hit "Cry Me a River," which was widely believed to be about Spaghetti Head's breakup with Britney Spears. Timbaland co-wrote and produced the song, so he was up in his feelings. In response, Timbaland said:
"She's going crazy, right? I wanted to call JT because he gotta put a muzzle on that girl." What a gentleman. Not only does he refer to a grown woman as a girl, but he somehow imagines Justin has the power to make her shut up. Forcibly. The remarks about her mental health were nasty and uncalled for like he thought he could speak his lack of empathy out loud.
His statements were widely criticized on social media, with many finding them to be misogynistic and insensitive. Britney's fans freaked and swarmed social media outlets, claiming it was another example of how misunderstood and mistreated she was. I have to agree partially because the fool wasn't reading the room. I believe in Free Speech, but I also believe in consequences. Say what you want, but then be okay with paying the price. The shaming of him is a lesson in correction, and he needed a sharp lesson for him to learn he isn't the big producer on the block anymore. JT isn't the star he had been, either.
Timbaland later apologized for his comments, saying that he was wrong to suggest that Timberlake should have silenced Spears. He also apologized to Spears and her fans, saying that he respected women and their right to speak their truth. Only after he got bitch slapped did he believe this, and I consider his first comment as a reflection of what he really felt.
Some fans even noted the irony that Spears had declined to work with Timbaland and instead collaborated with his protégé Danja for her 2007 album "Blackout." Others pointed out that Timbaland had spoken about Spears and Timberlake's past before, including in a 2007 interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he expressed sympathy for Spears and her struggles.
So what is it? Could it possibly be that he and Timberlake are collaborating again? Maybe. Could he be worried about his comeback? All Britney did was finally speak up after years of Spaghetti Head talking about her when she should have blasted him years ago for telling the world that he had slept with her. He relied on her silence; so much time had passed that he probably thought it was a distant memory. Then the book came out, and he could no longer escape his history, which has delighted me more than I thought it would.
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