Timbaland demands credit for discovering Ludacris.
Timbaland was the guest on I Am Athlete’s newest series called “I Am Hip-Hop”, in celebration of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary. During the conversation with Brandon Marshall and Chef Danie, the super producer named his favourite artists who changed his life.
The list includes Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, LL COOL J, Run-DMC, Gang Starr, Wu-Tang Clan, Fat Joe, Big Pun, OutKast, DMX, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, 8-Ball & MJG, N.W.A, A Tribe Called Quest and also Ludacris. While naming Luda, Timbaland revealed that he was the one who discovered the rapper.
“I was the one who found Ludacris,” he said. “Because Ludacris was working in the radio station and I was like, ‘Hey, ain’t nobody sign you? What’s going on here?’ [He was like], ‘Nah man.’ Then he came down to Virginia and we did ‘Phat Rabbit,’ and from there, labels started calling. He asked me one time, ‘Would you sign to Def Jam or Eleltra?’ I said, ‘Man, you better go to Def Jam.’ And I didn’t know how the business go. I just backed them ’cause I knew he was incredible.”
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In a previous interview, Ludacris also revealed a similar kind of story, stating Timbaland was the first who believed in him. “Tim was the first person that really believed in me, along with Jermaine Dupri and Organized Noize,” he said in 2019. “But in terms of really the very first person, [Timba] came to the radio station in Atlanta when I was working there. Timbaland was the first person who was like, ‘Who is that?’ And then [I] got on ‘Phat Rabbit’ and got on Tim’s Bio. Do your history, Google that. He’s the first person. So, to be back in the studio with him at this moment in time… for this juncture and this particular moment that is about to be monumental for me… is amazing.”
Timbaland posted the video as well, with the message, “After 20 years, the love of creating music hasn’t faded. Much respect to my brotha @ludacris. We are working on something special for y’all.”
