Timbaland changed the sound of music and it’s not up for debate. The Virginia-born producer came into the game with beats that didn’t sound like anything else coming out the speakers. His drums hit different, his rhythms bent the rules, and his sonic choices moved like organized chaos. From the very beginning, he built a lane that was unpredictable and ahead of its time. The early work with Aaliyah and Missy Elliott created a new rhythm for Hip Hop and R&B — one that didn’t exist before he touched the board.

In 1996, Aaliyah’s One in a Million dropped and shifted the energy in R&B. The title track sounded like it was built in another dimension. Digital crickets, stop-and-start drum patterns, and an airy smoothness made it feel light but calculated. That sound gave her an edge without sacrificing softness. The album became a cultural moment and helped redefine how R&B could move — especially for Black women artists.

Missy Elliott brought out a different side of Timbaland’s creativity. The way he constructed “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” made it feel more like an experience than a single. “She’s a B**ch” pushed even further, matching Missy’s power with raw, futuristic percussion. Timbaland did more than just cook up dope beats — he created entire environments for artists to exist in.

His sound cuts across several genres including pop and R&B. Ginuwine’s “So Anxious” carried a slow-burning intensity, with a beat that sat in a perfect pocket between sensual and eerie. That same year, JAY-Z dropped “N**ga What, N**ga Who (Originator 99)” featuring Jaz-O. The tempo was fast, the bounce was icy, and the energy was undeniably New York. Timbaland had found a way to dominate both genres without watering down the vision.

When his beats drop, you know who’s behind it without checking the credits. That’s more than a style, that’s legacy. Here are 15 of Timbaland’s best beats.

1. The Jump Off – Lil’ Kim featuring Mr. Cheeks

Best bars: I got my eye on the guy in the Woolrich coat / Don't he know Queen Bee got the ill deep throat? / Uh! Let me show you what I'm all about / How I make a Sprite can disappear in my mouth.

2. If Your Girl Only Knew – Aaliyah

Best bars: She's crazy to put up with you / But boy, I won't be no fool / Let you like what you see / It ain't easy to get with me.

3. My Love – Justin Timberlake featuring T.I.

Best bars: I can see us holding hands / Walking on the beach, our toes in the sand / I can see us on the countryside / Sitting on the grass, laying side by side / You can be my baby / Let me make you my lady, girl, you amaze me.

4. You Owe Me – Nas featuring Ginuwine

Best bars: It's real in the field, the last Mohican / Who survived in the streets and did something decent / Now I got plans to buy the whole hood / Legit now, I ain't gotta lie to no judge / I make hits now, money I flip now.

5. Sock It 2 Me – Missy Elliott featuring Da Brat

Best bars: Ooh ahh, sock it to me like you want to, ooh / I can take it like a pro, you know / Do a long throw with the back stroke / My hormones jumping like a disco / I be popping ish like some Crisco / And all you gotta say is, "Missy, go" / And when you say go, I won't move slow.

6. Dirt Off Your Shoulder – JAY-Z

Best bars: Your boy back in the building; Brooklyn, we back on the map / Me and my beautiful b**ch in the back of that 'Bach / I'm the realest that run it, I just happen to rap / I ain't gotta clap at 'em — n**gas scared of that black / I drop that Black Album, then I back out it / As the best rapper alive — n**ga, ask about me.

7. Roll Out – Ludacris

Best bars: Are you custom made, custom paid, or you just custom fitted / PlayStation 2 up in the ride, is that Lorenzo-kitted/ Is that your wife, your girlfriend or just your main b**ch / You take a pick, while I'm rubbin' the hips, touchin' lips to the top of the d**k and then, whew.

8. Oops (Oh My) – Tweet featuring Missy Elliott

Best bars: Early in the morning rushing for work and / Ma, you ain't gon’ talk me to death, ‘cause you got free nights and weekends / Ghetto Fab's all over the place / Oops! There goes my kids all over your face, oh my.

9. Promiscuous – Nelly Furtado

Best bars: You expect me to just let you hit it / But will you still respect me if you get it / All I can do is try, gimme one chance / What's the problem? I don't see the ring on your hand.

10. Make Me Better – Fabolous featuring Ne-Yo

Best bars: The sag and my swag, pep in my step / Daddy do the Gucci, mami in Giuseppes / Guess it's a G thing whenever we swing / I'm a need Coretta Scott if I'm 'gon be King.

11. Pony – Ginuwine

Best bars: If we're gonna get nasty, baby / First, we'll show and tell / 'Til I reach your ponytail / Lurk all over and through you, baby / Until we reach the stream / You'll be on my jockey team.

12. The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) – Missy Elliott

Best bars: Beep, beep, who got the keys to the Jeep? Vroom / I'm driving to the beach / Top down, loud sounds, see my peeps / Give them pounds, now look who it be / It be me-me-me and Timothy.

13. One In A Million – Aaliyah

Best bars: Turn me inside out, make my heart speak / Need no one else, you're all I need / Personality and everything you do / Makes me love everything ‘bout you.

14. Is That Your B**ch – Memphis Bleek featuring Missy Elliott, JAY-Z, & Twista

Best bars: Don't get mad at me / I don't love 'em, I f**k 'em / I don't chase 'em, I duck 'em /I replace 'em with another one / You had to see she keep calling me BIG / And my name is JAY-Z.

15. Luv 2 Luv Ya – Timbaland & Magoo

Best bars: Girl, I love it when you're next to me, and I, yeah / Wanna make sure that you know that / You're the best thing that I've received / And I wanna make sure that you know that I love to love you, love you.