This is a verzuz (versus) battle of the Neptunes productions against Timbaland’s. I tried to level out the field to the best of my ability. Instead of pulling random songs (which is super biased), I picked songs from the two artists that fit the same criteria. I also tried to exclude songs that Pharrell and Chad Hugo produced on their own. I pulled all the songs off of Wikipedia and used Discogs to fact check anything I was unsure about. I also am focusing on songs produced. Songs where Timbo or the Neptunes only wrote the lyrics versus contributing to the production or both will not be considered. I’ve picked ten songs to compete and asked four other ONTDers to choose their favorite of the bunch.
First Single:
The first singles released that Timbaland and The Neptunes each have a production credit on. Both acts have produced tracks before this but were either album-only songs or they didn’t receive official credit on it. Timbaland had a prior credit on Usher’s second single “Can U Get wit It” but as an accompanist. Pharrell contributed to both Wreckx N’ Effect’s “Rump Shaker” and SWV’s “Right Here (Human Nature Remix)” as Teddy Riley’s protege (you can hear Pharrell chanting SWV’s name on the latter song). Hugo and Williams also contributed lyrically to Blackstreet’s “Tonight’s the Night”. However, the first single the Neptunes produced as a duo was SWV’s “Use Your Heart”. Timbaland’s first single was Aaliyah’s “If Your Girl Only Knew”.
surfermedley: Use your heart - SWV. This was one of the stronger songs on the entire album.hauntedstairs: Timbalandsaemcrh: Timbstewie_e: Aaliyah - If Your Girl Only Knewmusicnkisses: I don’t like either but I think “If Your Girl Only Knew” is a bit more dynamic. So I picked that.Winner: Timbaland
First Hot 100 Top Ten Hit:
Timbaland would get his first top ten hit with Ginuwine’s “Pony”, released one month after Aaliyah’s “If Your Girl Only Knew”. The song, Ginuwine’s debut single, best-known song, and what keeps the food on his table, peaked at #6 on the Hot 100 in 1996. It would take the Neptunes another two years before they’d score their first top ten song with Mase’s “Lookin' at Me” which peaked at #8 on the Hot 100 in 1998.
surfermedley: Pony all the way, I hated the production of Lookin’ at me.hauntedstairs: Timbaland (just iconic. As soon as it starts, issa wrap)saemcrh: Neptunes (this was hard)stewie_e: Ponymusicnkisses: “Pony”! “Lookin’ At Me” is trash. Kanye sampling “Lookin’ At Me” >>>> that wretched Rihanna song though.Winner: Timbaland
First Hot 100 #1:
Aaliyah and Timbaland would achieve their first respective number one single with 2000’s “Try Again”. The Neptunes would score their first number one hit in 2002 with Nelly’s “Hot in Herre”.
surfermedley: This one is extremely tough, but I’m going to give it to Try Again only because I shipped Aaliyah and Jet Li when I was younger.hauntedstairs: Neptunes (Love Liyah but Try Again isn’t even one of her best songs for me. Hot in Here goes off)saemcrh: Neptunesstewie_e: Hot in Herre (ugh, this one was tough but added Summer ~nostalgia wins here)musicnkisses: I like “Hot in Herre” more.Winner: The Neptunes
Jay-Z:
Both Timbaland and the Neptunes worked intimately with Camel to craft some of his best songs. The most successful Timbo track was 2013’s “Holy Grail” ft Justin Timberlake from the album “Magna Carta Imma Scam By Having Samsung Drop This Album On All Their Phones”. The best performing Neptunes and Jay-Z song was 2003’s “Excuse Me Miss” from ‘“The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse”.
surfermedley:Excuse me miss because fuck Justin Timberlake.hauntedstairs: Neptunessaemcrh: Neptunesstewie_e: Excuse Me Missmusicnkisses: Justin Timberlake ruined “Holy Grail”! “Excuse Me Miss” is perfect though. I wanna complain though, about Jay-Z saying “red or green pill”. I’ve never even seen the Matrix movies and I know it’s a blue pill. Nigga been out of touch for a long time.Winner: The Neptunes
Pop Girls:
Nothing says crossover success like working with a pop star. Looking at top ten hits, the first hit single Timbaland produced for a pop girl was Nelly Furtado’s 2006 mega-hit single “Promiscuous'' which also featured him along with Justin Timberlake. The song peaked at number one on the Hot 100 and pretty much every other chart in existence at the time. (Yes! For the sake of this matchup, I did not consider Aaliyah a pop girl. Otherwise, I’d be reusing “Try Again”. I also did not include Missy Elliot as a pop girl. Lbr, ya’ll know she ain’t considered a pop girl. Don’t @ me). The Neptunes, on the other hand, gave us 2003’s “Milkshake” by Kelis. The song peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 as well as #2 in the UK. (NO! I didn’t use Britney! “I’m A Slave 4 U” underperformed in the US. Them the facts, I’m sorry).
surfermedley: Another hard one but I’ll go with Milkshake because the song still slapshauntedstairs: Timbaland (this was hard. What gave Timbaland the edge was the variety in the track. The verses are simple and then the chorus opens up. Milkshake’s production is the same the entire way. Once you hear the hook in the first 20 seconds, you know what to expect from the rest of track.)saemcrh: Neptunesstewie_e: Milkshake (ugh another tough pick 😭, but Milkshake remains iconic and still referenced today so...)musicnkisses: “Milkshake” aged better.Winner: The Neptunes
Soundtrack:
Both the Neptunes and Timbo have produced songs for film soundtracks. In Timbo’s corner, we have Aaliyah’s 1998 hit “Are You That Somebody?” from the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. The blassic, not the Britney Spears endorsed one tainted by Ironman. In the Neptunes’ corner, we have Teriyaki Boyz’s 2007 song “Tokyo Drift” from one of them Fast and Furious movies. It was a hard decision to pick a Neptunes song
surfermedley: Are you that somebodyhauntedstairs: Timbalandsaemcrh: Timb (this was SO hard smh)stewie_e: Are You That Somebodymusicnkisses: “Are You That Somebody” is a classic. I don’t expect the Neptunes to win this round lol.Winner: Timbaland
Cult Classic:
Here’s the song that might have not done super well on the charts but is synonymous with both the producers and the artists who released the song. We have the Neptunes with everyone’s favorite dope-dealing rappers The Clipse on the 2002 banger “Grindin’”. In Timbaland’s corner, we have Memphis Bleek’s “Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)” feat Jay-Z and Missy Elliot.
surfermedley: Grindin wins hands down!!!hauntedstairs: Timbalandsaemcrh: Neptunes (also very unfair to me haha)stewie_e: Grindin’musicnkisses: Pusha T really been rapping about selling dope for twenty years. “Grindin’” is a bop tho.Winner: The Neptunes
The One-Hit Wonder:
I went with the first one-hit wonder I could find in both acts’ careers. For Timbaland, we have Nicole Wray’s 1998 hit “Make It Hot” ft Missy Elliot and Mocha while the Neptunes gave us Beenie Man’s only hit stateside, 2002’s “Feel It Boy” ft Janet Jackson. Reminder that Billboard classifies a one-hit wonder as being an artist who only achieved one top 40 Hot 100 song during their career.
surfermedley: it pains me to say this but I have to give it to ‘Feel it boy’ but fuck that homophobic pos, Beenie Manhauntedstairs: Timbalandsaemcrh: Timbstewie_e: Beenie Man (feat Miss Jackson if You’re Nasty) - Feel it Boy (another Summer nostalgic pick)musicnkisses: That Nicole Wray song is so tuneless. It’s awful. Beenie Man wins.Winner: The Neptunes
Same Album: Justified (2002)
The Neptunes and Timbaland have crossed paths while producing for the same album. What was the first album both acts produced for? Justin Timberlake’s “Justified”! (actually, it might have been a Camel album but he already had an entire round dedicated to him). The Neptunes handled Mayo’s single "Rock Your Body" while Timbo pulled his weight on JT’s second single, the Britney slander track “Cry Me A River”. Fun fact: The Neptunes (in a rare post-2010 outing) and Timbaland produced tracks on “Mayo of the Woods”. Yikes.
surfermedley: Rock your bodyhauntedstairs: Neptunessaemcrh: Timbstewie_e: Rock Your Bodymusicnkisses: “Rock Your Body” is the better song although I prefer “Like I Love You” over it. I never liked “Cry Me a River”.Winner: The Neptunes
Producer Turned Singer:
Both the Neptunes and Timbaland decided they wanted to also sing on the tracks they produced. Timb’s biggest hit is 2007’s “The Way I Are” ft DOE and throttled internet rights activist Keri Hilson. The song peaked at #3 on the Hot 100. While “Give It To Me” reached the summit, “The Way I Are” performed better on the end of the year chart. For the Neptunes, they are active with Shay Haley as N.E.R.D. N.E.R.D.’s biggest hit was 2017’s “Lemon” ft. Rihanna. The song peaked at a dismal #36 on the Hot 100. Rihanna ain’t been heard from since. I really wanted this to be Frontin’ lmao. :(
surfermedley:The way I are, that album is filled with bops after bopshauntedstairs: Neptunessaemcrh: Timbstewie_e: The Way I Aremusicnkisses: “Lemon” is garbage. I really thought “Frontin’” was billed as the Neptunes ft. Pharrell. “The Way I Are” wins.Winner: Timbaland
Most Recent Song:
The most recent song they’re produced, regardless of whether it was a single or not. Pharrell mostly produces by himself these days so the Neptunes’ output has slowed dramatically over the years. However, the Phineas and Ferb got the band back together in 2019 to produce Daniel Caesar's “Frontal Lobe Muzik”. Timbaland produced “10 Bands” from Joyner Lucas’ 2020 album “ADHD”.
surfermedley: 10 bandshauntedstairs: Neptunessaemcrh: Neptunesstewie_e: Frontal Lobe Muszikmusicnkisses: I like “Frontal Lobe Muzik” more.Winner: The Neptunes
Winner: The Neptunes
Who's the better producer?
Timbaland
69(52.7%)
The Neptunes
62(47.3%)
What's your favorite Timbaland song? Favorite Neptunes song?
Source: Me, Youtube, Discogs, and your fellow ONTDers.
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