Dear Superstar: Timbaland

“You better eat while you got the chance. He’s the best there is.”

Like most hip-hop professionals, Timbaland isn’t shy about throwing around superlatives. But in this case he doesn’t seem to be exaggerating. In his corner suite at New York’s Trump International hotel, his personal chef is cooking up a mouthwatering breakfast: ground-beef omelette, juicy bacon, golden-brown toast and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Blender digs in. “It’s good, right?” the supermegaproducer asks as he surveys Central Park through a floor-to-ceiling window. Oh, yes — it’s good.

Timbaland is in town for MTV’s Video Music Awards, and his schedule is packed: VMA performances with Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliott, a show with Young Jeezy, a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. And last night he was up till three working on Jay-Z’s comeback record. “Of course it’s hot,” he promises. “It’s Jay-Z!”

A Norfolk, Virginia, native, Timothy Mosley has been redefining the sound of hip-hop and R&B for more than a decade, with a slew of collaborators as star-packed as a Diddy guest list: Ludacris, Snoop, Destiny’s Child, Nelly Furtado, Janet, Justin and, of course, Aaliyah and Missy. Last year — aided by an NFL trainer and Chef Rafael — he also redefined himself, shedding 120 pounds and firming up his doughy frame. Now the reclusive wizard is ready to start pulling back the curtain; this Q&A session, he tells us, will be his longest interview yet.

“I’ve always tried to keep my mystique,” he says. “When I come through the door, I want people to be like, ‘Oh, my God,’ like they seen a ghost or something. But I think it’s about time for me to be steppin’ out.”

Be gentle, guys …

WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE CARTOONS AS A KID?
maryrose, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Man, I liked them all: Elmer Fudd, Bugs Bunny, Spider-Man. But I spent most Saturday mornings playing with my drum set, just sitting in the living room banging on shit.

HOW BADASS WAS YOUR PARENTS’ RECORD COLLECTION?
jarjar9, Birmingham, Alabama
It was just mediocre. My folks were always into music, but we didn’t have mobs of records, just the typical ones: Prince, Rick James, Teddy Pendergrass. My CD collection now is way bigger. I don’t even have crates —l I have trunks.

YOU KNEW PHARRELL WHEN HE WAS A JUNIOR-HIGH BAND NERD. DID YOU EVER GIVE HIM A SWIRLIE?
killasam, Madison, Wisconsin
Ha! Nah, me and Pharrell was cool. We went to different schools, but we was always in the same neighborhood — his grandma knew my grandma, his parents knew my parents. We was tight.

NORFOLK IS THE SITE OF THE LARGEST NAVAL BASE IN THE WORLD. DID YOU EVER THINK OF ENLISTING?
ltjames, Tampa, Florida
Uh-unh. I’d see those guys around town and stuff, but that’s just not me. I’m not into marching around like a toy soldier, uniforms and everything. Screw that.

IS THERE ANY MUSIC YOU SIMPLY CAN’T STAND?
jessa221, Jackson, Mississippi
I don’t think so. Music is my life, baby — I love it all. Except maybe, like, Norwegian death metal.

VIRGINIA IS HALFWAY BETWEEN NEW YORK AND ATLANTA. ARE YOU MORE EAST COAST OR DIRTY SOUTH?
guccimane, Stone Mountain, Georgia
I’m South, man. I just love the way of life down there — it’s more slow-paced, more observant. And Southern food is dope, you know what I’m saying? It’s crops — they grow their shit, they chase the chickens. I do like the ladies up here, though.

HOW MUCH DID YOU SELL YOUR FIRST BEAT FOR?
djtanner84, Berkeley, California
Hmmm. I think it was $3,000 — not bad for a first beat. And you know how much I had in my bank account afterward? $3,000.

YOU HAVE TO PROVE TO A JUDGE THAT YOU’RE THE BEST PRODUCER OF ALL TIME. STATE YOUR CASE.
tonyboy, Ann Arbor, Michigan
I’ve been doing it for 10 years and haven’t fallen off — number one. Number two, I changed the sound of radio at least four times: I put birds and crickets and babies in records. I made the double-time beat. I introduced Indian and Arabic sounds into American culture. And now, with Nelly’s record, I’m bringing the ’80s into 2006. I love all that ’80s stuff: Pat Benatar, INXS, Human League. I think “Time After Time” is probably the best ballad ever — besides maybe that Titanic song.

WHAT’S THE WORST JOB YOU’VE EVER HAD?
banananut, Pullman, Washington
I’ve bagged groceries, picked strawberries, sold watermelons — all that. But it doesn’t matter what it is: If you’re punching a clock, having to report to a boss, that’s the worst job ever. I like being free.

DID YOU HAVE ANY NICKNAMES GROWING UP?
rey888, Los Angeles
Nope, just Tim. But now I call myself Thomas Crown. I like the original, with Steve McQueen, but the Pierce Brosnan one is my favorite. He’s dope — I love the way he moves, and how he does certain robberies when he doesn’t have to, just to test his intelligence. That’s what I do with my music.

WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE ROCK PRODUCER?
jrwilliams, White Plains, New York
Easy — Trent Reznor. It don’t get no iller than him. The sounds and stuff he uses, the machine sounds? Crazy. It’s just so futuristic—like robots walking on the track.

WHAT COULD YOU BUY WITH THE MONEY YOU MADE FROM “GET UR FREAK ON”?
jrod_7, New Orleans
It depends. Are you talking about my earnings from royalties, or the money I got for the beat? Because Missy is family —she gets a discount. Same with Nelly and Justin. There was a time, though — like ’97, ’98, back when the industry was hot — that I was getting $300,000 a track. And I was doing 10 tracks every two weeks! The industry’s down now; I stay in the six digits, but it’s nowhere near what it was.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT AALIYAH?
keisha72584, Washington, D.C.
The chemistry. I don’t think I’ll ever find another person I have the same chemistry with. Everything we hit was gold. It was like Frosted Flakes: sweet to the ear.

YOU’VE SAMPLED MUSIC FROM INDIA, EGYPT AND MOZAMBIQUE. ARE YOU MUCH OF A TRAVELER?
paolo_rossi, Brooklyn, New York
Oh yeah. I’ve been all over the world: Russia, Japan, Thailand. I love traveling. My favorite place is London — there’s a lot of culture there. It reminds me of New York, except cleaner.

DID YOU EVER ASK MISSY OUT IN HIGH SCHOOL?
hileah, Sioux City, Iowa
Hell no. She gets on my nerves — she’d always be messing with me, always nagging. Like what a sister would do.

WHO’S THE GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME?
g. ellis, Nashville
Biggie Smalls. He had a swagger that was just so unbelievable. The only person who comes close today is Jay-Z.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU REALLY NEEDED TO LOSE WEIGHT?
mkjohnson, Houston
I always knew I needed to lose weight. But about a year ago I got really depressed and decided I had to change. It’s not that I was eating too much —I wasn’t eating enough. My metabolism was slow, and if you don’t eat enough to keep it going, you don’t burn anything. I was probably up to 340, 350.

I’M TIRED OF HAVING SAND KICKED IN MY FACE. HOW DO I GET BUFF LIKE YOU?
unpocoloco, Del Valle, Texas
It’s all about cutting out salt and sugar. And working out —I don’t have a regimen anymore, but I used to run and lift weights twice a day. I built a gym in my house and hired a personal trainer from the Dolphins, and I was gonna enter a bodybuilding competition, Mr. Miami, but I didn’t have enough time to train.

HOW MUCH SHIT DID YOU GIVE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FOR HIS ROLE IN NIPPLEGATE?
cliponthai, Bangor, Maine
What’s that — the Super Bowl thing? I talked to him about it. I think that was something Janet wanted to pull off, just not that extreme — like maybe he was supposed put his hand over her or something. He don’t trip about it, though.

I LOVE THE SONG — BUT DIDN’T YOU FEEL A LITTLE BIT WEIRD TELLING JUSTIN TO “GET HIS SEXY ON”?
xtrahot111, St. Paul, Minnesota
Not at all. Some people listen to a song like “SexyBack” and think, am I queer? Am I funny? If you are that way, you’re just that way. But if you’re a masculine man, embrace it. Have a glass of wine, put the record on, invite your girl over — get sexy. ’Cause you might get some drawers off. Trust me — I know what I’m talking about.