By Mesfin Fekadu, Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Timbaland, the executive music producer of the hit series "Empire," says he has completed his upcoming album and will use television as a platform for the new music.
"Yes, it's done. I'm doing a TV show with that," he said in a recent interview. "I'm not going to talk about it. I'm going to leave it at that."
The megaproducer behind hits for Justin Timberlake, Jay Z and Missy Elliott wouldn't elaborate on details behind his new album, which doesn't have a release date.
On "Empire," Timbaland has had success with the addictive, beat-laden songs, which has helped drive the show's powerhouse ratings. "Empire: Original Soundtrack From Season 1" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and forced Madonna to debut at No. 2 earlier this year.
Timbaland, 42, has also produced hits for Aaliyah, Beyonce and Nelly Furtado. He says TV and social media are the best ways to get music heard.
"I told people this, 'This is how you get your records played and broken' — 'cause we love to watch. You watch your phone all day. You look at Instagram, you look at Snapchat, so what is your psyche telling you? Watch,'" he said. "So if I give you something to hear, somebody can grab your attention span. So if I give you something to watch with some great music, what you going to do? You gonna be like, 'That song dope' because of that picture you are watching."
"Empire" premieres its second season on Sept. 23 on Fox. Timbaland said viewers can expect "more drama, more scratching your head, more banging your head."
MrBeast and Amazon sued by competitors from his $5M reality show over alleged “unsafe” conditions
MrBeast is accused of creating "unsafe" employment conditions, including sexual harassment, and misrepresenting contestants' odds at winning his new Amazon reality show's $5 million grand prize in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by five unnamed participants.
The filing alleges that the multimillion-dollar company behind YouTube's most popular channel failed to provide minimum wages, overtime pay, uninterrupted meal breaks and rest time for competitors — whose "work on the show was the entertainment product" sold by MrBeast.
A spokesperson for MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, told The Associated Press in an email that he had no comment on the new lawsuit.
Donaldson's "Beast Games" was touted as the "biggest reality competition." It was supposed to put the North Carolina content creator in front of audiences beyond the YouTube platform where his record 316 million subscribers routinely watch his whimsical challenges that often carry lavish gifts of direct cash.
But its initial Las Vegas shoot began facing criticism before it even wrapped. Donaldson's companies cast 2,000 people in an initial tryout this July where half could advance to the actual show's filming in Toronto.
Contestants only learned upon their arrival that the Las Vegas pool surpassed 1,000 competitors, according to the lawsuit, which significantly reducing their chances of victory. The lawsuit argues the "false advertising" violated California business laws that prohibit sweepstakes operators from "misrepresenting in any manner the odds of winning any prize."
The five anonymous competitors also said that "limited sustenance" and "insufficient medical staffing" endangered their health.
The filing alleges that production staff created a "toxic"... Read More