Honors & Recognition
Awards
Grammy Award
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Justin Timberlake, 'SexyBack'
Grammy Award
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Nomination
Grammy Award
Best Dance Recording
Timbaland ft. OneRepublic, 'Apologize'
Source Award
Producer of the Year
For redefining hip-hop production
ASCAP Award
Golden Note Award
Lifetime achievement in songwriting and production
BMI Icon Award
R&B / Hip-Hop
For a career of genre-defining influence
Firsts & Onlys
The Trailblazer Record
Some milestones can never be repeated. These are the moments where Timbaland was the first, or the only, to do it.
First Major Production Credit
Ginuwine… the Bachelor · 1996
Timbaland's first full production credit was on Ginuwine's debut album, Ginuwine… the Bachelor, which included the smash hit "Pony." This marked his breakthrough as a major creative force in music production.
First Emergence of His Signature Style
Aaliyah · One in a Million · 1996
Later that same year, Timbaland fully showcased his distinct, futuristic beat style on Aaliyah's One in a Million, reshaping R&B's sound with syncopated rhythms and avant-garde textures.
Only Producer Who Crossed Genres Seamlessly
R&B · Hip-Hop · Pop
He helped launch and define major artists across R&B, hip-hop, and pop, from Missy Elliott and Aaliyah to Ginuwine, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, and Madonna. He blurred genre boundaries in a way few others have, making him uniquely versatile and consistently influential.
Only Solo Single to Hit #1 on Billboard
"Give It to Me" · 2007
"Give It to Me" (featuring Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado) is, to date, his only solo single to reach #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Only Producer to Win a Webby for Breaking the Internet
Verzuz
Timbaland, with Swizz Beatz and DJ D-Nice, won a Webby Award for Special Achievement, "Break the Internet," for their part in Verzuz: a rare recognition of his digital-era influence.
First to Make Abstract, Everyday Sounds Mainstream
Clicks · Stutters · Ambience
He didn't just sample; he built sounds from scratch, clicks, animal noises, stutters, and ambient elements. A testimony to his boundary-pushing creativity on records like "One in a Million" and "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)."