Seems like everyone and anyone looking to boost their pop music careers has Justin Timberlake and Timbaland programmed on their speed-dials.
Duran Duran recruited Timb Timb for their most recent album, Red Carpet Massacre. 50 Cent got Justin to sing on "Ayo Technology." Andy Samberg became Saturday Night Live's star player after Justin co-starred with him in that Emmy-winning Christmas skit, Dick In a Box. Gnarks Barkley even had Justin make a near-unrecognizable cameo in their latest video.
And Timbaland is the go-to production guy for pretty much everyone nowadays, from Ashlee Simpson, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly Furtado to OneRepublic and even Bjork.
So it was only a matter of time before Timberlake and Timbaland got a call from the ultimate collaborator: Madonna.
Madonna's always been one to surround herself with top talent. She recruited relatively obscure electronic producers like Mirwais, William Orbit, and Stuart Price for her last few dancey discs, but when she decided to reinvent herself AGAIN--this time as a hip-hop queen--she naturally speed-dialed Timbaland, Tim's fellow Midas-touched recording geniuses the Neptunes, and her recent Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame presenter, Justin.
Kind of ironic, considering that Madonna's last disco-feverish album, Confessions On A Dance Floor, sported mirrorball cover art that seemed diametrically the opposite of Justin's anti-disco FutureSex/LoveSounds cover.
Anyway, Madonna may be pushing 50--almost twice Justin's age--but rumor has it she worked him so hard in the studio when they co-recorded five tracks for her 11th album, Hard Candy, HE had trouble keeping up with HER. Justin even revealed during his Hall Of Fame Madonna-induction speech that when he got too tired during their recording sessions, Madge made him drop trou so she could liven him up with an efficiently administered B-12 vitamin shot.
So now the question is, did all their hard work on Hard Candy pay off? And did Timberlake and Timbaland give Madonna's music the proverbial shot-in-the-behind she was looking for?
Well, "4 Minutes" is the first video and single from Hard Candy, and it's pretty good...but it features so much Timberlake and Timbaland that it's almost easy to forget it's a MADONNA track. Seriously, she hasn't been this upstaged since she made a fool of herself doing power yoga in the "Me Against The Music" video by Justin's ex, Britney Spears. madonna needs to let the producers give her the best tracks, and put her stamp on it instead of these usual producers who all want to be artists. let the atrists be who they are, and when you come out with your own cd, you can rap, chant and do power yoga on your own shit. To be honest, i would love to hear less JT and more Madonna vocals on 4 Minutes.
But hey, more power to any 49-year-old woman who can get Justin Timberlake to come running when she calls...or to drop his pants, just because she asks.
Watch Madonna and Justin's "4 Minutes" video now and let me know what you think...
Madonna - 4 Minutes
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