Timbaland & Magoo

Timbaland & Magoo were an American hip hop duo composed of producer/rapper Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley (born March 10, 1972) and rapper Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff (July 12, 1973 – August 13, 2023), formed in 1990. The duo signed with Blackground Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records to release three studio albums: Welcome to Our World (1997), Indecent Proposal (2001), and Under Construction, Part II (2003). Following the latter's moderate reception, Timbaland then focused on his solo career and production work, while Magoo failed to release any solo material. Magoo died of a heart attack in 2023.

Background
Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, the duo first met when they were teenagers back in 1989 through their friend Larry Live. In 1990 Timbaland, Larry Live, and Magoo formed a group called Surrounded By Idiots. Later that year they recruited friend and future fellow group member Pharrell Williams. The group only lasted three years, due to Pharrell Williams leaving the group to pursue a career with his own group the Neptunes in early 1992, and Larry Live leaving the group to join Swing Mob in 1993. In late 1992, the group was recruited by Fayze group members Radiah Covington, Chonita Coleman, and Missy Elliott to be part DeVante Swing's collective, Da Bassment Crew, which also included Playa, Tweet, Baazar Royale, Ginuwine, and Stevie J–who were each signed with Swing Mob.

During the early days of Da Bassment Crew, after group member Larry Live had left S.B.I., Magoo suggested to Tim to form the duo Timbaland & Magoo. After guest appearing on fellow Swing Mob artists' releases, the duo decided left the label, following after Elliott, who did so due to low pay cuts and its chaotic working conditions. Timbaland & Magoo signed with Blackground Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records to release their debut album, Welcome to Our World in November 1997. It spawned the single "Up Jumps da Boogie", which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains their highest-charting song. They released two further studio albums as a group, Indecent Proposal in 2001 and Under Construction, Part II in 2003. The latter was meant as a sequel to Missy Elliott's fourth album Under Construction.

In August 2021, Blackground Records, the label who launched R&B/Pop singer Aaliyah, signed a distribution deal with Empire Distribution to re-release Timbaland & Magoo's catalog on CD, cassette and vinyl, onto digital download sites and, for the first time ever, streaming services. As a result, Timbaland's 1998 LP Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment and Timbaland & Magoo albums Welcome to Our World, Indecent Proposal and Under Construction, Part II were re-released August 27, 2021.

Magoo died on August 13, 2023, at the age of 50, and his death was confirmed by his former wife, Meco Barcliff. His funeral service took place on September 6, 2023, in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Guest appearances

 * S.B.I. - UH UH AH (1990)
 * S.B.I. - It's Like That Yaw (1991)
 * S.B.I. - SkullCaps (1991)
 * S.B.I. - If Ur Freaky (1991)
 * S.B.I. - Can U Get Wit It (1993)
 * Jodeci - In The Meanwhile (1994)
 * Jodeci – "What About Us (Swing Mob Mix)" (1994)
 * Swing Mob - Plenty Of Styles 1994
 * Swing Mob - "Ain't Nothing But A B Party " 1994
 * Swing Mob - " Dat Funk" (1995)
 * Swing Mob - " Nothing But A B-Party Remix " (1995)
 * DeVante Swing - Gin & Juice (Remix) featuring Da Boogie Man, Mr. Brendal, Timbaland & Magoo, Black, Static & C-Dub (1995)
 * S.B.I - Big White Spaceship (1995)
 * Ginuwine – "G. Thang" (1996)
 * Missy Elliott – "Beep Me 911" (1997)
 * Missy Elliott – "Beep Me 911 (Timbaland Remix)" (1998)
 * Timbaland – "Here We Come" (1998)
 * Timbaland – "What 'Cha Talkin' About" (1998)
 * Playa - "Intro (Interlude)" (1998)
 * Playa – "Derby City (Interlude)" (1998)
 * The Black Russians – "Back Up Out My Way" (2003)
 * Timbaland – "Boardmeeting" (2007)
 * Timbaland – "Magoo Verse (Timbaland Thursday)" (2011)
 * Missy Elliott – "Warped" (2013)