After sitting on a catalog that includes the work of Aaliyah, Timbaland, Toni Braxton, and a host of unreleased original material that’s never before been heard, Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson, has revived his old record label as "Blackground 2.0." The Hankersons helped launched the career of R. Kelly, Ginuwine, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and the young teenage vocal powerhouse, Jo Jo. But his achievements and overall career have been stained with multiple million-dollar lawsuits that have accused the elder of fraud and deception.
Founded by Barry and Jomo Hankerson and initially launched in 1993, Blackground Records became a staple name in music and pop culture in the 1990s and early 2000s with the Hankerson’s expert ear for artist development that would evolve into prolific careers for the aforementioned artists. Recently Hankerson's team announced a new partnership with EMPIRE, an independent label/distributor, to release Blackground’s historic catalog to streaming services worldwide.
Just a week ago, ahead of the 20th anniversary of her death, Aaliyah's sophomore album, One In A Million, dropped on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, and other services. The album One In A Million produced by Aaliyah’s Timbaland and Missy Elliott reached #1 on iTunes less than 24 hours after its release. With the immediate success of Aaliyah's project, the label is now re-releasing the catalog for iconic duo Timbaland & Magoo.
One of the four albums released today includes Timbaland’s debut solo offering, Tim's Bio: Life From Da Bassment. The other three projects are the collaborative albums from Timbaland and Magoo; Welcome To Our World, Indecent Proposal, and Under Construction, Part II.
What's your favorite Timbaland and Magoo track? Listen to their albums below.
