Autumn plus: Timbaland performed at a private party in Moscow

The legend of hip-hop and R'n'B, American rapper and music producer Timbaland, who became famous in the mid-noughties for his signature sound, came to Russia. On October 3, he spoke at a private event in Moscow. The details of the star's visit to the capital, as well as whether Timbaland plans to give a full—fledged concert in Russia, are in the Izvestia material.

Why did Timbaland come to Moscow

Concerts by American performers in Moscow have become commonplace over the past year. In September alone, at least three people were registered in the capital — Lil Pump, Jason Derulo, Xzibit. On October 3, it became known that Timbaland, an American rapper, music producer, four-time Grammy Award winner and a legend of hip—hop and R'n'B, has now visited here.

This name may no longer mean anything to zoomers, but for the millennial generation, it is iconic. In the mid-noughties, Timbaland's signature-sounding songs, which he released together with other artists, certainly became hits and leaders of various charts: Apologize with One Republic, Ayo Technology with 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake, 4 Minutes with Madonna and again with Timberlake, Say It's Right with Nelly Furtado and many others.

Timbaland also worked with Russian artists. In particular, Dima Bilan's Believe album, released in 2009, was recorded in collaboration with him. And in 2012, Timbaland and Timothy released the song Not All About the Money together.

Timbaland came to Moscow to speak at the Moscow Startup Summit, an international summit on technological entrepreneurship and innovation, which was held in the capital on October 1 and 2. Industry experts discussed and presented the developments of the future. Among the speakers, besides domestic ones, were Nobel Prize winner in Economics Daron Ajemoglu and film director Oliver Stone. Timbaland became, in a way, the headliner of the afterparty of the event, a concert that took place on October 3 in the TAU space. The star was taken there from the Four Seasons in a car with tinted windows, accompanied by security. He did not respond to questions from journalists.

Will there be a Timbaland concert in Russia

Representatives of the concert industry, in an interview with Izvestia, practically rule out the possibility of a full—fledged Timbaland concert in Russia - they doubt the profitability, although some say they have even heard about the negotiations.

— I'm not negotiating with him. I have no such interest because he is not a full-scale concert artist. He is a legendary producer and has produced a huge number of hits, but it would be unprofitable to bring him to the concert, especially considering how much he costs. It's definitely not cheap," Igor Logachev, CEO of the ForceEvents agency, who brought Onyx and many other foreign artists to Moscow, told Izvestia.

Photo: TASS/AP/Amy Harris

Timbaland, whose work is mostly in collaboration with other artists, may simply not be able to assemble a hall in Russia, experts say.

— I doubt that Timbaland is considering offers to perform a concert in Russia. A commercial concert is about super hits and demand. Timbaland doesn't have a mass audience. He's a very reputable musician, a rapper, but he doesn't have a lot of fans who come to superhyped hits like pop or rock stars," Eduard Ratnikov, general director of the TCI concert agency and general producer of the ODEON Theater, told Izvestia.

In addition, reputational risks are still relevant for foreign artists.

— Negotiations are being conducted with many people, but very, very carefully. Many people are negotiating with top stars such as The Weeknd, Metallica, Rammstein, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Pink, but there are no answers. The reason is simple: while our country is under sanctions, not a single first-tier star is considering offers. They are afraid to even answer anything. Who can the negotiations be successful with? With artists from the third echelon, with those to whom performances in our country are more important than anywhere else in the world. Or they are renegades who don't care what anyone says about them," Ratnikov concluded.

However, despite the geopolitical situation, it is impossible to exclude the growth of loyalty of foreign stars to Russia, and the promoters, in an interview with Izvestia, note that they are preparing to make new high-profile announcements in the near future. In this sense, representatives of the hip-hop movement, which has always represented freedom, become the voice of common sense, which declares to the whole world that culture should unite.