The music industry is fickle. Many artists come and go. Although, every so often comes an artist who manages to defy the odds and return time and time again; still making hits, and still receiving success after success. For producers, this happens even less frequently than with a vocalist. While many producers can see success through selling their work on places like tellingbeatzz, it is hard for many producers to see sustained, long-term success in the industry. Well, DJ Timmy Tim, better known as Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley, certainly defied those odds.

If you have been listening to popular music for the last two decades, you’ve undoubtedly heard his work. You may have even had heard his voice; just not in that Puff Daddy “Take that, take that” or “as we proceed, to give you what you need” corny, unnecessary manner. As a producer, Timbaland has contributed to some of the worlds most talented and prolific acts, while in their prime … in addition to even having his own career as a rapper. The Emperor of Sound takes you through his almost 44 year journey, along with the ups and the downs that made Timothy Mosley the superstar hit making producer-artist-mastermind, Timbaland.

In the book, we learn about all the things that make Timbaland who he is today. How it all began in Virginia, with his Mom playing an important part of his early obsession with music and sounds. Whether he was banging the counter with the spatula, playing with his plastic guitar, or using his Fisher-Price record player, she never heard it as noise. It also highlights his darkest of times, like being shot as a teenager at his Red Lobster job, resulting in him becoming partially paralyzed – temporarily.

Trying to get into the music industry or curious about what goes into creating hit music? The memoir lets you in on the dark side of the industry as an up and coming artist, including how Timbaland was forced to live when in DeVante Swing’s Da Bassment Cru. How “Big Pimpin’, ” one of Jay-Z’s signature songs almost didn’t happen. How the instant organic chemistry came about with Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, and Justin Timberlake. Plus countless other run ins with big name music stars like Beyoncé, Madonna, Jimmy Iovine, and Pharrell Williams.

Longtime, hardcore fans of Timbaland will get their fix too. Finally getting to know what happened to earlier acts associated with Timbaland in The Emperor of Sound. The entire story behind his former Interscope Records imprint Beat Club, and its artists including: Kylie Dean (“Make Me A Song”), Ms. Jade (“Ching Ching”), and Bubba Sparxxx (“Ms. New Booty,” “Ugly”). Sadly, the book doesn’t get into any of the Ginuwine drama that divided the duo over the years. (Side note: they’ve been working together on new materiel for his album) Nor do we learn what Magoo is up to now, or if the Timbaland & Magoo brand will ever make a musical return for a fourth album.

For any fans of Timbaland, fans of Pop/R&B/Hip Hop music over the last 20 years, or even just enjoy the story of someone achieving their set goals and dreams, this book is for you. The Emperor Of Sound lets you into the personal life of Timothy Mosley and professional life of the man we all know by name, Timbaland; facets you don’t get to hear much of from superstars, let alone music producers. The book lets you in on the insight, tips and tricks one man utilized during the journey of his lifetime. From praying for his own safety and future, to owning his own Empire, in more ways then one, The Emperor of Sound is indeed the story of the American dream.

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Celebrity memoirs and autobiographies are two of my favorite genres because they represent a marriage of literature and non-literature entertainment. It is not always a perfect marriage seeing as some celebrity memoirs suffer from lack of ambition to be anything other than an arbitrary dabbling into book writing. Sometimes it could be a complete waste of time if it tells you things you’ve already seen in VH1 Behind the Music, the Biography channel or E! Channel. There are some truly juicy emails to be had from My Life With My Sister Madonna, but as for the rest of the book there’s not much else that you wouldn’t get from Wikipedia.

One such juicy email is this:

‘…I gave up my fucking life to help make you the evil queen you are today… 15 years listening to your bitching, egotistical rantings, mediocre talent, and a lack of taste that would stun the ages… every ounce of talent you have, you have sucked dry from me and the people around you… I certainly have never worked for you for the money… now you accuse me of lying and cheating you… you’ve got some fucking nerve… as usual… you have lost all sense of reality… I guess I always thought that one day you’d see my worth and behave accordingly… but you never did… a little fucking respect was all I ever wanted from you and you couldn’t even manage that.’

Other than that, there is nothing in Christopher Ciccone’s memoir that could have held anyone’s interest except the parts where he talks about his life with his sister Madonna. Sometimes, he talks about his life as a gay man struggling with his sexuality, and as an occasional cocaine snorter who sometimes parties with his friends Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Naomi Campbell, Trudi Styler and countless other celebrities (all of whom became friends of his via a Madonna connection). He could have been the greatest memoirist who ever lived – on top of being a talented art director, dresser, artist, interior designer and stage director – but the general public would still be flocking to this because of Madonna. That is sad, but that is how the world works.

According to Christopher, M is not a very nice sister (although she can be if she feels like it). She has mistreated him and it was  not the sort of maltreatment that a fragile little brother could handle. As her personal dresser during the Blonde Ambition and Girlie Show tours, he had the lovely task of picking up her sweaty underwear and had the distinguished position of being the object of a pop superstar’s super insults, if and when he’s being slow or when PS just feels like it. She underpaid him for services as decorator and tour director and, at one point, was even the cause of his financial ruin. Madonna’s abuse towards him is endless; some of it may come off truly appalling, some not so much (eg, she doesn’t pay for his hotel suite; she gives him a less prominent seat in the Madonna-Guy wedding reception, etc.). But even without this ‘tell-all’, you probably could have guessed that Madonna may not be a very nice woman, that she is imperfect, and that she may in fact be a total bitch.

Actually, she has admitted countless times of being a total bitch. Aside from not being a very nice woman, you probably have already known that Madonna is also an egomaniac, an attention whore, a sinner, lover of sex and profanity, boastful, proud, etc., etc. She is of course widely regarded as a queen of the performance industry and she is merely acting according to expectations (and because she feels like it and/or that’s who she is). These are not wild guesses and blind accusations; these are things she admits in her songs:

1. “I’m a Sinner”
2. “I Don’t Give a”
3. “Unapologetic Bitch”
4. “I’m So Stupid”

But still, she did not deserve this.

The hurt that comes with being the brother of one of the pop’s biggest ego must truly be galactic. It is the sort of ego that is hard to eclipse and Christopher should have known this. He wanted to shine without Madonna casting her big, fat shadow over him, but it’s just impossible. He wanted his worth and talent to be acknowledged without anyone using the M word. He accused his sister of sucking the life out of him, but the thing is, Madonna really did put him in the map – the map of a world where Madonna is a multimillionaire super megastar and he is… who he is. This memoir is a whole lot of ‘My sister is so, soooo mean!’ but without that mean sister, there would be no sold out shows to art direct and no memoir to make some money off of. What he wanted most of all was Madonna’s respect and love, but Madonna does not give any of these because bitch, she’s Madonna.

Christopher is not a great writer, and to his everlasting credit, he never claims to be one (he claims to have the design taste that suits the taste of a pop super queen and there is no reason to doubt this). The most riveting parts in the book are those where Madonna is present. When she’s not, book turns lethargic. The constant name-dropping is the least of its problems, even. Some of the name drops, though, are truly worthless. I don’t know how the meet-and-greet with Liza Minnelli and Peggy Lee contributes to the my-sister-is-mean narrative, but they’re there, along with several others.

Reading about Christopher’s rants, Madonna’s worst crime, it seems, is her massive ambition to become the greatest pop star in the planet. And that’s what makes this memoir so limp and so… mean. Divadom is not achieved by an easygoing persona. It comes with horrific tales of ‘baskets of puppies in a lavender, strictly-no-freesias suite’ and plenty of other diva demand anecdotes, and a couple of bruised egos along the way.

If you read this because you wanted to know what life is like being Madonna’s sib, it is this: It’s the kind of life that sometimes involves drunken nights with Demi Moore and Kate Moss, backstage pass to Madonna movies, and front row seats to Madonna concerts and documentaries. Sometimes you even appear in them. Sure, Madonna will exploit some of your family’s history, and she will stage fake reunions to serve her fauxcumentary, but it is a great life all in all. This is a book that Christopher felt he needed to write so he could tell the world that he is his own person. As a person with a severely bruised ego, this book’s purpose is to salve that ego, but it doesn’t give you plenty of reason to think that this is necessary. The world can only take one scene-stealing, egomaniac Ciccone and that position has already been taken.

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