Mega-producer TImbaland's new album, 'Timbaland Presents: Shock Value II,' was released on Tuesday (Dec. 8), introducing a surprising new MC to the game -- R&B singer Brandy. "She can rap," Tim said of the respected singer, whom he has dubbed Bran'Nu. "She's got the swagger, the tone -- ain't nothing I can say about it." In a recent interview, Brandy explained that her inspiration for rapping came from the legendary producer. "What I'm doing on the album is a little bit different than what everybody knows me for," she said. "I'm rapping on the album. Timbaland endorsed that. He changed my name to Bran'Nu. He really gave me a shot to be different and be versatile. I can't thank him enough for that. This is a wonderful opportunity. I'm blessed to be here."
In addition to rapping on Tim's album, and a cameo on Snoop Dogg's 'Malice N Wonderland' track 'Special,' Brandy plans to showcase her new found MC skills on her forthcoming album, and she even wrote her own bars. "I had a blast," she explained. "I wrote my own verses. Anything I did, I wrote myself. It was a great experience. I got a chance to be another part of myself. He even allowed me to mix in the singing with the rapping. It feels good. It feels like this is what I'm supposed to do. This is a reinvention for me. I'm excited about it."
Apparently the singer has dabbled in rap for a minute, but it wasn't until Timbaland saw footage of her spitting in a video on her YouTube page, that she considered it seriously.
"I was rapping as a hobby. It was something I did for my friends and just played around on ideas and stuff like that," she said. After seeing the video Timbaland called and invited her to the studio. "All I could think about was, 'I just wanna blow him away," she continued. "I wanna make him proud, because I really wanna sign with Timbaland and spend the rest of my career making music with Tim.' It was an interesting process. Like I said, I'm excited. It's different from anything I've ever done. To be right by his side is amazing."
Timbaland's 'Shock Value II' is in stores now, in addition to Bran'Nu, it features Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Drake and more.
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