Magoo, YouTube screenshot, Timbaland & Magoo music video "Indian Flute," 2003
The world is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop. But the celebration has paused a bit to recognize the death of one of the American music genre’s veterans, Magoo. A former collaborator of super producer Timbaland, Magoo reportedly died on Aug. 13 at the age of 50.
Here are three things to know.
Born Melvin Barcliff, Magoo is best known as Timbaland’s longtime collaborator. The two met when they were teenagers in Norfolk, Virginia.
In a 2020 interview with YouKnowIGotSoul, he recalled how impressed he was by Timbaland’s DJing and producing skills.
“He was selling mixtapes back then. We’re not talking about New York City, Atlanta or Miami here. We’re talking about Virginia. It was not a hip-hop area,” Magoo said.
In 1989 they formed the duo Timbaland & Magoo. Then in the early 1990s, Magoo and Timbaland were all in a hip-hop collective called Surrounded by Idiots (SBI), which featured Pharrell Williams.
“Pharrell’s musical ability was out of space and he was in his own world. The first time I heard him do a rap, I was like, ‘This dude already sounded like he was ready for the mainstream,’” Magoo told YouKnowIGotSoul.
He was also responsible for introducing Missy Elliott to Timbaland, which led to a groundbreaking collaboration, People reported. “It was almost like God was putting pieces together,” the artist said of their collaboration. “She saw the future for what Tim’s production could do.”
Along with Timbaland and Elliott, Magoo became part of the hip-hop collective Da Bassment Cru, which was curated by Jodeci member DeVante Swing in the 1990s.
“When I first got around all those cats, they were the most talented group of people I’d ever been around,” said Magoo.
By 1995 the project died down and Timbaland & Magoo signed to Blackground Records, a label run by Aaliyah’s uncle, Barry Hankerson.
“Aaliyah was funny and a good-spirited-type person,” he shared. “If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have been on Blackground. She spoke up for Tim and me and Barry ended up signing us … Aaliyah vouched for us and I never forgot that.”
The “Up Jumps Da’ Boogie” rapper frequently collaborated with musicians such as Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, among others, Page Six reported.
In 1997, the duo’s debut album, “Welcome to Our World,” was released, with features from Elliott, Aaliyah, and singer Ginuwine.
“I never really got the chance to enjoy the success because it came at a cost,” the “Party People” artist said of the time. “I’m going to keep it real, I didn’t enjoy any of that. I never felt like me and Tim got a chance to enjoy our early years and it never even felt like we were this million-selling group. Not just from a financial standpoint, but more so because you’re always working. You go from that album and then they want another one and then you have people trying to rip you apart.”
In 2001, Magoo & Timbaland released their second album, “Indecent Proposal,” which featured Jay-Z, Ludacris, and Missy Elliott’s protege Tweet. The next collaboration for Magoo & Timbaland was “Under Construction Part II,” released in 2003 and included artists like Brandy, Wyclef Jean, Bubba Sparxxx, and Beenie Man.
The cause of death is not yet known, The Mirror reported. There have been reports that it might have been heart failure.
R&B star and music producer Digital Black announced the news in an Instagram post, sharing the cover of the “Welcome to Our World” album.
“Man can’t believe this RIH Magoo damn big bro wasnt [sic] ready for this at all #superfriends,” he wrote.
Magoo, YouTube screenshot, Timbaland & Magoo music video “Indian Flute,” 2003, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APHonXLtEEY
