I love Timbaland. As an artist, he’s always been nothing but kind and polite to me. I remember way back in the day I did a story on him for Vibe and we visited his Virginia mini-mansion. The entire house was laced in white marble and white shag and white leather seating. (New money!)…But I noticed in the foyer there was this odd statue of a golfer. So I asked, do you play golf? And Tim said, “No, but when I bought the house from this older guy, I loved how it was decorated so I bought the whole thing as is.” With all the furniture. And the crazy golf statue too.

Anyways, I digress. So what I’ve started loving more recently is how Timbaland just says whatever’s on his mind, good look or not. It’s refreshingly unfiltered, and sometimes borderline inappropriate, usually hilarious, possibly delusional, and always entertaining.

For example, today Tim told my MTV News pals about a conversation that he had with Jay-Z about the “American Gangster” album….

“He wants me to do the next single,” Tim said. “He just does it for fun. We talked about [his next album]. He says it’s just a hobby, ain’t nothing else to do. When a person tells you that, what you supposed to say? ‘You crazy’? He said, ‘I don’t wait for nothing. I’m there. I’m doing it for the love of music.’ What am I supposed to say? ‘You wack for doing it’? … Some people think Jay fell off. Or he’s just over people’s head. I think that’s what it is. That’s another thing: It could hurt him or it could make him be not the legend he is. That’s the only thing I’m scared of for my friend.”

hmm, that’s interesting. I can’t imagine doing a whole concept album is that much of a spontaneous whim for Hov, but if Tim says so…And Tim also said this about his involvement in Missy Elliott’s upcoming album.

“I probably won’t do the whole thing ’cause I gotta get my own thing up and poppin’. I can’t make [Missy’s recording home] Atlantic [Records] money. Nothing personal. We had a time and a crazy run, but I gotta get my own indie label poppin’… That don’t make logical sense. Missy is my sister, but I got a family: Nelly [Furtado], Keri [Hilson], One Republic. These are all my people I’m putting out. Up-and-coming stars that are gonna keep me laying low for a minute so I can chill out and take a vacation. I went on one for the first time in 15 years. I wanna take more. While they are working, I can chill out and collect the money. … Well, not collect the money, just be involved as a daddy figure… I put my face out there and became this great star. Now I’m worldwide. From Africa to Israel.”

Adorable.