I'm not sure if this was ever posted here, but I have the parts from Timbaland's new book, where he talks about Brandy. I'll just type it all out.
While working on a single is always fun, there's really nothing like working with an artist from start to finish on a project. When you do an album, as opposed to a single or couple of songs, it's like making a movie versus making a television commercial. As a producer, you're like a director. You have a vision and you can carry it through from start to finish. Which is why I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to be the lead producer on a project for Brandy. She had always been one of my favorite singers for years and years. I call her by the name of her hip-hop alter ego, Bran-Nu.
When she came to my studio I started by asking her, "What are you looking for this time around?"
A lot of artists I work with want and need time to talk through their ideas. They might not be able to play or write music. But I talk to them about what's been going on in their lives, how they are feeling at the moment. As they talk, I start mentally making a stockpile of sounds---the same way that a painter might start mixing colors in a palette.
Brandy let me know she was ready for something new. She came in with the title 'Afrodisiac', and that play on words let me know she was freeing herself from the good-girl image people wanted. She wanted to take chances, embrace her sexuality and let the world know her as a fully formed woman.
We began recording at the end of 2003, and I felt like I was getting the best she had to offer on each and every track. I hear that the album inspired a lot of people. Later when Rihanna was making Good Girl Gone Bad, she cited Afrodisiac as a major influence. Rihanna told Entertainment Weekly, "Brandy's album Afrodisiac inspired the album...because that album I listed to all day, all night. When we were in the studio, that was the album we listed to all the time.
