Timbaland Plans Chart battle With Dr. Dre

Timbaland has been inspired to challenge rap rival Dr. Dre to a chart battle after the showdown between 50 Cent and Kanye West. The hip-hop star, 36, believes a chart battle with his friend would drive people to the music stores.

He tells MTV, "I gotta go against my daddy. I call Dre my daddy. To make it be some talk, I gotta go against my big brother. He’s my big brother. Dre is my mentor. That would be big. I asked Jay-Z who he would go against. He said, ’The only person I would go against is my other homeboy: my friend Eminem.’"

Kanye West’s new release Graduation beat 50 Cent’s Curtis to the top of the album charts after both discs were released on the same day.

Timbaland also plans to focus on his own label The Mosely Music Group.

Timbaland has ruled out producing the new Missy Elliott record to focus on his own label. Timbaland, who has worked on all six of Missy’s studio albums, will only work on selected tracks for the forthcoming, The Countdown, in order to work with the Mosely Music Group label he set up last year.

He tells MTV, "I can’t make Atlantic (Records) money. Nothing personal. We had a time and a crazy run, but I gotta get my own indie label poppin’. Missy is my sister, but I got a family: Nelly (Furtado), Keri (Hilson), One Republic. If I don’t function, then they don’t function and they can’t get their careers off."