Charlie Bereal worked with legends like Timbaland, Missy & Aaliyah straight out of high school
You were probably just getting the hang of puberty and preparing for college when you graduated high school. Multitalented producer/artist Charlie Bereal was helping Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Aaliyah, and more craft some of their best songs of the early 2000s. Now, with his first album on Death Row Records coming out in 2025, the 20-year-plus music veteran reflects on how his time with that group of brilliant musicians showed him some of the most impressive feats done in the booth.
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“Early on in my career, we’d give Tweet a track, and she was the same way as Timbaland. She'd have us leave. We’d go outside for 30 minutes, come back, and the whole song would be done with no help from the producer,” Bereal tells REVOLT.
In this installment of “Studio Sessions,” the Grammy-nominated artist/producer explains Timbaland and Missy’s creative genius, Aaliyah’s generosity, and how his upcoming Death Row Records album started in his apartment. Check out the exclusive chat below.
You’ve worked with a litany of legends over the last 20-plus years. Who was the first major artist or producer you worked with in the studio?
I met Warryn Campbell, gave him a CD, and a week later, I did a gospel concert. I got invited to be in Aaliyah's band, which led me to Timbaland. I was playing on a gang of Timbaland records. I gave Missy a beat CD. That was as soon as I graduated high school.
That was in 2000, during the peak of Missy and Timbaland’s creativity. What do you remember about their process?
They were very secretive. If we were in the studio, and we were all sitting there talking, Timbaland would be like, “Y'all know what time it is.” People would start walking out, and then he’d put on his headphones. He doesn't want anybody to hear his process. But, for me, he allowed me to hear it. He’d be like, “Nah, you can stay.” They had a crazy crew with people like Static Major. We were doing [Aaliyah’s] “More Than A Woman,” and I heard this crazy vocal.
Luckily, I have good musical ears, so I saw what they wanted me to do. I followed that pattern on the guitar. Tim had his headphones on, and he would just take my guitar. I’d feel like I needed to do that over, but he would tell me, “Nah, you’re good.” The next thing I knew, the headphones would come off, and he'd be like, “Hey, Jimmy, put it on the board,” and it [would] sound crazy.
How was it working with Aaliyah?
Man, she was super sweet. She acknowledged me. She wasn't arrogant. She definitely made me feel comfortable.
What are some of the most impressive feats you’ve seen done?
Early on in my career, we’d give Tweet a track, and she was the same way as Timbaland. She'd have us leave. We’d go outside for 30 minutes, come back, and the whole song would be done with no help from the producer.
What about star-studded studio sessions? What are some that you’ve been in?
There was one with Ludacris, Missy, Petey Pablo, Ginuwine, and Aaliyah all in the same room. Another was when Jamie Foxx had a session with Snoop and Busta Rhymes there. Snoop just started freestyling, and nobody wanted to battle him (laughs). He was killing it, too. I remember being in a session with Timbaland and Scott Storch. JAY-Z walked in, and they had an open verse for him.
He was just sitting in the front, holding his chain, looking around, and then finally said, “I'm ready.” He went in the booth and just spit the verse. And then he was like, “I'm gone.” That was for the song “Party People” from Timbaland and Magoo’s album Indecent Proposal.
Are there any personal sacrifices you made to chase your dreams?
Oh, I’ve done that all of the time, even to this day. You have to have people in your life that understand. I had some ups, I had downs, and that's why I named this new album Walk With the Father... because I had to walk with God. That's my testimony that saved me. A lot of the sacrifices came from when everything is all good until money comes in, or the credits and the splits come in. I’ve had to decide if I wanted to fight something and risk getting blackballed.
You recently signed with Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records. What was the first session like with him after joining the team?
I've been in this industry for so long, but being over there felt like I was back in high school with my homies. Everybody’s cool, everybody’s chill, and ain't nobody weird. Nobody is fighting for [a] position. That first session was a breath of fresh air.
The single “Walk With the Father” sounds like there’s a live band on the production. How did you put together the soundscape for this album?
No samples, it’s just me. I've been on this journey, man. I've been studying the guys that came before me like Sly and the Family Stone, Marvin Gaye, and The Delfonics. I started from my apartment. I did all the rhythm sections there. I played the bass and the guitar in my studio. My boy Josef Leimberg is the reason why I'm at Death Row now. I let him hear some stuff, and he said, “Man, you mind if I help you mix this stuff? I'll mix it for free.” He’s a jazz musician and an incredible producer. He did “How Much A Dollar Cost” by Kendrick Lamar.
The rhythm section was already there. I just made sure I recorded it right, live in my apartment. I made sure I got the sweet spots where it sounded how I wanted. Then, we just took it to his studio and did the horns there. Everything was live, but we weren’t able to do it all together. I always say it's all about the recording. That's pretty much how the whole album happened. It started in my living room with the rhythm section. As of now, Snoop Dogg is the only feature.
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From your long music history, are there any songs you’re a part of that you hope come out one day?
Busta Rhymes said he has a song with him and Eminem that I produced. I probably have a couple with Chris Brown.
What do you have coming for the rest of 2024?
I got a dope song I did with October London. Snoop and Dr. Dre have this new album coming out, so you might hear me on that. I got some new music with Tweet coming out. I'm working on some TV stuff with Raphael Saadiq. That's my OG right there. We always work, and we always have something happening.
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