Timbaland’s $100,000 music competition is facing some steep backlash. One contestant has come out hard against The Timbaland x Orbiiit Global Talent Search 2026, questioning the option to purchase additional votes.
According to AllHipHop writer Houston Williams, a former contestant named Amari Blaze has been openly criticizing the competition. One of the main issues she’s pointed out is the ability to purchase extra votes, although free voting is also available. She posted multiple videos on social media to express her complaints about Timbaland and the way the competition is being run.
“This is the last part of me discussing this comp,” she wrote in one post. “To clear some confusion up, I only trusted it due to me reading terms and conditions and prior in-person interactions with Timbo…there were a lot of rules that were not followed bc they didn’t care as long as it brought in more money.”
“Using AI-generated tools to determine unfairness was THE PROBLEM,” she added. “Preying on underground artists WAS THE PROBLEM. It was a money grab, and with over 1000 artists who have experienced this same scam as me, I didn’t really need proof bc it was DEEP in the pudding.”
The Timbaland x Orbiiit Global Talent Search 2026 is still underway
Blaze added, “No man is bigger than God, and I do not care about the risk of blackballing when you are scamming everyday working humans who spent their hard-earned money supporting these big celebrities.”
It should also be noted that complaints about an earlier Timbaland competition on Orbiiit go pretty far back. A Reddit post from one year ago calls Timbaland and the competition organizers “scammers” over a previous contest called Timbo Idol. The user claims that they were excited to participate in something that Timbaland was behind. They felt this legitimized the competition. However, they claim they soon came to believe it was a “scam.”
“My household spent over $4,000 – nearly $5,000 USD throughout the competition,” the user claimed. “That was our life savings, plus a part of tax return. Family, friends — even my students — gave their hard-earned money to support me.(over $8000) They thought they were helping me win a legitimate opportunity.“
The lengthy post goes on to make many other allegations**, though** the user says they are “not looking for pity. I just want to warn others.”
At this time, Timbaland doesn’t seem to have responded to the criticisms. The competition is still underway.
Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Gucci
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