Justified is the debut
studio album by American singer-songwriter
Justin Timberlake. It was released on November 4, 2002, by
Jive Records. The album was written and recorded in a six-week period, during the hiatus of the singer's band
NSYNC. For the album, Timberlake began to adopt a more mature image as an
R&B artist opposed to the previous
pop music recorded by the group. Most of the album was produced by
The Neptunes (credited as "Williams and Hugo" on the album), with additional collaborators including
Brian McKnight,
Scott Storch,
Timbaland,
The Underdogs, and
Carvin & Ivan. The album features guest appearances by
Janet Jackson and rap duo
Clipse. Primarily an R&B album,
Justified also contains influences of
dance-pop,
funk and
soul music.