Music Legends: Missy Elliott


Missy Elliott changed the face of Hip-Hop the day she came on the music scene with her classic single "The Rain" which saw her showcasing her unconventional and colourful flow with a personality to match but mostly displaying a more bold and creatively free side of music especially as a female artist because the industry loved boxing female artist to fulfill a pathetic idea of what they needed to be: hyper-sexualized vixens who freely rhymed about their bedroom skills.



Missy was THICK and she didn’t hide from it, she embraced as she never felt the need to change to achieve her dream nor please people. she ushered in an era where women were able to define their own image and their own sound: “Since day one I’ve always did the kind of music that I wanted to do,” Missy recalls.
Her story began in the early 1990`s when she was part of a girl group called Sista signed Devante Swing’s  record label Swing Mob aka "Da Bassment crew" along with Ginuwine, Timbaland, Tweet and many others - sadly that chapter of her life didn`t see her reach success until she parted ways with the label and started quietly shaping the sound of urban music behind the scene with Tim by her side. 

She achieved immense songwriting and production success working with groups like Total, SWV, 702, New Edition but it was her work with  the late singer Aaliyah that saw her and Tim getting their huge breakthrough, Elliott wrote, co-produced and contributed vocals to most of the tracks off her groundbreaking second album "One In A Million". A masterpiece of an album that saw all three of them creating a solid bond and pushing each other to great musical levels: "When I met Missy Elliott I felt a connection. It was like she already knew my style."
 In 1997 Missy began her solo career with releasing "The Rain" with a crazy  yet powerful visual directed by Hype Williams it allowed Elliott to present her sense of humour and playful fashion sense but most it served a great message to her fellow female artist to discover new and broader ways of showcasing their music. 
 In 1999 she released her second album "Da Real World" which is truly her greatest album to date in my opinion as it saw her pushing the boundaries of music beyond it`s time, it was a dark and bold masterpiece of an album. From start to finish she was not holding back and it had a very baroque feel to it, much like Justin Timberlake’s "Cry Me a River", it allowed Missy to further solidify her Hip-Hop credibility and showcase amazing growth.

"Is that your chick", in 2001 Missy once again broke new ground with her track "Get Ur Freak On" lifted from her third album "Miss E Addictive", it saw her and Timbaland infusing Indian music style Bhangra with Hip-hop music and expose it to the mainstream world which was well received internationally.  She followed it up with "One Minute Man" which saw her calling out any and all lovers not up to the task of satisfying her needs: "Boy I'ma make you love me, make you want me and I'ma give you some attention, tonight. Now follow my intuitions, what you're wishing. See I'ma keep you all night, for a long time, just start countin the ways. Break me off, show me what you got, cause I don't want, no one minute man.."
*The following year she collected her first two Grammy awards, one for producing the chart-topping single "Lady Marmalade" and the other one was for Best Rap Solo Performance with her single "Get Ur Freak On"*
The following year she won her third Grammy for Best Female Rap Solo Performance with her track "Scream a.k.a. Itchin".



"Work It" introduced yet another new sound courtesy of Missy and Timbaland, serving as the leading single from her fourth album "Under Construction" which went double platinum and the album itself was created as a way to pay homage to all the great hip-hop artist that came before her and inspired her to do music and it also holds a personal meaning for Elliott because the year before - Aaliyah sadly died in a tragic plane accident. It changed the way she viewed life and made her appreciate every blessing that comes her way even more. 
*"Under Construction" album has been o repeat today, it embodies so many great elements of hip-hop music and it`s culture.*
 *"Work It" saw her once again winning a Grammy for Best Female Rap Solo Performance*

Later in 2003 she released her fifth album "This Is Not A Test", which found showcasing more of a sexier image with alot of confidence to back it up and embodied a very heavy futuristic sound to it with a touch of 80`s smooth R&B feel. While the album was another masterpiece, the release felt rushed and saw it not as appreciate as it would be if it was release at the right time. 

She took a solo break and  Missy played a huge role in breaking Ciara in, as she took her under her wing and wrote one of her biggest singles "1,2 Step" which managed to top the charts and the video was a tour de force, I actually learned to dance from it.


In 2005 she released her sixth album "The Cookbook" featuring her smash hit single "Lose Control" which it was a dream come true for b-boys and b-girls all around the world as Elliott delivered an amazing track with stunning visual that showcases her love for the dance world as she went ham on the choreography with a group of talented dancers, combing elements of modern and traditional dancing, with Ciara along side her and it was co-directed by Dave Meyers who has directed most of her visuals this far, they work amazingly together.
*The visual went on to won her fifth Grammy award for Best Short Form Music Video*
While she has not released an album since 2005 her influence has been felt over the years with some celebrated cameos in songs by J. Cole, Little Mix and most recently, Fantasia. 
 And when she is not releasing her own music she stay producing hit records for artist such as Monica, Fantasia, Jazmine Sullivan, Keyshia Cole and many others.

“Missy is influential because Missy is unique. I define influential as the impact someone has on other people. You haven’t seen it yet but it’s Missy Elliott. Missy and Timbaland’s beats are going to keep rap interesting over the next couple of years. Missy is one of the few artists that does what she does without sounding like other people. Nobody’s done what Missy Elliott’s done because they can’t. She still breaks down barriers, and doesn’t fit the mold. I think the reason she’s so influential is because Missy is a true artist. 
People can’t find the next Missy Elliott, like you can’t find the next Van Gogh; you just have to look for someone, Norah Jones, Avril Lavigne, Pink, P!nk who is good. You’re never going to be able to do what she does because she is one of those people, those truly gifted people. I think she’s more talented than anybody out there, regardless of gender.”- George Stroumboulopoulos

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