Nearly 20 years ago the world was introduced to one of music’s greatest gifts, Missy Elliot. When she initially got her big break it was in the form of a songwriter on Aaiyah’s second studio album, One in a Million which came out in 1996. Prior to that Missy had been part of a girl group called Sista, but fortunately it did not go far. I say fortunately because had the group taken off chances are we would not have known Missy as we do now. When One in a Million came out no one could’ve guessed the impact that the two individuals who did the bulk of the writing and production on the album would make on hip hop and R&B. Those two individuals are of course Missy Elliot and Timbaland. Needless to say One in a Million was a major commercial and critical success which cemented Aaliyah as a musical force to be reckoned with.
The following year, 1997, Missy released her debut solo album Supa Dupa Fly which ended up being a success thanks in large part to her highly original music videos and musical direction. She exuded confidence in her songs and videos, and did not have to follow the trend of the day where women such as Lil Kim and Foxy Brown were using sex to sell their music. This is one of the reasons hip hop misses Missy Elliot.
Now it should be made clear that I’m not a whiney old timer who’s unable to evolve with the times. However, we live in a time where everyone is so concerned with the trend of the day that originality is no longer emphasized. One of the reasons people who grew up in the eighties and nineties often reference that time as hip hop’s heyday is because the rap game had a lot more variety than it does now and Missy Elliot was a key player.
Every album and music video Missy has released has been different. She’s one of those artists you can’t accuse of recycling material because she knows exactly when and how to change her sound so that it keeps you interested. There was no laziness or repetitiveness on her part. Her last solo studio album came out 11 years ago, but her absence is still felt to this day. Since Missy stepped out of the limelight there hasn’t been any female rap artist to make a true impact apart from Nicki Minaj.
Apart from being a great songwriter, singer, and rapper Missy is also one of few female music producers. The last I checked I could hardly find any other female credited for producing records other than Wonda Gurl. Sure I know there are some female music producers out there but few come to prominence, and Missy is one of them that made it.
During an interview on the Breakfast Club she explained that she left music due to health reasons. She said that she doesn’t listen to a lot of the stuff on the radio because what you listen to influences how you create. If that has been her habit since way back when then I guess is explains how she managed to stay consistently original. She’s herself; confident, fearless and willing to take risks. That in my opinion is one of the things the rap game is missing and is currently in dire need of. The game needs more artists with the courage of Missy Elliot.
