Missy Elliott's blog
Missy Elliott
One of rap’s most enduring mainstream personalities and a genuine female icon, Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott is a five-time Grammy Award winner and the best-selling female hip-hop artist of all time.
The Virginia-based superstar began her music career alongside her childhood friend, Tim “Timbaland” Mosely as a member of the Swing Mob collective of writers, rappers, and producers. Elliott and Timbaland soon became an in-demand songwriting/production team thanks to their work with SWV, 702, and Aaliyah, for whom they wrote and produced the majority of her 1996 multi-platinum Background/Atlantic breakthrough, One In A Million.
After Missy made a name as featured rapper on tracks by New Edition and MC Lyte, Elektra Chairman Sylvia Rhone signed a deal to distribute Elliott’s label, The Goldmind, Inc. The imprint’s first release was her own hugely successful debut, 1997’s Supa Dupa Fly. Produced by Timbaland, the album was an RIAA platinum-certified blockbuster, fueled by the hit singles, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” and the gold-certified “Sock It 2 Me,” as well as a string of innovative videos.
A seemingly endless flow of hits followed, shepherded by Elektra A&R man Merlin Bobb. “Get Ur Freak On, “ featured on 2001’s Miss E…So Addictive, was a bhangra-based Top 10 smash, earning Elliott her first Grammy Award as a solo artist. Another single, “Scratch a.k.a. Itchin,” received the Grammy for “Best Female Rap Solo Performance” at the next year’s ceremonies.
In 2003, Elliot won another Grammy in the same category for her #1 Rap hit, “Work It,” featured on 2002’s multi-platinum Under Construction, while the surreal companion video clip received the “Video of the Year” prize at 2003’s MTV Video Music Awards. Missy’s fifth album, This Is Not A Test!, was released in 2003, followed two years later by The Cookbook, her first release through Goldmind/Atlantic.
Not merely a visionary recording artist and performer, Elliott is a prolific songwriter and producer, with credits that include Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Destiny’s Child, and others, while also finding time for innumerable collaborations and featured raps. Missy Elliott is truly in a league of her own.
