Missy Elliott

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Missy Elliott
Background information
Birth name Melissa Arnette Elliott
Also known as Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Missy Elliott, Misdemeanor, Miss E.
Born July 1, 1971 (age 35)
Origin Portsmouth, Virginia, United States
Genre(s) Hip hop, Urban contemporary, Pop, Dance
Occupation(s) Singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer
Years active 1996 – present
Label(s) The Goldmind, EastWest, Elektra, Atlantic
Associated
acts		 Timbaland, Magoo, Sista, Jodeci, Ginuwine, Aaliyah, Nicole Wray, Tweet, 702, Monica
Website Missy-Elliott.com

Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott, is an American rapper, singer, MC, songwriter, and record producer born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Elliott was originally known as Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and sometimes with only one "t". She dropped the "Misdemeanor" from her stage name in 2002, and now simply goes by "Missy Elliott". With record sales of 24 million totals (including U.S., worldwide, and single sales), she is the highest selling female rapper of all time.

Elliott is known for a series of hits including "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", "Hit 'Em Wit Da Hee", "Get Ur Freak On", "One Minute Man", "Work It", and "Lose Control". In addition she has received recognition as one of the most successful songwriters of the modern music era, having crafted a number of hit records for artists such as Melanie B, Fantasia, Aaliyah, 702, Total, Nelly Furtado, Ciara, Nicole Wray and Tweet, often with production-partner and childhood friend Timbaland.

She was the fourth female rapper to ever go platinum, behind Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown, and Da Brat. She is the only female rapper to have six platinum albums. Missy Elliott is also a critics' favorite, with two of her singles ranked in the top five of the 2000s decade on Acclaimedmusic.net (statistical scores based on many lists and reviews).[1]

Despite her close collaborators and producers being involved in hip hop rivalries/feuds, Missy Elliott has never taken part in any hip hop rivalry. Close collaborators and producers who have been involved in hip hop rivalries/feuds include Timbaland, Jay-Z, and Lil' Kim.

Contents

[edit] Early years

In the late-1980s, Missy Elliott, LaShawn Shellman, Chonita Coleman, and Radiah Scott formed an R&B group called Sista, for which Elliott served as a singer and songwriter. She recruited her neighborhood friend Timothy Mosley as the group's producer and began making demo tracks. In 1991, Sista caught the attention of Jodeci member/producer DeVante Swing by performing Jodeci songs acapella for him backstage after one of his group's concerts. In short order, Sista moved to New York City, now signed to Elektra Records through DeVante's Swing Mob imprint. Elliott took Mosley (whom DeVante re-christened Timbaland) and their friend Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff along with her.

All 20-plus members of the Swing Mob, among them future stars such as Ginuwine, Playa, and Tweet, lived in a single two-story house in New York and were often at work on material both for Jodeci and for their own projects. While Elliot (credited as Melissa Elliot) wrote and rapped on Raven-Symoné's debut album's lead single "That's What Little Girls are Made of," she also contributed songwriting duties, credited and uncredited, to the final two Jodeci albums: 1993's Diary of a Mad Band and 1995's The Show, The After Party, The Hotel. Timbaland and DeVante produced a Sista LP, 4 All the Sistas Around the World, completed in 1994. Though videos were released for the original and remix versions of the single "Brand New," the album was shelved and never released. By 1995, Swing Mob had folded and many of its members dispersed; Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, and Playa remained together and collaborated on each others' records for the rest of the decade.

[edit] After Swing Mob

After leaving Swing Mob, Missy Elliott and Mosley (Timbaland) worked together as a songwriting/production team, crafting tracks for acts including SWV ("Can We?"1997) and 702 ("Steelo" and its remix), but the most notable of them was Aaliyah. Elliott and Timbaland wrote and produced nine tracks for Aaliyah's second album, One in a Million (1996), among them the hit singles "If Your Girl Only Knew," "One in a Million," "Hot Like Fire," and "4 Page Letter." Elliott also contributed background vocals and/or guest raps to nearly all of the tracks on which she and Timbaland worked. One in a Million went double-platinum and made stars out of the production duo. Elliott and Timbaland continued to work together for other artists, later creating hits for artists such as Total ("What About Us," 1997), Nicole Wray ("Make It Hot," 1998), and Destiny's Child ("Get on the Bus," 1998), as well as one final hit for Aaliyah, "I Care 4 ,U, before her death in 2001.

Elliott began her career as a featured vocalist rapping on Sean "Puffy" Combs's Bad Boy remixes to Gina Thompson's "The Things That You Do" and MC Lyte's 1996 single "Cold Rock a Party." Combs had hoped to sign Elliott to his Bad Boy record label. She instead signed a deal with Elektra Records in 1996 to create her own imprint, The Goldmind Inc., for which she would record as a solo artist. Timbaland was again recruited as her production partner, a role he would hold on most Elliott solo releases.

[edit] Supa Dupa Fly and Da Real World

In the center of a busy period making guest appearances and writing for other artists, Elliott's debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, was released in mid-1997. The year also saw Elliott perform live at The MTV Video Music Awards show on a remix to Lil' Kim's "Not Tonight" with fellow rappers Da Brat and Angie Martinez and TLC-vocalist Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.

In 1998, Elliott continued her successful career in the background as a producer and writer on Total's single "Trippin'," as well as working with several others in the hip-hop and R&B communities. The same year, Elliott also produced and made a guest appearance on former Spice Girl Melanie B's, debut solo single "I Want You Back," which topped the UK Singles Chart.

Elliott's second album was just as successful as the first: selling 1.5 million copies and 3 million copies worldwide. Da Real World (1999) included the singles "All N My Grill," a collaboration with Nicole Wray and Big Boi (from OutKast), a remix to "Hot Boyz" and "She's a Bitch."

[edit] Career in 2000s

[edit] Miss E... So Addictive

Missy Elliott next released Miss E... So Addictive in 2001. The album spawned the massive pop and urban hits One Minute Man, featuring Ludacris and Trina, and "Get Ur Freak On", as well as the international club hit "4 My People" and the less commercially-successful single "Take Away". The double music video for "Take Away/4 My People" was released in the fall of 2001, shortly after the 9-11 terrorist attacks and the tragic death of Elliott's good friend Aaliyah in August. The "Take Away" video contained images of and words about Aaliyah, and the slow ballad acted as a tribute to her memory. The remainder of the video was the more upbeat "4 My People", contained scenes of people dancing happily in front of American flags and Elliott dressed in red, white and blue. Though "Take Away" flopped at radio, "4 My People" went on to become an American and European club hit due to a popular techno Basement Jaxx remix in 2002.

Tweet's appearance on Elliott's "Take Away" as well as her cameo at Elliott's house on MTV Cribs helped to create a buzz about the new R&B singer. Tweet's own debut single, "Oops (Oh My)", was co-written by Elliott and released through Goldmind in February 2002. The single was a top ten hit, thanks partially to Elliott's songwriting and guest rap, and to Timbaland's unusual production on the track. Tweet and Elliott's numerous collaborations and public appearances together during this time also began to fuel media rumors that the two were having a secret lesbian tryst, one of many media rumors about Elliott that she herself would address in her subsequent work.

[edit] Under Construction

Under Construction (2002)
Under Construction (2002)

Elliott's fourth album, 2002's Under Construction (see 2002 in music), included the singles "Work It", Elliott's biggest hit to date, and the successful duet with Ludacris, "Gossip Folks." In the latter, Elliott let her critics know what she thought of recent media rumors about her, including her rapid weight loss that had taken place during 2002 and her alleged affairs with Timbaland, Tweet, and Trina. As the "Work It" video had done during 2002, "Gossip Folks" became one of the most-played music videos on MTV, MTV2, MTV Jams, and BET in 2003. It received significantly less attention than "Work It" at urban radio, but was embraced by the dance community, as well as the mainstream, due to a Fatboy Slim remix. Although not released as single and with no video, "Pussycat", peaked at #77 on the Hot 100. The album is known as the best selling female rap album ever with 2.2 million copies sold in America and 4.5 million copies sold world wide.

Under Construction also included a track called "Back In The Day", a nostalgic ode to old school hip hop music and fashion that featured guest vocals from Jay-Z and Tweet. A video was shot and an article on MTV.com was posted, but the video was never released.

Early 2003, Elliott produced the "American Dream Remix" (featuring Tweet's additional vocals) of Madonna's single "American Life". In the summer of 2003, Elliott was the featured rapper on Timbaland & Magoo's long-awaited return single, "Cop That Disc"; the song was a modest hit at urban radio.

[edit] This Is Not a Test!

This Is Not a Test! (2003)
This Is Not a Test! (2003)

Elliott's singles, "Pass That Dutch" and "I'm Really Hot", from her fifth album, This Is Not a Test! (released November 2003), both rose the urban charts. However, both were not as successful at pop radio in comparison to many of her previous efforts. Also in 2003, Elliott was featured on Wyclef Jean's "Party To Damascus" and Ghostface Killah's "Tush" singles, the latter of which became a minor 2004 dance hit, and had a pivotal role in the motion picture Honey, starring Jessica Alba. The Gap approached Elliott later in the year to co-star in a commercial with Madonna, which received much media attention GAP Advert. Elliott furthered her relationship with the Material Girl by performing the controversial 2003 MTV Video Music Awards show opening alongside Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

In 2004, Elliott was featured on Ciara's hit single "1, 2 Step", with her verse interpolating Teena Marie 's smash hit, "Square Biz". The two soon became close friends and rumors began to spread of a lesbian relationship between the duo and also between Elliott and America's Next Top Model winner Eva Pigford, which all denied.

Elliott premiered her own reality show on the UPN Network, The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott in mid-2005. Although the series never made impressive ratings, it did maintain a solid audience. The winner, Jessica Betts, plans to release her album in February 2007.

[edit] The Cookbook

The Cookbook (2005)
The Cookbook (2005)

Her sixth solo album, The Cookbook was released in July 2005 and debuted at number two on the U.S. charts. Its first single, "Lose Control", which featured Ciara and Fatman Scoop, became a Top 10 hit in the early summer (peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100), and the other album tracks featured guest appearances from Mike Jones, Fantasia, M.I.A, Slick Rick, Mary J. Blige, and Pharrell Williams. The video for "Lose Control" garnered Elliott six 2005 MTV VMA award nominations, ultimately winning two awards in the categories Best Dance Video and Best Hip-Hop Video in August. After the VMA's, Elliott released "Teary Eyed" which never saw chart action although the video charted on MTV's Total Request Live for a few weeks, and BET's 106 & Park for a few days. Teary Eyed is one of the few tracks that showcase Elliott with her talented ability to also sing well. Elliott is know for her dance hits, and is the only female rapper to have six consecutive platinum studio albums.

In early September, Elliott tore her Achilles' tendon while shooting the music video for her song "We Run This", requiring surgery and a long recovery, thus dampening promotion efforts for The Cookbook. In November 2005, Elliott won Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the 2005 American Music Awards, defeating colleagues Lil' Kim and Trina. Also in November, Elliott's remixed version of Ashlee Simpson's "L.O.V.E." (from her second album, I Am Me) was included on the CD single.

In December 2005, Elliott was nominated for 5 Grammy Awards, including two for "Lose Control" (Best Short Form Video, which she won, and Best Rap Song), one for The Cookbook (Best Rap Album), one for writing Fantasia's "Free Yourself" (Best R&B Song), and one for "1, 2 Step" with Ciara (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration). Elliott was also nominated for Best International Female Artist at the 2006 BRIT Awards.

In early 2006, Elliott's single and video for "We Run This" was released with heavy airplay on VH1, MTV, and BET. It also will be featured on the soundtrack to the gymnastics-themed film Stick It.

[edit] Respect M.E.

Respect M.E., Elliott's first greatest hits album, was released outside the United States and Canada on September 4, 2006, but only in South Africa, Australia, Europe and Brazil. The collection became her second top ten album in the UK and her highest charting album to date, peaking at number seven there. The album cover shows Missy Elliott riding a Friesian horse. The M.E. can be understood as either the word 'me', or could be referring to Missy Elliott. "Respect M.E." is also the name of her clothing line produced by adidas.

[edit] Current work

In mid-June of 2006, Universal Pictures announced they had bought the life story of Elliott and planned to bring it to the big screen. Producers include Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, while the film is being written and directed by Diane Houston. It's currently unclear whether Elliott will be starring in the movie, with some media outlets publishing her as the star of the movie, no official word has been released. One thing that's made clear about the movie is that Timbaland won't be a part of it. When Missy asked him to be part of it, he refused because he thinks that it dramatises his character; "the movie is about her life, her story, that goes deeper than putting me into the movie".

In December 2006, Missy Elliott was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rap Solo Performance category for "We Run This".

Timbaland has been telling fans that he and Missy are recording her next album together.

While back, Rich Harrison stated on MTV that he would be working again with Missy after working on 50 Cent's album.

[edit] Trivia

This article contains a trivia section.
Content in this section should be integrated into other appropriate areas of the article or removed, and the trivia section removed.
  • Missy was very close to late singer/actress Aaliyah who died in a plane crash in Marsh Harbor, Bahamas on August 25th, 2001 at the tender age of 22. She dedicated numerous subsequent performances to Aaliyah, including the music video to her song Take Away and a collaborative performance with Nelly Furtado, Ludacris, and Trina.
  • "Work It" spent ten consecutive weeks at number two on the Hot 100. The song is tied with Foreigner's 1981 hit "Waiting For a Girl Like You" as the longest-running number two single that did not reach number one.
  • Elliott has hit number one on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart twice with house music remixes of "Gossip Folks" (2003) and the Ghostface track "Push" (a.k.a. "Tush") (2004).
  • Elliott performed the theme song to the UPN sitcom Eve, which starred Eve, another highly successful female rapper.
  • Elliott's dog Poncho, a Yorkshire Terrier, appeared in the "Lose Control" video.
  • She is the spokesperson for 'Break The Cycle', an anti-domestic violence non-profit organization.
  • Elliott has won 4 Grammy Awards as a performer and 1 as a producer.

[edit] Discography

For more information about her singles, albums certifications, and music video, see Missy Elliott discography.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ Acclaimed music. [1]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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