Female Hip Hop

 Missy Elliott

One of the most significant female artists in music history, Missy Elliott is a pioneer of female hip-hop and R&B, groundbreaking songwriter-producer, and across-the-board cultural icon. The five-time GRAMMY® Award winner – with nominations spanning three decades – has attained unprecedented success, including U.S. sales in excess of 30 million. Missy’s six studio albums have each been RIAA platinum certified or better, marking her as the only female rapper to achieve that remarkable accomplishment.

Indeed, 2019 saw Elliott making history as the first female rapper ever to receive the MTV Video Music Awards’ prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. That same year saw Elliott break new ground as the first female hip-hop artist and third-ever rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Furthermore, Elliott became the first female rapper to receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, celebrating her lasting contributions to music and popular culture. And as if all that weren’t enough, Missy kickstarted 2020 by making history yet again, this time co-producing the Lifetime original movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel alongside Queen Latifa and Mary J. Blige. The biopic is now known Lifetime’s biggest movie in four years, which pulled in 2.7 million viewers on its debut night.

Born in Portsmouth, VA, Missy first made waves for her inventive songwriting and production work alongside her childhood friend, Timothy Mosely a.k.a Timbaland. Together they created an innovative, idiosyncratic sound all their own, heard on a score of hits for the late Aaliyah – including “One In A Million,” “If Only Your Girl Knew,” and “Hot Like Fire” – as well as such chart- topping favorites as SWV’s “Can We,” 702’s “Where My Girls At?,” Destiny’s Child’s “Confessions,” and Whitney Houston’s “In My Business.”

Elliott’s milestone solo debut, 1997’s RIAA platinum certified “SUPA DUPA FLY,” proved a landmark, debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200 – the highest charting debut for a female rapper at that date. Immediately acclaimed upon release as a boundary-shattering masterpiece, “SUPA DUPA FLY” spawned a string of blockbuster hit singles, including “Sock It 2 Me,” “Hit Em Wit Da Hee,” “Beep Me 911,” and of course “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).” “DA REAL WORLD” followed in 1999, showcasing the record-breaking #1 hit, “Hot Boyz (Remix) (Feat. Lil’ Mo, Nas, Eve & Q- Tip).”

2001’s “MISS E… SO ADDICTIVE” was yet another platinum certified milestone, a worldwide sensation that established Elliott as hip-hop’s preeminent female artist. With its Bhangra- influenced beat, the album’s “Get Ur Freak On” redefined contemporary pop and hip hop, earning Missy her first-ever GRAMMY® Award (for “Best Rap Performance”).” “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 upon its 2002 release and has since been certified 2x platinum for 2.5 million sales in the U.S. alone. “Work It,” the album’s lead single made history by spending an incredible 10 weeks at #2 on Billboard’s “Hot 100,” tied as the longest running #2 single not to reach the #1 position. Missy’s sixth studio album, 2005’s “THE COOKBOOK” featured the GRAMMY®-nominated “We Run This” and the chartbusting “Lose Control (Feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop).”

2019 saw Elliott return at last with the acclaimed “ICONOLOGY” EP, highlighted by the hit singles, “Throw It Back,” “DripDemeanor (Feat. Sum1),” and “Why I Still Love You.” Produced by Elliott, Timbaland, and Wili Hendrix, the EP drew instant applause upon its surprise release, with USA Today declaring it “a master class at the school of Missy Misdemeanor Elliott.” Missy’s massive mainstream accomplishments have extended far beyond her own solo works, including innumerable guest appearances on singles and remixes by a truly diverse span of musical artists. As one of modern pop’s definitive songwriters and producers, Elliott’s star- studded list of songwriting credits continues to grow, including collaborations with Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Katy Perry, Ciara, Monica, K. Michelle, Faith Evans, Ginuwine, Fantasia, Jazmine Sullivan, and Justin Timberlake, among others.

Recent years have seen a series of surprise event appearances like her unforgettable performance at 2015’s Super Bowl XLIX alongside Katy Perry. In 2016, Elliott united with former First Lady Michelle Obama for “This Is For My Girls,” an all-star anthem to female empowerment performed by Kelly Clarkson, Chloe x Halle, Missy Elliott, Jadagrace, Lea Michele, Janelle Monáe, Kelly Rowland, & Zendaya.

Elliott – who was seen starring on the July 2019 cover of Marie Claire – remains one of the most extraordinary and original live artists ever to take the stage, a fact evinced by her show-stealing performance at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards that included such greatest hits as “Throw It Back,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It,” “Pass That Dutch,” and “Lose. Control.”