Here at Smoking Zora it's Missy Elliott Appreciation Week. Why, you ask? Because I said so. Because Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott is one of the best lyricists out there and she gets no love.
That's not true. Missy gets a lot of props from a lot of people, but it's usually for the wrong stuff. Most people think of her only as a collaborator on party songs, fluffy stuff like 'One Minute Man' or 'Oops (Oh My)'. And yeah, she does a lot of fun collaborations, and yeah, her aesthetic runs to over-the-top, hyper-saturated hooks and videos. But Missy's also a fantastic wordsmith (let's not even get me started on the similarities between her and James Joyce) with an ear for weird production and an eye for new talent. Missy's longevity in the game is testament to her ability to stay true to herself while keeping ahead of changing pop trends. This sticking power would be remarkable in any rap artist but is especially impressive for a female MC, whose lifespans are traditionally much shorter (where did you go Lauryn????).
Okay. That's enough from me. I'll let Missy take over. 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)' was Missy's break-out hit, the first song of hers I ever heard, and my favorite to this day.
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I will say, I hated Missy when she came out. Not the woman, but her first single because I swore a first grader had written it. To me, the debut did not showcase her hard work nor her talent.
But I am glad that I gave her a real shot because single after single that followed had me jumpin' jumpin'. And everything she produced, I had to have.
She's an old school MC. And that's really what makes her stand out. The instrumentation of synthetic beats are the pulse on her antiquitous and simultaneously avant garde wordsmith.
If I ever go up to Missy, I'd say thank you for Nicole Wray, Gina Thompson, playa all the folks who don't get the love they deserve that only seemed to come from you!
So a big hells yes on Missy appreciation week. Keep 'em coming!
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