Five Reasons Missy Elliott Should Be in the Rock Hall of Fame

Missy Elliott has damaged down nearly each barrier there’s.

Born an solely youngster in 1971 in Portsmouth, Va., Elliott grew up singing in church choirs and knew from the time she was small that efficiency was her future.

When she was 20 years outdated, she fashioned an all-female R&B group with buddies referred to as Fayze, which was later renamed Sista. Another neighborhood good friend, Timothy Mosley, often known as Timbaland, got here on as their producer. Within the similar yr, they’d caught the consideration of Elektra Records and signed a deal as half of their Swing Mob hip-hop collective. She excelled as a producer and author for different artists (together with Raven-Symone, Aaliyah and Busta Rhymes), earlier than breaking out on her personal as a wildly in style solo star.

From the mid-’90s onward, Elliott not solely paved the method as one of the most profitable feminine rappers, producers and writers but in addition successfully modified the method hip-hop, pop and R&B may look and sound for all. Here are Five Reasons Missy Elliott Should Be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

She Changed the Face of Hip Hop With ‘Supa Dupa Fly’

It is not fairly often that an act impacts the total sound of a style with their debut album, however that is exactly what Elliott did with 1997’s Supa Dupa Fly, which included the hit single “Sock It 2 Me.” Timbaland’s futuristic manufacturing fashion mixed with Elliott’s epic persona on an revolutionary album in contrast to the rest in hip hop. The LP additionally pulled components of digital music and soul and was unafraid to make the most of jarring rhythms and digital-heavy patterns that blew away critics and listeners. There are two classes of hip hop: Before Supa Dupa Fly and after.

She’s Also a Prolific Producer and Founded a Record Label

Before releasing Supa Dupa Fly, Elliott centered totally on a profession working with others, each writing and producing, making her one of the uncommon Black feminine producers in the trade. She has continued this work all through her total profession, whereas additionally typically contributing vocals to a range of different artists’ albums. Here is a brief record of some of her most notable collaborations: Mariah Carey, 1997’s Butterfly, Puff Daddy & the Family, 1997’s No Way Out, Melanie B of the Spice Girls, 1998’s Hot, Whitney Houston, 1998’s My Love Is Your Love, Destiny’s Child, 1999’s The Writing’s on the Wall, Mary J. Blige, 2002’s No More Drama and Beyonce, 2003’s Dangerously in Love, amongst many others. Elliott has additionally co-produced all six of her albums and launched her file label, the Goldmind Inc., in 1997.

She’s One of the Most Successful Female Rappers of All Time

Let’s speak numbers, beginning with Supa Dupa Fly. The LP debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 3 — the highest debut for a feminine rapper at the moment — and stayed on the chart for 37 weeks. Supa Dupa Fly bought 129,000 copies in the first week alone and was licensed platinum two months later. She’s gained 4 Grammys, eight MTV Video Music Awards, two American Music Awards and 6 BET Awards. All six of her albums have landed in the Top 15. All of them earned platinum standing not less than as soon as, and a few two occasions over. In 2019, she grew to become the first feminine rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and her 2023 nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame additionally makes her the first feminine rapper to be so honored. There’s a motive she’s been dubbed the “Queen of Rap.”

Her Music Videos Are Unmatched

Even Elliott herself variety of cannot consider the innovation of her music movies, which grew to become recognized for his or her experimental, off-kilter fashion, full with myriad dancers, vibrant colours and daring style statements. “At the time I was doing it, those videos, I didn’t think much of it,” she advised Billboard in 2016. “I thought they were hot, but I didn’t critique it or go into detail or say, ‘Oh, this is some next-level [stuff].’ … But the other day when I looked at them, I was like, ‘These videos are insane.'” In 2019, she was the first feminine rapper to obtain the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award from MTV and got here in at No. 5 in 2020 on Billboard‘s record of 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time.

She Paved the Way for Artists Like Beyonce, Lizzo and Others

There is an countless quantity of modern artists who’ve been influenced by Elliott, each musically and visually, each female and male, from Cardi B to Janelle Monae and Tyler, the Creator to Anderson.Paak. (Beyonce’s “Signs” was co-written by Elliott and options her vocals.) Lizzo maybe summed it up finest in 2021 when Elliott was granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “You have no idea what you have done for so many Black girls,” Lizzo mentioned. “We don’t deserve you. We don’t deserve Missy Elliott, and still, you continue to give to us and you’ve given with your heart, your genius. Let me just drop some words: Genius! Icon! Queen of hip-hop! Visionary!”