Missy Elliott: Still Supa Dupa Fly

I’m sure most music lovers have not forgotten about Rapper/Singer-Songwriter Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott. Even though she’s disappeared on the musical radar for a while, fear not Missy fans, she has plans to make a comeback.

Born Melissa Arnette Elliott in Portsmouth, Va., Missy knew she wanted to be a performer from the age of four and would answer “superstar” every time she was asked what she wanted to be once she grew up.

“I never saw anything else, never dreamed of doing anything else,” Missy told The Guardian.

She first arrived on the music scene in an R&B group called Fayze with her friends LaShawn Shellman, Chonita Coleman, and Radiah Scott and working wither her neighborhood friend Producer/Songwriter/Rapper Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley. 

After being signed to Elektra Records through Producer/Singer DeVante Swing’s imprint Swing Mob, Missy worked on material for R&B group Jodeci and wrote and rapped on the debut single “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of” for Actress/Singer Raven-Symoné.

After leaving Swing Mob, Missy began working with Timbaland on tracks for R&B groups SWV and 702 but most notably for R&B Singer/Actress Aaliyah.

“When me and Tim first went to work with her,” Missy explains to MTV News. “We were so nervous. She was such a big star, and I was scared she was gonna be some diva, sipping on tea, with people fixing her hair and nails, and she would say, “What is this music you got! It’s wack!” But when we walked in the studio, her smile made the whole room glow! She was like “Heyyyyy!” and gave us big hugs and made us feel like we were her cousins from down South. She was a very sweet spirit! Never seen her angry as long as I’ve known her, and in this business, that’s unheard of!

After producing hits like “One In A Million” and “If Your Girl Only Knew” and contributing background vocals on almost all of the tracks on Aaliyah’s Second album “One In a Million,” the album went double-platinum and made stars out of both Missy and Timbaland.  

Missy’s solo career took off after she rapped on Rapper/Producer Diddy’s remix to “The Things That You Do.” In 1997, Missy’s debut album “Supa Dupa Fly” landed No. 1 on the Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with “The Rain” as the album’s leading hit single.

Missy took the late 90s and early 2000s by storm. With hits like “Get Ur Freak On,” “One Minute Man,” “Work It,” and “Pass That Dutch” to name a few of her hits, Missy could not be touched. Her combination of Timbaland produced beats and “astonishing series of beats and jokes and hooks,” as the NY Times described, Missy created her own sound.

Five albums, five Grammys, and millions of sold records later, Missy is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

She is currently working on her 7^th studio album and although the release date has been changed a number on times, Missy has made guest appearances on different songs over the last few years, most recently, Rapper J. Cole’s “Nobody’s Perfect.”    

What many don’t know is why Missy suddenly disappeared after years of putting out incredible music. Missy was diagnosed with Earlier this year, Missy revealed that her hiatus has been due to her having Graves Disease.

In 2008, Missy was diagnosed with Graves Disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid and has been so debilitating that it nearly prevented her from doing simple everyday tasks, after having an almost fatal car incident.

“I was [driving and] trying to put my foot on the brake, but my leg was jumping,” Missy told People Magazine. “I couldn’t keep the brake down and almost crashed.”I couldn’t write because my nervous system was so bad—I couldn’t even use a pen.”

She also revealed that she has been undergoing radiation treatments, which helped roll back the symptoms of the disease. Even though there is no cure, Missy is taking all the appropriate measures to remain in the best shape as possible.

“I’m 30 pounds lighter because I’ve been exercising,” Missy told People. “My thyroid is functioning, so I haven’t had to take medication in about nine months. [But] you live with it for the rest of your life.”

Still, Missy is trying her best to make it back onto the music scene. Missy recently tweeted her fans on Twitter that a new album is coming and that, “I’m always making music Ya’ll gotta start peeping the credits on these cds.”
For updates in Missy, visit: http://www.missy-elliott.com/

-Alexandria Richard