M – i – crooked letter, crooked letter – y. Packaged as dirty
South rap, this little egomaniac rides the thin line between being
confident and making a fool of herself. And I don’t mean that in a
derogatory sense. She never crosses the line, but if she did, it
just wouldn’t matter. She’s just that confident.
Under Construction made Missy Elliott the best-selling
female hip-hop star of all time in 2002. Fighting still for
recognition, she likes to show off her rapster abilities, and as a
minority female, she must show equanimity in a male-dominated
genre.
From Portsmouth, Virginia, she is a survivor of childhood
domestic violence. She has become an influential
writer/producer/artist in the music world. Therapeutically she
often uses her music to confront her continued nightmares. She
writes all her own music and is a true show(wo)man. She’s fun to
watch and to listen to. She comes off tough, but there’s a shy,
resolute person underneath.
Rap is known for its attitude, and Missy is no exception. She’s
funky, hard-hitting and packs a whomp. “Work It” is definitely my
favorite pick of this album. I like this pretty lady because she’s
bold and naughty; a dangerous combination. I absolutely love the
beat to this one — it rocks — and the lyrics are nasty and sexy
too.
Her powerful style is strongest on “P***ycat.” The lyrics are
infectious, “Koochie don’t fail me now, I gotta turn this brother
out, so he don’t want nobody else.” Adding juicy lips and sultry
eyes to an already provocative nature, she draws you into her
distinctive style of music.
“Slide” is a great dance tune for today’s two-step type moves.
She encourages you to slide, dip and move it all around. I think
she’s talking about dancing, or maybe not. This is another strong
number and by now you start to comprehend that it’s an album full
of such songs. Each outdoes the last, producing a forceful
impact.
I dislike self-glorification, but recognize the need to fight
for what you want, and that may often include self-promotion. As a
whole, I’m not into the bling-bling, self-indulgent, frequent
over-compensating style of rap, but I like Missy Elliott. Perhaps
it’s just the woman in me (the need to help promote another
female), but this lady has what it takes in a dog-eat-dog business.
Without a doubt, she’s worth a listen.
