Hip-Hop / R&B · Late 1990s Career
Missy Elliott emerged in the late 1990s as one of hip-hop and R&B’s most inventive new voices, combining surreal humor, futuristic production and a completely original visual identity.
Supa Dupa Fly
The 1997 debut paired Elliott with producer Timbaland, whose sparse drums and strange rhythmic spaces created a radically modern sound.
Voice, writing and visuals
Elliott moved easily between rapping, singing and songwriting while her videos rejected conventional expectations of female pop-star presentation.
Why she matters
Missy Elliott helped redefine the future of hip-hop, R&B production and music-video creativity at the end of the decade.