Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott keeps the music industry guessing, never quite sure what death defying lyrical feat she’s about to pull off next. Her innate love of all music is only a small part of the formula that allows her to create a dizzying arsenal of hit after hit after hit. It’s her love for the people that compels her to draw inspiration from the glory days of rap music. As if driven by a higher calling, she builds a musical bridge for today’s hip hop fans every time she scores a hit. “I just like to make fun music. I tried to take it back to the old school where it was just about battling, just about whether you had skills or not.”

Missy first knocked us over with her 1997 release, Supa Dupa Fly. Here was this loud, large, and likeable sista, bringing the noise in a man’s game without baring it all or acting like a boy-toy. Not since the days of Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Monie Love had this been seen. Missy was determined. She hit the ground running as one of the genre’s most unique female video personalities of the late 1990’s. She showed herself to be serious about lightening the mood of rap music and taking her audience on a journey away from the violence of the day. In her first video, “Sock It 2 Me”, her eccentric costumes and funkafied use of the fish eye lens had us looking at her sideways and upside down as she floated through the frame in an air-filled suit.

Missy was born for this game. She has met each challenge with finesse from day one. When her first record deal with Elektra in 1991 ended with an unreleased project, she didn’t fall out and accept defeat. Instead she used it as an opportunity to develop her skills behind the scenes; producing, writing and doing guest appearances on platinum selling singles for both Jodeci and Aaliyah. So when her next chance came around to work with Elektra it was a more lucrative production/label deal not just a record contract. Missy launched her production company, The GoldMind Inc., in 1997 with the record breaking debut of Supa Dupa Fly. Supa Dupa Fly still reigns as one of the highest debuting albums from a female Hip Hop artist on Billboard’s Album chart, hitting an unbelievable #3 in its first week of release.

“Hot Boyz”, the chart topping single from her second release “Da Real World” in 1999, went platinum and remained #1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart for an astounding 18 weeks straight! The same single was simultaneously #1 on the Hip Hop and R&B Singles chart for 6 consecutive weeks. In 2001 Missy released “Miss E….So Addictive which had hits like “Get Ur Freak On” and “One Minute Man”.

Her rapid fire succession of hits is what distinguishes Missy from the pack. While others take time to rest on their accolades, she is out there constantly striving to outdo herself. Following the platinum success of “Miss E… So Addictive” which sold over 3 million units, she returned to the studio with her creative partner, Tim “Timbaland” Mosley, and proceeded to make one of the most provocative rap/R&B records ever, “Under Construction”. "I wanted to make this record," says Missy. "I needed to make this record. I chose the title for a reason. I am a work in progress. I am Under Construction mentally, physically, musically and spiritually. I look at the whole world as being Under Construction. I look at hip hop as being Under Construction. We have to rebuild what hip hop once was. We have to deal with the animosity between artists that's out there and make it fun again. After 9/11, and the death of Aaliyah and Left Eye, I, like a lot of people, look at the fragility of life. A lot of these songs address that kind of thing. But I wanted it to be a fun record too. A celebration of life. Particularly about hip hop. We've created a great thing that has influenced the culture of the world. I don't want to see us f*** it up."

Her fourth release in five years, the double-platinum “Under Construction”, spawned one of Hip Hop’s most celebrated tracks, “Work It”. “Work It” has earned Missy enough awards and nominations to call this the Year of Miss E. This song sent her home with her second Grammy award for “Best Female Rap Solo Performance”. She was the most nominated artist in the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards and took home two VMAs, “Best Video of the Year” and “Best Hip Hop Video”. She won two BET Lady of Soul awards including “Best Song of the Year” and “Best Music Video”. She received three nominations for the Source Awards, but in some arenas it’s still a man’s game – Artist of the Year- Female went to L’il Kim. Missy was also nominated for two VIBE awards, “Artist of the Year” and “Reelest Video” for “Work It”. Finally, she has been nominated for two Radio Music Awards and two American Music Awards. Most of these shows take place in the end of November so we’ll have to wait and see the total number of awards this single earns in 2003.

Sylvia Rhone, Elektra Entertainment Group Chairman/CEO had this to say about Missy’s success at the VMAs, “Finally!! Missy has consistently pushed the creative envelope with all of her visuals. Receiving the award for 'Best Video of the Year' speaks volumes to her talent. It is immensely satisfying to see her recognized for such a groundbreaking video and at such a wonderful point in her career."

Missy has been carefully constructing her empire around her label, The GoldMind Inc., continuing to produce and write hits for an eclectic roster of superstars, including Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera. GoldMind struck gold in the spring of 2002 when Missy unveiled her newest protégé, Tweet. Her album, “Southern Hummingbird”, was lauded by critics, with VIBE magazine naming her Best New Artist of the year.

It's hard to believe, but the multi-dimensional icon Missy Elliott is about to top herself! Pass That Dutch, the first single from the superstar's upcoming fifth album in as many years, This Is Not A Test, has been blowing up the airwaves since its release in late October. The single is already in the Top 20 on Billboard’s Top Hip Hop and R&B chart. The album is scheduled to drop on the same day as Jay-Z’s Black Album, features collaborations with Monica, Fabolous, Elephant Man, and The Clark Sisters, and Jay-Z, himself.

Many limit the power of this multi-faceted dynamic woman to today’s urban music scene; that view is shortsighted. Missy is a woman driven to succeed in her mission to re-establish hip hop as the creative blessing it was destined to be. Her contribution to the salvation of this genre is strategic, and vaguely reminiscent of Angolan Queen Nzinga leading a mighty army to victory, all the while savoring the battle.