Guess who’s back, back again? Missy Elliott – tell everyone.
Missy Elliott, after being silent for virtually a decade, is snatching the hip-hop world by its chains with the release of her new single “WTF (Where They From).” The track, featuring Pharrell Williams, is the first single the rapper has released in seven years since 2008’s “Shake Your Pom Pom” from Step Up 2: The Streets.
Twitter is buzzing about whether this song means a Missy comeback album is in the works, but she’s said it might take some time for that to pan out. Regardless, Missy has once again proven she can play ball with the young’uns and isn’t a has-been just yet.
She’s known for creating innovative, visually captivating music videos, and “WTF (Where They From)” undeniably doesn’t disappoint. I mean, just tell me this marionette droppin’ low with puppet Pharrell isn’t the freshest thing you’ve seen all year.
The track and its music video have all the elements of old-school Missy – which, I guess, is the same as new-school Missy. One of the best things about her is that you could remove her name from any song in her listing, and you’d still know it’s a Missy Elliott track. Nothing about her musical style has changed since her last album in 2005 – but then again, why should it? Why fix what certainly isn’t broken? She’s the best-selling female rap artist in Nielsen Music history – no screwdrivers are needed.
Females in mainstream hip-hop are few and far between nowadays, which is why Missy’s comeback is needed now more than ever. Currently, there’s only the Big Two: Nicki Minaj, who’s pretty awesome, and Iggy Azalea, who’s pretty and the other kind of awesome. Other than the Big Two, there aren’t any other active female rappers who have made themselves into average household names.
Missy is like no one, and no one is like Missy. Katy Perry couldn’t even compete with the powerhouse when in February most of the after-show buzz about Perry’s own Super Bowl halftime performance revolved around Missy’s surprise appearance (followed closely behind by left shark).
Admittedly, I didn’t really care for “WTF (Where They From)” much on my first listen – but fast-forward to now, 129 listens later, and I’d say I’m kind of hooked. I can already see the 2016 BET Awards with Missy accepting Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. (Soz, Nicki.) Can’t wait to get my freak on.
Photo credit: www.class-rnb.com