Missy Elliot wants to get you high
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
The “Miss E…So Addictive” album is laced with sounds you didn't know you needed.
In the intro to her third album, Missy Elliot suggests that the pop music on the radio is played out. “I know some of y'all sick of songs y'all be hearin' on the radio,” she sings in the first line of the album. Using influences from funk, rock and even bhangra music throughout the album, Missy tastefully integrates her own sound with styles that aren't typically associated with hip hop.
In the opening track entitled “...So Addictive” Missy prepares us for a trippy, psychedelic experience. Over a churchy piano melody, Missy promises that the rest of the album is composed of “shit you never heard before.” With help from childhood friend and super-producer Timbaland, Missy delivers on that promise.
The album is loaded with features from notable names. Redman and Method Man tell us what it really means to be an “alpha” in “Dog in Heat.” The duo’s blunt lyrics and aggressive delivery is as expected, but Missy’s smooth singing is an interesting change in pace. Over a heavy bassline borrowed from the 1978 J.M. Tim & Foty single, “Douala by Night,” Missy’s singing is underwhelming and acts as filler between the Redman and Method Man verses. The next track, “One Minute Man” is a bit more intriguing. With a clever verse by Ludacris, the track mixes elements of what sounds like classic country guitar chords and electronic notes that mimic Missy’s voice as she taunts the “one minute men” she wants to steer clear of.
In “Lick Shots,” Missy tells these men and anyone else who might dare to mess with her that she is not one to be played with. Missy warns, “You don't know who I be/Your mammy tell you not to f*** wit' me.” Even with a suspenseful Isreali folk music sample carrying the melody, this song sounds a bit more like the Missy listeners were probably expecting after her last album “Da Real World,” released in 1999. “Lick Shots” is the first track on the album without any features and reminds us what Missy can do without all the bells and whistles. Released as a single two weeks before the rest of the “So Addicting” album, “Lick Shots” peaked at #25 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs and #43 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
“Get ur Freak On” is the standout star of the album and Missy reminds us again that she is one of one. The song begins unexpectedly with a few lines spoken in Japanese. Even if you don't understand the words as spoken on the track, the music still forces you to move. The lines translate to, “Everyone start dancing together wildly now. Let’s make some noise, let’s make some noise.” If it wasn't already clear, this track affirms that this album is some “shit you never heard before.”
“Get ur Freak On” is an unlikely pairing of hip hop and Indian bhangra music with a side of theatrics that only Missy can pull off. Timbaland’s production should also be applauded. His creativity and success in replacing typical 808s with an Indian tabla drum makes the song all the more mesmerizing. The hypnotizing rhythm is the perfect backdrop for Missy’s confrontational lyrics. She knows she's the best and challenges anyone to prove her wrong. She says, "Copywritten so, don't copy me/Y'all do it, sloppily/And y'all can't come, close to me.”
The energy stays high on “Old School Joint,” which samples a literal old school joint – the 1980 single “Pop It” by One Way. Missy shows off her versatility and sings on this funky, futuristic track. It's a fun song, but one we actually have heard before.
The next track is more solemn and one of the slower songs on the album. “Take Away” featuring Ginuwine is dedicated to R&B/Pop Princess Aaliyah, who tragically passed away in August 2001. Missy sings about an important relationship and unconditional love. She sings, “Take away, your gold and platinum chains/'Cause I'm gon' love, love you anyway.” Ginuwine, who was rumored to have been in a romantic relationship with Aaliyah, sings with palpable emotion, “Ain't no girl in this world can fill your shoes/None, not at all.” Using a more traditional R&B sound, maybe paying homage to Aaliyah’s contribution to the music world, this track is not as experimental as the others on the album.
“Higher Ground” is another slow track with familiar sounds. With help from gospel music legends Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Kim Burrell, Karen Clark Sheard, and Dorinda Clark-Cole, Missy recognizes God’s role in her journey to stardom. Singing only the last few lines of the song, Missy sings, “I'm a witness for Jesus/When I was down, and no one was there/He picked me up, and he carried me.” She shares that under all the confidence and over-the-top theatrics she is so well known for, Missy turns to religion for strength and encourages listeners to keep the faith.
With “Miss E … So Addicting,” Missy Elliot has established herself as a pioneer in the world of hip hop. She has deliberately broken the unwritten rules of rap music and created a space where experimentation, if done well, can be celebrated. A duo that has proven to be unstoppable, Missy and Timbaland have created something that can give you a natural high. Something… so addicting.