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Beware, Wack Rappers Bite
06/22/1999 4:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Jeff Lorez
She pours the bottle of Evian over herself, shakes her head, smiles and brings the microphone, which she's just been handed, to her face. Then she begins to rhyme over the dark, insistent funk that is her new single, the subtly titled "She's A Bitch." To her right, producer Timbaland nods his head appreciatively--after all, it's his groove. The crowd, a tightly packed throng of outstretched arms, goes wild. They didn't expect this--didn't expect Timbaland to warm things up for headliner Ginuwine and definitely didn't expect Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott to show up. But she's loving it, in her element, exuding energy and confidence. A slimmer, trimmer Missy clad in baggy jeans, sneakers, and gray sweatshirt seems at ease, kickin' it informally with Tramps' New York crowd. Bereft of trademark sci-fi, futuristic garb of such videos as "The Rain" and "Sock It To Me," she wants to let loose and have some fun. Another self-induced drenching and she leaves the stage, security in tow, to descend among the people--her people--because Missy wants to let it be known that, more than anything, she's a people person.
"I wanted [her new CD Da Real World] to be a lot different from the first album," she says earlier that day, from her home in Saddle River, N.J. (she also maintains a place in Virginia). "Since a lot of people were beat bitin', I wanted the beats on this one different. This time 'round I wanted to beat the Jeep bangers, do the joints the rappers can get into."
Since Missy writes, produces, raps and sings (her past credits includes both Whitney and Mariah, 702, Destiny's Child, and protégé Nicole, although she re-teamed with producer Timbaland for the new set), it's inevitable that her latest collection has turned into something of an all-star celebrity throwdown. The final track listing reads like a who's-who of contemporary chart-toppers: Eminem (the retro-flavored "Funky White Boy"), Big Boi of OutKast & Nicole (the dramatic "All N My Grill"), Lady Saw (the reggae-influenced "Mr. DJ"), Redman (the hardcore hip-hop of "Dangerous Mouths"), Aaliyah & Da Brat (the fluid, musical "Sticking Chickens"), Juvenile & B.G. (the simplistic, Southern-style "U Can't Resist"), and Beyoncé of Destiny's Child (the Prince-like ballad "Crazy Feelings").
"I wanted to show that I can come at you from all angles," Missy explains simply. "Be a commercial artist, street artist, even have some reggae."
Of late, though, producer Timbaland has come under some criticism for saturating the marketplace with a deluge of soundalike productions. Does Missy worry that she might fall victim to his workaholic tendencies?
"All the people Timbaland produces--me, Ginuwine, Aaliyah, himself--we all have our own different identity," she responds strongly. "Tim knows not to give us the same thing. You might hear something here or there like a drum sound that's the same, but that's because it's all coming from the same person. This is one producer. It's impossible for one person to do three whole albums without using the same sound somewhere along the line."
As for her songs' subject matter, she states, "A lot of the songs I have got from situations around me. They're not necessarily all Missy problems. Basically what I want people to know Missy for is that I'm very original, creative, and futuristic. You're not gonna see Missy doing what everybody else is doing. You'll see me with a bald head in my video, but no other female would have the courage to do that."
Despite having worked with the industry's biggest names, one credit remains off her resumé--Michael Jackson. It's Missy's lifelong ambition to work with Jacko, but thus far, her cries seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
"We've reached out to his people. Maybe the message isn't getting through to him," she says with a hint of exasperation. "It's amazing, because Tim really wants to work with him, too. The word has been put out but we haven't got a call back. At this point, I'm getting discouraged to even do it. But then I think back to when I was growing up and all the fan letters I would write to him and Janet and my mom going out and getting all the stamps for them, and I know it's something I'll always really want to do."
Something Missy freely admits she has yet had the courage to do is bring her own personal life to her work. Ironically, it could well have been her need to escape a traumatic childhood that resulted in her obsession with Michael, Janet, and music in general.
"The low point in my life was growing up in a house where my mother and father would fight all the time," she recalls somberly. "My mother was battered, so it was hard as a kid, because I never wanted to go places because I was scared my father would be beating up my mother. I never had that perfect childhood like a lot of kids do. But I overcame it. Just by watching my mother be strong made me strong and prepared me for this business."
But the business isn't what motivates Missy. It's deeper than that.
"I have a lipstick line coming out," she enthuses. "[Supermodel] Iman sponsored it. The lipstick is called Misdemeanor. All the profits, 100% of the money, goes to an organization called Break The Cycle which is for battered women. It's marketed for teens from 16 to 22. A lot of teens are going through being battered by their boyfriends, so I think it's something they can relate to. Being able to help out makes it all worthwhile."
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