Missy Elliott

Melissa Arnette “Missy” Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the 1990s, and later became a member of the Swing Mob collective alongside her childhood friend and longtime collaborator Timbaland, with whom she wrote and produced music for acts such as 702, Aaliyah, SWV, and Total. Following several collaborations and guest appearances, she began her solo career in 1997 with her debut album Supa Dupa Fly, which spawned the top 20 single “Sock It 2 Me”. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, the highest charting debut for a woman rapper at the time.Elliott’s second album, Da Real World, was released in 1999 and produced the singles “She’s a Bitch”, “All n My Grill”, and “Hot Boyz”. The remix of the latter song broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the American R&B chart in January 2000, as well as spending 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart from December 1999 to March 2000. With the release of Miss E… So Addictive (2001), Under Construction (2002), and This Is Not a Test (2003), she established an international career that yielded hits including “Get Ur Freak On”, “One Minute Man”, “4 My People”, “Gossip Folks”, and “Work It”. The latter won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance. She released her first EP Iconology in 2019, marking her first musical release in 14 years.

Elliott has received numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards. Her overall discography has sold 40 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling female rapper in Nielsen Music history according to Billboard. She was the first woman rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received the MTV VMAs Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her impact on the music video landscape. In 2020, Billboard ranked her at No. 5 on their list of the 100 greatest music video artists of all time. In 2021, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2023, she became the first woman rapper to be nominated and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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