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. Elliott has widely been referred to as the "Queen of Rap" by the media. She has received numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards. Her overall discography has sold 40 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling woman 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.

American rapper Lil Wayne has named her to be one of his biggest inspirations, and gave praise across multiple interviews. He once said, "as an artist, as a musician, period, that's a genius."

## Background

In 2020 for DJ Khaled's *The FIrst One* podcast, he remarked, "Missy Elliott, that was my favorite rapper because that would be why I was making so many sounds. You know, Missy was into the whole 'Brrrrt' [sound]. You know what I mean? She's about to make the 'hehehehe ha' [sound]."

On Fox Sports' *What's Wright? With Nick Wright*, he said of his Top 5 rappers, "For me, it's always going to be first, Missy Elliott. She's a huge influence of everything I've ever done." Elliott tweeted in recognition, "Whenever @LilTunechi says my name in his interviews, twitter don't have enough space for me to say my GRATEFULNESS because he is a LEGEND himself who birthed many emcees after him & as a man to acknowledge me as a big influence 4 him I send you love WAYNE," and "Another reason this warms my heart is because I've seen many times @LilTunechi has said my name over & over for years no matter who the interviewers are he has never been hesitant to say me as a female & for that I am forever GRATEFUL."

On May 7, 2023, the interview for TV One's *Uncensored* premiered, where Elliott interviewed Wayne. On August 5, she mentioned, "You know it's real when a artist list is consistent no matter if people agree with you or not… Many times artist inspire artist in different ways not just from sales or popularity🙅🏾‍♀️people resonate with people differently & @LilTunechi has been consistent with his list….💯💜 RESPECT🙏🏾" On September 1, Wayne's single "Kat Food" dropped, which samples Elliott's song "Work It" from her *Under Construction* album.

## Gallery

* Uncensored

**@MissyElliott**: ". @LilTunechi again I Thank you for the Amazing coat that you had made for me (purple my favorite color)😍& you even got me the umbrella that say “I Can't Stand The Rain” on it! It spell it out on the umbrella when it rains🔥 I truly appreciate you 🐐💜🤗"
* May 26, 2023
* Twitter
**@MissyElliott**: ". @LilTunechi again I Thank you for the Amazing coat that you had made for me (purple my favorite color)😍& you even got me the umbrella that say “I Can't Stand The Rain” on it! It spell it out on the umbrella when it rains🔥 I truly appreciate you 🐐💜🤗"
* May 26, 2023
* Twitter
**@MissyElliott**: ". @LilTunechi again I Thank you for the Amazing coat that you had made for me (purple my favorite color)😍& you even got me the umbrella that say “I Can't Stand The Rain” on it! It spell it out on the umbrella when it rains🔥 I truly appreciate you 🐐💜🤗"
* May 26, 2023
* Twitter
**@MissyElliott**: ". @LilTunechi again I Thank you for the Amazing coat that you had made for me (purple my favorite color)😍& you even got me the umbrella that say “I Can't Stand The Rain” on it! It spell it out on the umbrella when it rains🔥 I truly appreciate you 🐐💜🤗"
* May 26, 2023
* Twitter
**@missymisdemeanorelliott**: "🐐SUPADUPA🪰 @liltunechi 🔥 Photography @mrdblanks"
* November 13, 2022
* Instagram

## References

1. ↑ "Missy Elliott (@missymisdemeanorelliott)". *Instagram*. February 18, 2023.
2. ↑ Aderoju, Dariene (May 5, 2022). "Lil Wayne Calls Missy Elliott the Best Rapper Ever & She's Forever 'Grateful'". *Billboard*.
3. ↑ Saponara, Michael (May 5, 2023). "Lil Wayne Tells Missy Elliott How 'Tha Carter III' Changed His Career". *HipHopDX*.
4. ↑ "Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott)". *Twitter*. August 5, 2023.