From the age of four Missy Elliott knew she wanted to be a performer. Growing up the class clown in school, she had a tumultuous childhood plagued with poverty and domestic abuse, before she ran away with her mother to live with relatives. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1990, Elliott formed the all female R&B group Fayze which later caught the attention of Jodeci’s DeVante Swing. The singer subsequently signed Fayze, later known as Sista, to his Swing Mob imprint and moved the band to New York City. Prior to the release of any Sista material Elliott contributed to Raven-Symoné’s debut single “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of” and Jodeci’s 1993 album “Diary of a Mad Band”.
In 1994 Sista released their debut album “4 All the Sistas Around da World” produced by DeVante and Timbaland. Both Missy Elliott and Timbaland subsequently left Swing Mob and enjoyed great success as a production duo at the reigns of artists including SWV, 702, and most notably Aaliyah. Further production credits followed as well as rapping contributions on Sean Combs, MC Lyte, and New Edition releases. With the offer of signing to Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment, Elliott instead inked a deal with Elektra Entertainement Group and founded her own imprint The Goldmine Inc.
In 1997 the singer and rapper issued her debut album “Supa Dupa Fly” which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, selling over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Spawning the charting singles “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”, “Sock It 2 Me”, and “Beep Me 911”, the record earned widespread critical acclaim and raised Elliott’s profile in her own right. Featuring darker themes than its predecessor, Elliott’s sophomore album “Da Real World” was released in 1999 to similarly positive reviews.
Led by the smash hit singles “One Minute Man”, “Get Ur Freak On”, and “4 My People”, the singer’s third studio album “Miss E.. So Addictive” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and sold over five million copes worldwide. Later earning two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance “Get Ur Freak On” and Best Female Rap Solo Performance for “Scream a.k.a. Itchin’” the record marked the rapper greatest success to date. Following the release Elliott contributed to No. 1 single by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink, “Lady Marmalade”, taken from the “Moulin Rouge” film soundtrack. Featuring more old-school sounds and production, the versatile performer issued her fourth studio album “Under Construction” in 2002. Led by the singles “Work It” and “Gossip Folks” the album promoted Elliott to the heights of the hip-hop hierarchy, compounded by collaborations with Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, and Madonna.
A year later under pressure from her label to release more music, the singer released the full-length album “This Is Not a Test”. The studio album “The Cookbook” followed in July 2005 debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Garnering five Grammy nominations and only featuring Timbaland on two tracks, the album spawned the singles “Lose Control”, “Teary Eyed”, and “We Run This”. Following the releases Elliott found more success from the production seat, notably working with artists Keyshia Cole, Jazmine Sullivan, Monica, and Jennifer Hudson.
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