Top 3 Songs From Each Missy Elliott Album
All that talk about the 8th best producer ever to do it got me thinking about one of his most prolific collaborators.
As you know, I'm a big Missy supporter. The ever innovative Missy Elliott has delivered at least three bangers on each of her solo efforts so let's go through them!
Album:
Supa Dupa Fly (1997)/AKA the 4th Best Missy Elliott Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Sock it 2 Me" (ft. Da Brat)
2) "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)"
3) "Pass Da Blunt" (ft. Timbaland)
Straight up "Sock it 2 Me" is a top 3 Missy Song and possibly one of my favourite songs period. It puts the amazing Delfonics intro to great use and has a dope Da Brat guest verse at the end! Remember the Mega Man influenced video? I think "The Rain" is still a song people will quote as a quick touchstone for Missy "Misdemeanour" Elliot 20 years later so that speaks to the strength of that song. "Pass Da Blunt" just has a dope Timbaland beat and a hook that reminds everyone of that Musical Youth track!
Album:
Da Real World (1999)/AKA THE BEST MISSY ELLIOTT ALBUM
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Busa Rhyme" (ft. Eminem)
2) "Beat Biters"
3) "U Can't Resist" (ft. B.G. & Juvenile)
I know this is the best Missy album because it actually hurt not being able to list all of my favourite songs from this album. I put off writing this because I didn't know how I could sneak in some other songs. All I can say is in addition to the amazing beat switching on the first two songs, a hungry Eminem, and some Cash Money Millionaires are just nice additions to the way Missy makes these Timbaland beats bend to her will. This album features a more confident Missy who is truly owning each song. So just go listen to the whole album.
Album:
Miss E... So Addictive (2001)/AKA The 2nd Best Missy Elliott Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "One Minute Man (Remix)" (ft. JAY-Z)
2) "Lick Shots"
3) "Get Ur Freak On"
The first Missy Album I actually bought just off the strength of her great guest work and domination of the radio and Much Music/BET. I was not disappointed. I actually went back and bought Da Real World soon thereafter! No disrespect to Ludacris, but I'm just a bigger fan of the JAY-Z verse on One Minute Man! Lick Shots appears at the end of the amazing "Get Ur Freak On" video and it proved to be as great as I thought it would be once I got the album! Plus, who doesn't think of "Get Ur Freak On" when they think of Missy? That song is just a straight up hit.
Album:
Under Construction (2002)/AKA The 3rd Best Missy Elliott Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Play That Beat"
2) "Gossip Folks" (ft. Ludacris)
3) "Back in the Day" (ft. JAY-Z)
I go back and forth on whether or not this album is better than Miss E... So Addictive. Turns out today I think it just slightly loses out. "Play That Beat" is probably my favourite Missy song that no one talks about. The drums and horns all work for me in a big way! "Gossip Folks" is not just a great video but a great mix of bars between Luda and Missy! The bassline on "Back in the Day" is undeniable! You add two Jay verses on a song with Missy spitting and bigging up Hip Hop legends and you've got a YG classic song!
Album:
This is Not a Test! (2003)/AKA the 6th Best Missy Elliott Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Pass That Dutch"
2) "Wake Up" (ft. JAY-Z)
3) "Baby Girl" (ft. Mary J. Blige)
This was a very underwhelming album when I rushed out to get it. I think the video for "Pass That Dutch" set the wrong tone for me. The album, as a whole, feels way too stripped down. I don't need that from Missy. I need the energy or nice R&B smooth groove. I wasn't a fan, at first, of the "Wake Up" beat but it's throwback appeal finally won me over. I love the Aaliyah tribute on Baby Girl as well as the beat, however, it's the Mary J. assist that really makes this track work for me! That is kind of the problem with this album. There isn't enough of a showcase of Missy doing what she does best.
Album:
The Cookbook (2005)/AKA the 5th Best Missy Elliott Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "My Struggles" (ft. Grand Puba & Mary J. Blige)
2) "We Run This"
3) "On & On"
This album actually aged way better than I thought it would! "My Struggles" is just a dope idea bringing the old school out of Missy in full force! I'm always down for people sampling "Apache" especially since there's a good chance none of the culturally insensitive aspects will carry over. So "We Run This" was definitely a winner for me. Even though I'm not the biggest "Lose Control" fan, the video had "On & On" in it and that gave me a lot of hope for this album! It's rare that you get The Neptunes working with their fellow Virginian, but it works in this situation!
-YG