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 MISSY IN DA...KITCHEN?
She's Made Booties Shake For The Last Eight Years. Now Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott Is Back With Some New "Old Recipes" In The Cookbook.
INSTINCT:Where you at, Missy?
MISSY ELLIOTT: Hey! I’m at my house in Jersey.
Ah, I’m in New York. So you’re enjoying this cold, rainy day in July?
[Laughs] Yeah, it’s raining really bad.
A perfect day to listen to “The Rain” from your fi rst album. I was trying to
do some research for this interview, and I quickly realized you don’t do a
lot of interviews. Is there a reason for that?
Nah, I’m just really shy. Very shy.
That doesn’t show in your music. And some of your naughtier lyrics,
those aren’t shy!
[Laughs] Music defi nitely brings me out of my shell.
So, is that the only difference between the public Missy and the Missy that
chills at home in Jersey on a rainy July day?
I’m pretty much the same person wherever I go. I like to joke, and I can joke
about myself. In my family, you joked on your family.
Yeah, your music defi nitely has a great sense of humor. So, I really dig the
artwork for the new album. It’s very jazzy. Now, was that your idea, or did
someone approach you with the concept?
It’s all me. I wanted to go back to the roots of music. And I wanted to do a
black-and-white cover, because I had never done one before. And blackand-
white makes a statement for me.
But back in those days, they weren’t wearing couture.
[Laughs] Ah, exactly! I kept the look but updated the style.
Speaking of style and fashion, how did you get involved with Adidas [for
her Respect M.E. line]?
When doing Under Construction, I was trying to fi gure out what I was
gonna do for, you know, the look. I had a lot of old-school records on that
particular album, and when I think about old-school hip-hop, the fi rst thing
that comes to mind is Run-D.M.C.
Yeah, they had that song “My Adidas” on Raising Hell.
Exactly! That’s cool you knew that. So I started wearing a lot of Adidas and
reconstructing it Missy Elliott style. So my management approached Adidas,
and they were slow at fi rst, because they were used to athletes supporting
them. The last time they had a [musical] artist supporting them, actually,
was Run-D.M.C. Even though they were slow, I continued to wear and be
very loyal to Adidas, so they decided to do the deal.
Do you ever fi nd time to just chill out and take a vacation?
I just told someone that I haven’t taken a vacation since I became an artist. I
don’t think I’d know how to act if I took a vacation. You’re not supposed to
take your phone with you, but I’d take my phones, my pagers. I’d go crazy if
I wasn’t doing all these phone calls.
You always seem to have your whole hand on the pulse of what’s next.
Like, you have M.I.A. on the last song [“Bad Man”] on the new album.
Wait, is it pronounced “M-I-A” or “Mia”? I’ve heard it said both ways…
I say M-I-A.
Yeah, me too. It just sounds cooler. How do you go about collaborating
with these new artists before everybody else does?
That’s the one thing I have a gift for: hearing somebody and knowing
that they have something different and new to offer. Fortunately,
somebody had given me a CD of hers before she got signed to
Interscope. Immediately after I heard it, I said I wanted her on my
album, so I had my people reach out to her people. And, luckily, she
was a fan…
Wait. Who isn’t a Missy fan?
[Laughs] Oh, you never know!
It has been well publicized in the last few years that many of the guys
in hip-hop and rap are rather homophobic, while the ladies, like Lil’
Kim and Beyoncé, have made great strides in reaching out to their
gay fans. This seems to be yet another area where women are ahead
of the men. Do you see the ladies’ attitudes rubbing off on the guys
in the future?
I really don’t know. I think the guys don’t realize that the gay audience,
they buy mad records and are very loyal fans. They eat, go to the
bathroom and enjoy music just like everybody else. But everything has
its time. It’s just people being comfortable with themselves and when
they’re not, they’re not comfortable with other people, especially ones
they don’t understand.
Okay, Lil’ Kim: Do you think she got an unfair rap?
Of course. I’m great friends with Lil’ Kim, and she’s probably one
of the sweetest people I’ve met. Genuinely sweet, not fake sweet. It’s
hard, because you can’t even judge a situation like that until you’re
in that situation yourself. People said she lied, but most people don’t
understand the streets and the repercussions she would have had to
deal with [if she] put that information out there.
Speaking of criminal behavior, is “Misdemeanor” still there? I
usually just see “Missy Elliott” nowadays.
People just stopped saying it. It’s still around. Magoo, who is
Timbaland’s rap partner, made that up for me. He said, “You a
misdemeanor—it’s a crime to be so talented.”
You draw from an eclectic array of music for your albums. Is there
any music you listen to that would surprise your fans?
I listen to a lot of jazz. When my friends get in the car with me, they’re
like, “Put on Jay-Z!” and I’m listening to, like, Miles Davis. They hate
getting in the car with me.
Because you’re a bad driver?
Nah, nah, nah. [Laughs] I’m a great driver.
You have a lot of cars, don’t you? What’s your favorite one?
I have eight cars. [Pauses] I utilize them for different situations. I drive
my Lamborghini to a party. I drive my Rolls-Royce to a wedding. My
Aston Martin on a regular day…
Oh, what kind? Is it the DB9 Volante? I love that car.
[Laughs] I don’t know! You know more than I do. You wanna come
manage my cars? [Laughs]
I’ll be right over! —PARKER RAY
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