:: Spotlight :: Ashlene's spotlight interview - Missy Elliott

By: Written by Ashlene for Urban Hitz magazine - www.ashleneonline.com

An icon of hip-hop, both in music and in style, Missy Elliott back with an album that is bound to shock. I fly to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to speak to Missy and uncover the real deal about The Cookbook and the woman behind it.

No other female rap artist has matched the success of Missy Elliott. She has built a legacy of creativity, both on the mic and in front of the camera, with her talent outshining her private life and sometimes even her high-profile peers. Unlike most rap artists, Missy writes, produces, and performs, her discography including names like Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. Needless to say, the most talented woman in hip-hop has never had a need to discuss her private life to sell albums, so it’s a surprise that she chooses to make her new album, The Cookbook, her most personal music ever.

Born Melissa Elliott, Missy’s childhood was tough as she often witnessed her father abusing her mother. Although her I.Q apparently qualifies her as a genius, she never did well at school, instead choosing to write poems and singing on the street corner. It was in her late teens when Missy’s musical career really turned serious. Jodeci member Devante Swing signed her and her group, Sista, to his record label. The label never took off but through that connection Missy met the right people, including the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, who then featured her on some of his productions.

She also continued to collaborate with longtime friend Timbaland, who at that time was working on Aaliyah’s One in a Million album. The album went on to become one of the biggest releases of 1996. After numerous features and video appearances, Missy signed to Elektra and released her debut album ‘Supa Dupa Fly’. Not only was it critically acclaimed; it went platinum, sealing Missy’s spot in hip-hop, and proving that sexuality didn’t always go hand-in-hand with nudity. The album also contained a duet with then-unknown MC called Eminem. Her grip on the charts continued throughout the years with hits such as ‘Hot Boyz’ (1999), ‘Get Your Freak On’ (2001), ‘One Minute Man’ (2001), ‘Work it’ (2002) and ‘Gossip Folks’ (2002).

A prolific yet private artist, Missy gained recognition but refused to be pigeon-holed. She continues to reinvent herself as a performer, producer, songwriter and a business woman. More recently she has started to expand her empire to include a new clothing line with Adidas and her reality TV show ‘Road to Stardom’ (the winner was signed to her new label).

Sitting in her hotel room at the Ritz Carlton in sunny Montego Bay, Jamaica, Missy is chilled, relaxed and ready to tackle the questions, which are plentiful after listening to the new album. Although it’s a party starter, the album is clearly emotional; Missy sings about a man, raps about doing girly things and even addresses her abusive childhood.

Without giving too much away, Missy addresses the questions with the style and grace - like a true hip-hop queen.

Why did you choose Jamaica to introduce your new album to the world?

I chose Jamaica because it’s a bittersweet for me. I felt like this was the place that I wanted to do it. I wanted a different vibe and everyone to feel relaxed. And give everybody a break from wherever they were coming from.

Of course, bittersweet because this (Carribean Islands) is where Aaliyah passed. It obviously still affects you right?

Forever. It will affect me forever. I did go to her mausoleum the day before I got here and that made me feel a lot better about coming here. I don’t go too long without going to her mausoleum and putting flowers out there. I have to be in the right mind frame to come here. This will be my second time here since her passing but each time I have to do that.

Your album is very personal and there are lines in there I would have never expected. Was it hard opening up considering your an artist of character?

Yes, it was very hard especially in the song ‘My Struggles’. For me, being able to talk about it means letting go. It was really hard because I’ve never opened up like that but then again, I’m getting to an age where, what is left for me to keep a secret anyway? Every artist wants to keep their personal life personal but I’m not going to die closed up.

You, more so than any other artist, have been extremely private about your life. Do you still keep that policy?

Yeah I do. When the reporters ask me those questions I say nope, you’re not getting into my business! The closest you get is listening to my records. Listen to the album and get as much as you can from that.

Ok then what about the song ‘4 My Man’ on The Cookbook. Is that a personal song?

Yes, ‘4 My Man’ that’s personal. There is a line ‘walking around in pink footies!’ (Laughs)

Yeah, when you said that girly s**t I was like ‘oh my god - she didn’t go there!’

I would say it’s more like a fantasy. I don’t want to say anything more because then comes along the question ‘well who are you talking about?’ It’s more about when you’re in a relationship and you find yourself doing those things that you would never think of doing. When you say you’re in love and then you say ‘4 My Man I’ll do anything’. That’s where it comes from.

Would you say you’re at that point? Is there someone special?

No, no one but the engineer at the studio! That’s all I do all day. I feel like a nerd. I think the older I get the more stuck in my ways I get, so I don’t even know if anyone can put up with that.

You’ve been songwriting for over a decade. What made you want to go from being a ghostwriter to being in front of the mic?

I guess when Puffy came to me while I was at the studio with Faith Evans. He had met me through Devante and he knew that I rapped. He said he had this record that he wanted me on. I went to the studio and ended up on three records that he did. Then I ended up on some remixes and guest appearing on some videos. Before I knew it, it was almost like I was an artist because all the appearances had started to add up.

Did you ever expect it to get to this level where…

Nope! Not at all! I knew that I would probably do an album but I never thought that I would get to where I’m at right now. Fortunately, being blessed, I have done more than that.

You’ve sustained a career by being creative and innovative over the years. What do you want to tell your fans about this album?

For this album I feel like I’m at a better place then I was with the last album. During the previous album I was rushed and I was all over the place. I was not in a good place. With The Cookbook I feel like I was at a great, great place. I feel like this is the album that you don’t have to go to the club, you just put it on and you got a club in your house!

What about the singing? You’re really good at it!

Oh no! I don’t know what I’m going to do when they put that record out because I’ll be like Ashlee Simpson - just run off the stage!! Singing is not my thing! I’m totally uncomfortable about it.

It’s also an emotional album. There are a few ballads on there - not Mariah Carey ballads - but hip-hop-infused-Missy-style ballads…

Yeah. Sometimes I write about my own experiences, sometimes I write about my friend’s experiences. Most of my friend’s relationships are miserable! I don’t know one friend right now that is not going through relationship problems. The song ‘Teareyed’ is about my friend who is totally messed up. I got the idea from her situation. Then when I listened to it I was surprised. It turned out deeper than what I thought it would be. I took those tear drops and made it into a record.

You’ve become this female icon in hip-hop but this industry is tough for women. Have you ever been put in a compromising position and what would you say to the women out there who are currently being treated the way they are?

I don’t think I’ve ever had to compromise since I became an artist. I’ve held my ground the whole time. That’s where you get your respect from. You’re going to have people who make you feel like you have to do this, you got to give them that. If you think that you have something - find out what you niche is, stick to it and make it great. And nobody can take it from you. Keep going till its undeniable and people have to respect that. And you have to respect yourself in order for people to respect you. Be confident with yourself in order to make people believe that you’re hot!

When you walk into a room you can’t show your weak, even if you feel that inside, people can kind of detect it so you got to build that confidence up. When you walk into a room, you walk in there like I’m the s**t. I don’t look like Halle Berry, for real, but if you had to ask me Halle Berry a 10, I’m an 11! With that kind of attitude you’ll be surprised how you can make people believe that ‘mmm she might just be cuter than Halle Berry!’

People say that all the time but coming from someone who is actually successful and is still standing amongst the greatest artists today, that is really inspirational. You are the balance for women in hip-hop because you show something other that booty shaking videos…

Missy ain’t no size 10! Missy can’t get into those thongs, boy!! But even if I could, I think artists can be a lot more creative than what they do. A lot of times people see one person successful with a lot of girls dancing around and that becomes the new thing- just give me 20 girls and a bottle of crystal and they think they’re good. I was watching TV the other day and I said to myself ‘wow this is what they say innovative videos are?’ They have the videos that are rated next and I’m thinking ‘what’s so innovative about that?’ I’m not even seeing computer work, nothing, just some chicks…

It’s not even about looks with you. You demand respect. No other artist, especially a female one, can even compare to that. It’s hard to think of a female hip-hop artist who even comes close…

That comes from Mum Elliott. My mama doesn’t even play. She is a very strong woman. She wasn’t strong at first when she was with my father. She was very, very weak. But when she left, she became strong. I come from a very religious home which may come as a shock because I know my songs may not tell it. I come from a home where you go to church Sunday; you go to church Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday! You get about one day off and in that one day you got to do Bible Study. It was taught in my home to have respect. When company comes over, you weren’t walking around in those little shorts!

It sounds like spiritually you’ve come to a better place. You mention your childhood on your new album, have you come full circle with it? Or is there still pain?

There is still pain but as you get older you realise you have to let things go. If I didn’t, I would be a mess. And being that I can let that go, it’s not that painful. I do still think about a lot of things that happened in my childhood. I’m doing a movie and I think that people will be surprised to hear about the story of me, Timbaland, Ginuwine and Tweet. People are going to bug out because I think all of us, except for Tweet, have been so closed up. We are so private that people are going to be shocked to see what we came from.