Music's next big thing: Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot - rap artist - Interview

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DIMITRI EHRLICH: You've been behind the scenes in the music industry for a long time, writing songs for artists like Aaliyah, Jodeci, and SWV. Now that you're out In front with your own successful album, has your life been turned upside down?

MISSY ELLIOT: I'm still the same, just extra busy. But I call the shots, so when it gets too hectic, I'll say, "No, I can't do this, I'm not doin' that."

DE: You recently began producing music for other artists, which is great since there are so few female producers. Is this new for you? You've collaborated with Timbaland [Missy's producer] for a long time.

ME: I've always had a lot of creative impact on the music with Timbaland. It's just that back then we didn't know that was considered being a coproducer. I would sit on the side and say what I wanted musically, but at the time we thought if you aren't the one playing it, you don't get the credit. Now you'll start seeing my name listed as producer.

DE: Let's talk about where hip-hop is headed. Do you think authentic hip-hop has survived as it's gone mainstream, or has it become watered down?

ME: Hip-hop is definitely not what it used to be, which was creative, original music. When you sit down now and really listen, it doesn't give off the same feel as it did back when Run DMC and those guys were rhymin'. Now everybody's sampling. I may use a sample, but it's small. Some people take a whole loop. You can have a hit record by doing that, but that's because the loop already comes from a hit song. It's not doing anything new; it's just making people reminisce on what they was doin' back then.

DE: Puffy does that on his tribute to Biggle Smalls, "I'll Be Missing You," with the Police song "Every Breath You Take." it's nothing against Puffy, because he deserves respect for having invented hip-hop soul, but he is guilty of using hit songs from the past and not upping the creative ante.

ME: Me and Timbaland try to separate from that. We try to change not only the music but the whole vibe. The songs we do are very cutting-edge. We really took a chance with "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" - it doesn't sound like anything you hear on the radio. But to me, radio is boring. Everybody is doing the same old thing. You can tell what's going to be a hit. I'm trying to change that.

DE: A lot of rappers take themselves very seriously. Your video is interesting because you dress up in an inflated plastic-garbage-bag suit, like you're saying, "I'm not going to take my ego that seriously."

ME: When it comes to size, most people don't want to see themselves looking bigger than what they are. They're trying to be slim, wearing feminine clothes. I wanted to make people bug out, like, "Yo, she don't care." It's beginning to change, though. Now I see videos where people look more like they don't care; where people are like, "OK, Missy's doin' it, and that's the way the world is. If. . ."

DE: ". . . she can be number three on the charts. . ."

ME: ". . . then I'm gonna do the same, because maybe I can be number two."

DE: Even though in American inner cities there's more appreciation for full-bodied women, it's true that because we see so many images of skinny models on magazine covers, people feel ashamed of their bodies. You seem to be making fun of that with the inflatable suit.

ME: I want to be cutting-edge. One thing about white people is that in their videos they don't care. They can go out in cut-up jeans and do a video, and it'll be large. "The Rain" couldn't have just a regular video. I wanted to do something that would make people stop and ask, "What is this?"

DE: Let's talk about your rap in "The Rain." It reminds me of the late '80s, when people took pleasure in just making sounds. Like the line: "Beep beep / Who got the keys to the Jeep?" At a time when everyone's gotten so heavy, you've scored with a song so simple that it deflates the seriousness of rap.

ME: I want to make something commercial that people can pick up on. I'm not tryin' to come off as the best lyricist. I mean, when it's time to rhyme rhyme, I can get down for mine. I want people to feel the heat while they walk down the street and they're just kickin' it. Music should be your escape. When you turn on your radio, you don't always want to hear about someone shootin' some person. Even if that's the lifestyle they live, people don't always want to hear it.

DE: Especially since many times it's not even real. It's one thing if you do come from a ghetto where you see shootings. Then if you come out with a record and people criticize you for being violent, you can turn around and say, "Well, I'm just recording my environment." But not all these tappers are coming out of the ghetto.

ME: Well, you always got people who say, "If Big can go double platinum. . ." But Big lived that lifestyle.

DE: Do you listen to the radio much?

ME: No, because I don't want to hear what's hot and feel I have to copy it. I'll just make up my own thing.