Missy Elliott

Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is a popular American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. As of April of 2024 she was the 250th most streamed musical artist on Amazon Music. She began on her musical career as a member of the R&B girl group Sista during the 1990s, who were part of the larger musical collective Swing Mob—led by DeVante Swing of Jodeci. The former group's debut album, ''4 All the Sistas Around da World'' (1994) was released by Elektra Records and met with positive critical reception despite commercial failure. She collaborated with album's producer and Swing Mob cohort Timbaland to work in songwriting and production for other acts, yielding commercially successful releases for 702, Aaliyah, SWV, and Total. She then re-emerged as a solo act with numerous collaborations and guest appearances by 1996, and in July of the following year, she released her debut studio album, ''Supa Dupa Fly'' (1997).

As her mainstream breakthrough, the album was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and spawning the ''Billboard'' Hot 100-top 20 single "Sock It 2 Me" (featuring Da Brat). Her second album, ''Da Real World'' (1999) produced the singles "She's a Bitch", "All n My Grill" (featuring Big Boi and Nicole Wray), and "Hot Boyz" (remixed featuring Lil' Mo, Nas, Eve and Q-Tip). The latter song set a 19-year record for most weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs by January 2000 (until Lil Nas X's 2019 single "Old Town Road"), and spent 18 weeks atop the Hot Rap Songs chart from December 1999 to March 2000. Her third and fourth albums, ''Miss E... So Addictive'' (2001) and ''Under Construction'' (2002) made her the sole recipient of both Grammy Awards for Best Female Rap Solo Performance with their respective songs "Scream a.k.a. Itchin" (featuring Timbaland) and "Work It." Furthermore, the albums peaked at numbers two and three on the ''Billboard'' 200, respectively, while "Work It" peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Her fifth album, ''This Is Not a Test!'' (2003) was followed by ''The Cookbook'' (2005), her sixth album which matched ''Under Construction'' as her highest charting release while spawning the Hot 100 top three single, "Lose Control" (featuring Ciara and Fatman Scoop). Following a long-term hiatus, her debut extended play, ''Iconology'' (2019) marked her first release in 14 years.

Elliott has received numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards. Her overall discography has sold 40 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling female rapper in Nielsen Music history according to ''Billboard''. She was the first woman rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received the MTV VMAs Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her impact on the music video landscape. In 2020, ''Billboard'' ranked her at No. 5 on their list of the 100 greatest music video artists of all time. In 2021, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2023, she became the first woman rapper to be nominated and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Provided by Wikipedia