Missy Elliott

Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott, also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began 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 Timbaland-Missy Elliott partnership became hip-hop's most visionary production axis, turning *Supa Dupa Fly* into a sonic blueprint that still influences producers two decades later. Her run from 1997 through the mid-2000s—anchored by *Work It*, *Get Ur Freak On*, and the genre-bending *Under Construction*—established her as rap's most inventive female voice, uncompromising in both her artistry and business acumen. Missy wrote and produced for Aaliyah during their Blackground Records era, cementing a creative partnership that shaped '90s R&B, while her collabs with Nas, Jay-Z, and Lil' Kim kept her embedded in hip-hop's highest echelons.