2019 has so far treated Missy Elliott good and there’s definitely more to come for and from the multi-platinum selling musician.
Born Melissa Arnette Elliott on this day in 1971 in Virginia, the five-time Grammy Award winner did not have it easy as she grew up in extreme poverty and hardship. She was a victim of domestic abuse by her father and was molested by a cousin when she was 8.
At the age of 14, Elliott, together with her mother ran away from her abusive father and headed to the Hodges Ferry neighborhood of Portsmouth, Virginia.
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In Portsmouth, Missy formed Fayze (later named Sista), a music group with her friends, with Tim ‘Timbaland’ Mosley as their producer. They would be noticed by DeVante Swing of Jodeci. They ended up in New York and became part of Swing Mob.
By end of 1995, the group had dispersed and Missy and Timbaland worked together on various projects including her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, in 1997. She would write for artists such as Aaliyah, 702, SWV, and many other notable award-winning musicians.
With several awards and honors to her name, Missy is undoubtedly one of the most talented, gifted and trailblazing female musicians out there. Early this year, she made history when she became the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She also received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the prestigious Berklee College of Music. This historic feat makes her the first female rapper to receive an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.
To celebrate her birthday, Face2Face Africa shares with you 10 of her greatest hits.
Scroll through to check them out in no particular order:
