From Cardi B and BIA to Brent Faiyaz and Flo Milli, Missy’s impact is undeniable.
By DeMicia Inman
Staff Writer, News
Missy Elliott is an icon, and there’s no doubt about it. Born in Virginia, the 52-year-old cemented her legacy as one of Hip-Hop and R&B’s most innovative creators as an artist, producer, and songwriter. With decades in the game, the all-star performer has put in the work and is heralded among past, present, and future musicians who reference her work in song and style.
“For me, it’s always going to be first, Missy Elliott,” Lil Wayne explained when asked about his personal Hip-Hop heroes. “She’s a huge influence on everything I’ve ever done.”
Beyond Weezy F Baby, the 4-time Grammy Award winner’s influence can be seen, heard, and felt through a new generation, including work from artists including Bree Runway, Chlöe, LAYA, Baby Tate, Rico Nasty, Flyana Boss, Lizzo, Leikeli47, CHIKA, Kari Faux, Tyler, the Creator, Flo Milli, and more.
The most recent artist to sample the Supa Dupa Fly queen is Cardi B who laid her own confident rhymes over a modern take on Missy Elliott’s iconic 1999 single “She’s a B***h” with “Like What (Freestyle).”
While rap fans have added fuel to otherwise feeble flames between the two artists, calling out the Bronx chart-topper for the sample which was recently used by Boston hitmaker BIA last year. Missy Elliott herself showed love to both Millenial rappers per HipHopDX, appreciating both unique takes on her record.
The simple truth is, when paying homage to Missy Elliott however, it is nearly impossible to avoid crossover. In fact, according to the online database WhoSampled, there are over 400 songs that lend credit to the first woman rapper to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
Take a look below for eight tracks released in the past five years that pay homage to Missy Elliott’s legacy through sampling.
Cardi B samples Missy Elliott‘s 1999 record “She’s A Bi**h” on her latest release “Like What (Freestyle).” Like its predecessor, the 2024 track, with production credited to DJ SwanQo, Sean Island, OctaneThisThatGas, and Lateef the Truthspeakery unapologetically flaunts the Bronx rapper’s signature swagger and matching attitude.
BIA‘s 2023 “I’m That Bi**h” with Timbaland takes the producer back to 1996 using Missy Elliot’s “She’s A Bi**h” sample. The Boston rapper also paid homage to the Virginia native in the song’s music video and cover art.
“It’s so dope. I linked up with Timbaland, we did a couple songs. The first one he was like, ‘Yo, I love what you’ve been doing with drill. I want to do a flip of Missy’s ‘She’s A Bi**h.’ It was his idea,” explains BIA to Complex.
She continued to detail, “With this one, Missy is the original style icon. There’s no one better than Missy, in terms of aesthetics. She is the GOAT. It’s really hard to redo anything that she does, because she’s so perfect and flawless with her execution. If we’re going to do this, we have to do it in our own way, but still show respect and homage to the original because it’s not going to be better. It’s just going to be its own new thing, you know?”
Emerging girl group FLO linked up with the originator herself for their 2023 track “Fly Girl” which samples Missy Elliott‘s 2002 banger “Work It.”
“’Fly Girl’ is all about confidence, good vibes, and feeling your best. It’s a lively, feel good song that still incorporates clever lyrics and fire vocals, if we do say so ourselves,” relayed the singers in a group statement per NME.
“It’s quite literally a perfect fusion of old school meets modern-day R&B, with a nod to and feature from the original fly girl Missy Elliott herself. We love it and are so happy to be putting out a song that can hopefully make whoever plays it feel confident and most importantly, fly.”
Brent Faiyaz teamed up with Missy Elliott and Lil Gray on his 2023 release “Last One Left” which samples Missy’s 1999 Beyoncé collaboration “Crazy Feelings.”
“I just pull from what I like, man,” detailed the R&B singer to Wonderland Magazine. “I do what feels good to me. It would be more difficult for me to chase streams and make something that fits with what everyone else is doing. With every project I put together, it’s the project I want to hear right now. If I was looking at a 15-year-old me, and it’s back to school time, what would I want my favorite artist to put out? That’s how I make music.”
In 2023, Wale returned with “Max Julien” pulling from the 2001 Missy Elliot and Lil Mo collaboration “I’ve Changed (Interlude).” The song is named after the late actor, most famous for playing Goldie, the leading role in the 1973 film The Mack.
Rising R&B star Laya channeled her inner Missy Elliott when she interpolated 1999’s “Crazy Feelings” which features Beyoncé on her 2022 release “Crazy Down.”
“I’m very proud of it. I love the original, of course, but we were able to beef it up a little bit and polish it up,” explained the New York native to Rated RNB.
She continued to detail, “I was with my producers ORA. They’re a duo. I was with them in Atlanta and I was playing “Crazy Feelings” by Missy Elliott featuring Beyoncé, which is an old Missy song that’s super slept on. It’s one of my favorite songs. I’m just playing it and singing to it like I always do, but they hadn’t heard it. They were like, ‘What is this? This is fire.’”
In 2002, Flo Milli issued the defiant song “Bed Time” sampling Missy Elliott‘s 1999 record “She’s A Bi**h.” The track was updated featuring two more new-era rap girls when Monaleo and Gloss Up joined the Mobile native for a remix.
“‘Bed Time’ was one of the later songs added to the album, but it’s a real story. Most of this sh*t is real,” detailed the 24-year-old to Vulture. “Like, I really got mad and just went to studios. A real artist knows that whenever you hit rock bottom or whenever you feel any type of emotion — mad, sad, happy — you write about it.”
Isaiah Rashad interpolates Missy Elliott‘s 1997 hit “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” in his 2021 track “THIB.” The official music video also pays homage to the Hip-Hop veteran, making use of the fish-eye lens shots in Elliott’s video directed by Hype Williams.
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