After four albums and three Grammy’s, Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott drops This Is Not A Test.
Elliott collaborates with her long-time producer and partner Timbaland to produce music for the present, past and future.
On “Baby Girl Interlude/Intro,” Elliott delivers positive messages while Mary J. Blige sings the hook. Despite her worldwide reputation, her roots remain at her home of Portsmouth “P’ Town”, Virginia.
Missy has the ability to build tracks using the most bizarre sounds. Over a trunk-knocking cadence, “Wake Up” features Jay-Z where Missy tells the Black hip-hop industry to stop beefing and just sell records. “Keep It Movin” features Jamaican reggae artist Elephant Man and “Is This The Last Time” features label mate Fabolous. Both tracks exhibit Elliott’s versatility between her singing and rapping skills.
Elliott’s reputation for being different was evident in her first video “The Rain” in 1997, which featured the daring, bold rapper/songstress greeting the world in a blown-up trash bag.
“I’m Really Hot” is definitely a song for bands to play with loud horns and an up tempo drum beat.
Elliott’s list of accomplishments goes on and on.
Her accolades include 17 MTV Award nominations, including winning the 2003 Video Of The Year. She has won three Academy Awards, two BET awards and five Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.
In the past five years, she has been named the Female Hip-Hop Artist of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine. She was also ranked as Billboard’s number one female hip-hop star at the year’s end.
“Dats What I’m Talking About” features R. Kelly. Missy samples a personalized scream in this track as she and Kelly describe “what they like.”
Monica and Beenie Man appear on “Don’t Be Cruel,” a track that contains samples from “Let’s All Chant” and the hip-hop classic “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa. Many people will think of the hip-hop trio when they hear this one.
Elliott feels that every woman should have a vibrator and says so in the track “Toyz Interlude,” a song dedicated to the ladies.
It’s no secret that Elliott’s music has that ‘old school’ hip-hop feel that is sometimes overlooked by the younger hip-hop generation, but the club hit “Pump It Up” which features Nelly should do the trick as she represents for full-figured women.
“It’s Real” displays more of Elliot’s vocal talents, while “Fix My Weave” is real hot. This track is banging and the lyrics are very explicit.
Elliott finishes the album on a humble and uplifting note with the Clark Sisters on the gospel song “I’m Not Perfect.”
This Is Not A Test is filled with unusual samples, whistles, bells, horns, drums and contemporary dance beats. It’s no wonder why Missy Elliott is one of hip-hop’s cultural trendsetters.
If you are ready to hear something new and different, you are ready to add this disc to your collection.
