Music video: Sharaya J - Takin' it no more / Shut it down

With Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea representing (badly some might argue) for female rap, now is as good a time as any for others to step into the game. And when you've got Missy Elliott backing you, you should have an easier time making it than most...in theory...if this were 8 years ago.

Missy Elliott's protégé Sharaya J is doing the rounds her song and video "Takin' it no more" - which samples Missy Elliot's very own song "Take away" and a colourful music video which is co-directed by Missy herself. With Missy Elliott's solo career in Limbo and showing no sign of making it back any time soon, it looks as though she's taking the opportunity to mentor new talents and work behind the scenes - living her post The Cookbook career out vicariously through young talent. I just hope for Sharaya J's sake that her career trajectory goes better than Tweet's did.

With Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" showing one extreme of female rap, it's nice to see a video at the other end of the spectrum from a woman who is fully clothed and actually putting it down with a set of dance moves which go beyond the booty-centric routines we've been getting in rap videos since the beginning of time.

Missy Elliott has been really quiet on the scene over the past decade due to a mix of flop singles, health issues and Timbaland's chemistry with her being now non-existent in place of him finding it with Justin Timberlake. Missy has credentials and is well connected and respected in the music game, but her grip on things has softened considerably over time. So it remains to be seen if she can utilize her star power and resources to their full potential to cross Sharaya J into something big.

M.I.A tried to do this whole thing with Rye Rye who Sharaya J reminds me a lot of, and I have no idea what Rye Rye is doing now. So I hope Sharaya has a plan B.