Random J Pop playlist: Written by Missy Elliott

Earlier this year, Missy Elliott made history by being the first female rapper to be inducted into the songwriters hall of fame. An accolade that was long overdue, and yet somehow seemed to not fully make a point of the impact that Missy Elliott has truly made.

When Missy was releasing her own music, she was also writing for other artists. And even during the moments of her career where we thought she wasn't doing anything, she was still writing and producing for other artists.

No artist quite arrived like Missy Elliott. With music featuring the unorthodox sounds of her partner inc rime, Timbaland, and crazy music video visuals to match from the visionary Hype Williams - Missy Elliott played a massive part in defining a moment in Hip-Hop. A moment which is still looked back on in admiration as one of Hip-Hop's boldest and most creative era's.

But Missy also had a hand in creating defining moments in R&B as a songwriter and a producer. Missy Elliott famously wrote Aaliyah's "One in a million". Trading in Aaliyah's Swing and New Jack style of her debut for something slower, far more seductive and sultrier to coincide with Aaliyah coming of age. "One in a million" was a huge risk at a time when it was far more common for a fresh 18 year old girl to come out with something far more bubbly and uptempo. But that was never Aaliyah anyway. Missy and Timbaland got that, and crafted a song for Aaliyah that would not only set the course for all that she would release from then, but many of her contemporaries too. Missy Elliott's agency not only in herself, but her craft and songwriting ability did not go unnoticed by A&R's and record labels. Missy would go on to play a huge part in crafting songs for many of R&B's established and up and comers, such as; SWV, Kelly Price, Destiny's Child and 702 to name but a few.

Just as Missy's guest features leaned heavily towards females, so did her songwriting and production discography.

Whilst girl power is widely attributed to the likes of the Spice girls (one of whom Missy Elliott wrote and produced for), Missy Elliott has been the embodiment of it ever since "Supa Dupa fly". Missy Elliott came into a male dominated scene as a very present female. Missy was openly talking about love, sex, money and life as a big ass black woman. Missy embraced her weight and her looks and she never questioned her talents. In an industry that wasn't advocating for women like her, Missy advocated for herself. Blazing her own path so obnoxiously and unapologetically that everybody was clamouring for a ticket to wherever Missy was heading. But Missy Elliott wasn't selfish in her journey and didn't jettison into new territory alone. She brought women with her, who mutually stayed in her orbit.

Missy Elliott helped give women a new narrative in their songs. She wasn't just writing songs about yearning for love, wanting emotional dependency on a man and being heartbroken. She was writing songs about wanting that dick when and as the time calls. Calling out women who are disrespectful and telling them they will fight that bitch. Telling dudes to be on their best behaviour or lose the pussy, the house, the whip and the financial support. Missy was a black woman writing songs from a black woman's perspective for black women. She was writing independent women anthems before there was an "Independent women". Missy was not afraid to put aggression and assertiveness back into women's songs and cared not about perpetuating the angry black woman trope. Missy wasn't trying to paint black women as one thing. She was trying to show that they are all of the things. Just as she was. Missy was more than the woman spittin' in the trash bag jump suit and swinging from a chandelier.

At a time when female songwriters and producers were still under represented and weren't booking gigs, Missy was in the studio and behind the boards doing the damn thing. But Missy was more than just a great artist, a visionary and an amazing songwriter. She was an uplifter. She uplifted those whom she worked with, which was always the intent behind her music, aside from just trying to bag a hit.

Missy Elliott's induction into the songwriting hall of fame is long overdue. but let us not forget the contributions that Missy made as a black woman, supporting black women in an industry and a world that's not always fostered as such.

Before Black girl magic was a thing, Missy was working it. Before girl power was a thing, Missy was a face of it. And before black women taking up space in the studio as songwriters was a viable career path choice, Missy was already doing it.

This playlist is to celebrate the side of Missy that many may not have been aware of, and just how deep in the R&B game she was with many of the women who ran it at one point. Some of whom still do.

🎧 Listen on Spotify: Written by Missy Elliott