February 18, 2018

Missy Elliott - Under Construction (November 12, 2002)





It’s been three fucking years since Missy “I Dropped the ‘Misdemeanor’ As It Wasn’t On-Brand Anymore” Elliott made her surprise appearance during Katy Perry’s halftime show at Super Bowl XLIX. At the time, you two likely saw one of two types of responses to her performance: “Holy shit, we need a new Missy Elliott album ASAP” (which was my reaction), or “Who is this?” (the more popular take, sadly). One thing you didn’t see is anyone claiming that she sucked: everyone likes at least three Missy Elliott songs, even if you’re too young to know who Missy Elliott is.

Sadly, the waves of press her cameo initiated didn’t translate into a new album, although it wasn't because of a lack of trying: Melissa dropped a handful of singles and cameo appearances. So we sit here, three years later, wondering just what went wrong. But we already know the answer: the musical landscape is far different today than it was back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, back when Missy and her partner-in-crime, producer Timbaland, changed the way radio sounded multiple times during the height of their respective careers. Regardless of how you personally feel about Missy and Timbaland as artists, you have to admit that is quite the feat: you can’t do what Missy and Timbo did multiple times and still have it be considered accidental.


Under Construction is Elliott’s fourth album, supported by the monster hit single “Work It”, which we’ll get to later. It was met with almost universal acclaim, and has sold more than two million copies. With Under Construction, Missy wanted to pay homage to old-school hip hop, not just the music but the feeling the era evoked, so she and Timbo created an audio version of The Get Down, essentially.

Guests were invited to participate in Missy and Timbaland’s mission: usual suspects such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé (who also appeared together on the rumor mill-igniting "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" from Jay's own album, The Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse, released the same day) accepted the charges and found themselves on the right side of history. Timbaland doesn’t produce the entire album: Melissa herself picks up the slack. But he does handle the bulk of Under Construction, which gives it a sense of continuity, at least.

Look, I realize the two of you already have preconceived notions about Missy Elliott and are questioning why I would continue to write about her. The fact is, Missy was once the highest-selling female rapper of all time, a title she only conceded recently to the likes of Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. She came up in the era of Lil Kim, Trina, Da Brat, and Foxy Brown, among many others, and bested all of them while maintaining friendships with each, because women within our chosen genre don’t have to hate one another to be successful. That’s one thing I don’t get with the “beef” between Nicki and Cardi, manufactured by nerds and stans on social media as though two women could never be successful at the same time, a thought that is more sexist than the two of you skipping this write-up just because I wrote about a female rapper.

Enjoy!

1. INTRO / GO TO THE FLOOR
The rap album intro runs for about one minute and forty seconds, with our host essentially telling the audience to enjoy life and focus on your own happiness, because who the fuck knows what will happen tomorrow. This is immediately followed by “Go To The Floor”, an underrated Timbaland beat that suitably sets up the old-school flavor of Under Construction, as filtered through Timmy and Missy’s warped views on what the music industry is missing, obviously. Melissa is as cocky as ever: sure, her lyrics aren’t completely sharp, but, as they tend to do, they fit Timbo’s musical backing perfectly. A nice hidden gem that I had forgotten existed.

2. BRING THE PAIN (FEAT. METHOD MAN)
Borrow both the title and the RZA instrumental from Method Man’s first solo single, “Bring The Pain” (off of Tical), although Timbo adds some flourishes so that our host isn’t just singing along to a Wu-Tang beat tape. It’s a bizarre juxtaposition, hearing sung vocals over the music, even though the original version features a guest named Booster that harmonizes on it, but Melissa’s vocals are pleasant enough, and she also spits a few bars toward the end. The Deuce’s Method Man stops by to legitimize the entire operation by providing a guest verse that’s ultimately forgettable, but it’s clear that Timbo and Missy wanted to get his co-sign for the track. This was okay, but if you never listen to it, you wouldn’t be missing out.

3. GOSSIP FOLKS (FEAT. LUDACRIS)
The second single form Under Construction holds up better than its first, which we’ll get to momentarily. “Gossip Folks” sounds fucking great still, with our host directly addressing the haters that talk shit behind her back while guest star Ludacris unleashes a fire-as-fuck verse, one as elastic and playful as Timbaland's production, about his career up to this point. The dialogue toward the end is goofy as shit, and it makes it clear that Melissa’s in on the joke. This was a hit, and rightfully so: if all pop music appropriated this style, the world would be a better place.

4. WORK IT
When it comes to Missy Elliott songs that everyone knows, it’s a tossup between “Get Ur Freak On” and “Work It”, Under Construction’s massive first single. At its core, “Work It” is a song-length come-on from Missy, which is fine: male rappers do this kind of shit all the time, so why shouldn’t Missy reverse the roles and join in on the fun? Everyone should be familiar with the hook, which features a section run in reverse that is literally just our host “put[ting her] thing down, flip[ping] it, and revers[ing] it”, as promised. Timbo’s instrumental is a bit dated here in 2018, but it doesn’t sound like anything on the radio then or since, and our host clearly has a ball talking her shit and spitting her game. I will say that I was so familiar with the radio edit that the lyrics on this album track threw me off a bit, and I’m not just talking curses: Missy literally changes quite a few bars during the final verse. Also, it must be said that any and all uses of Bob James’ “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” are welcome.

5. BACK IN THE DAY (FEAT. JAY-Z & TWEET)
“Work It” ends with a Missy monologue where she praises old-school hip hop and encouraging people to not be so self-serving that they can’t enjoy dancing every once in a while. “Back In The Day” slows things down a bit, paying respects to the era when “it was all about good music” with our host singing and rapping, while guest star Jay-Z compares their duo to Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, and then to Showbiz and AG. He’s wrong, but he and Missy do work well together, and it’s a sweet sentiment regardless. Enjoyable, if a bit too positive, and fun.

6. FUNKY FRESH DRESSED (FEAT. MS. JADE)
After that brief detour, Timbaland shifts back to harder beats for “Funky Fresh Dressed”, a Missy Elliott shit-talking session that flies by on the charisma of our host. Guest Ms. Jade, a Timbaland protégé that ultimately didn’t accomplish much, sadly, provides a cameo verse (one that was also featured in the video for “Gossip Folks”) that falls in line with the boasts-n-bullshit attitude the track commands from its users. The beat is fucking great, and both Melissa and Ms. Jade sound pretty terrific over it.

7. PUSSYCAT (FEAT. TWEET)
The first track on Under Construction not produced by Timbaland suffers from a noticeable shift in the project’s overall sound: so much for coherence. “Pussycat” is, instead, handled by both Erroll “Poppi” McCalla Jr. and Melissa herself, and is dedicated solely to her vagina. The track features some hilariously awful sexual imagery on our host’s part, along with Missy’s impression of a dude that’s mostly obsessed with her ass. It isn’t the worst thing ever made or anything, but I never want to listen to this song again, even though I appreciated Missy’s monologue toward the end where she justifies her raunchier songs and encourages safe sex.

8. NOTHING OUT THERE FOR ME (FEAT. BEYONCÉ KNOWLES & TWEET)
Curiously, our host interrupts the proceedings with what is essentially a Beyoncé song featuring Missy Elliott. (She was still going by her full name back then: the Beyhive hadn't yet formed, as her solo debut didn't drop until a year later.) Also not produced by Timbo (this time credit is handed to Missy, Craig Brockman, and Nisan Stewart, although it does manage to sound like a knockoff of early Timothy’s work), “Nothing Out There For Me” casts Missy as the devil on Beyoncé’s shoulder, who tries to convince her to come out to the club with her when all Bey wants is to stay at home with her man. It’s a strange setup, and if the guest already has found happiness, it makes no sense as a song: since Melissa isn’t the protagonist here, there is virtually no conflict whatsoever. Whatever, I probably will never hear this song again anyway.

9. SLIDE
Timbo returns behind the boards to lend his girl a darker, club-friendly instrumental, one which Missy immediately turns into a variation of the “Funky Fresh Dressed” formula, except this time the shit-talking comes with a side of dance instructions during the chorus, and they’re generic enough that anyone could do whatever they felt like and not be excluded. Whenever our host says the song’s title, I’m reminded of the penguin from the film version of Fight Club, which amuses me, but I liked this song even without that visual association.

10. PLAY THAT BEAT (FEAT. LISA CRAWFORD)
The catchiest song on Under Construction that isn’t named “Gossip Folks.” Timbaland’s instrumental is bouncy as all hell: it sounds like it was built on a foundation of smiles and drums. I could have done without the corny sound effects trying, and failing, to mask the fact that Melissa is singing about her vagina again, but “Play That Beat” is a keeper, as our host both croons and spits a little toward the end. The reason this is so good, though, is Timbo by a country mile: the music isn’t as experimental as some of his best work, but it’s confident as hell and just plain good. Yes.

11. AIN’T THAT FUNNY
By the way, that “This is another Missy Elliott exclusive” sound bite that our host has added to every song on Under Construction to make this project sound like some sort of mass-market mixtape? Doesn’t work for me. Anywho, “Ain’t That Funny” features a Timbaland instrumental which was undoubtedly pitched for Pastor Troy’s “Are We Cuttin’” first, and it’s kind of wasted on Melissa, as her singing doesn’t fully gel with the more aggressive musical backing. You may dig the beat, though.

12. HOT
I hadn’t listened to “Hot” since my initial run through of Under Construction, playing it in my car as I was driving away from Best Buy back in 2002. Today I realized why: it’s pretty boring overall. Timothy’s final beat of the evening (technically – I’ll explain later) is decent, but lacks the energy and drive of his best work, and while Melissa’s boasts-n-bullshit game is as cocky as ever, she comes across as nonplussed throughout. She shows more range during the interlude that ends the audio track, where she pays her respects to fallen family, friends, and peers, than she did during the actual song.

13. CAN YOU HEAR ME (FEAT. TLC & TWEET)
The final track on Under Construction is a tribute to the late Aaliyah, whose passing I think we can definitely say broke Timbaland and Missy, as their output has never truly recovered. It’s a bizarre tribute, though, as guest stars TLC force Melissa to shoehorn the late Left Eye’s memory into the proceedings, along with references to how the rest of TLC is doing without her and how both artists are missed. Missy, Craig Brockman, and Nisan Stewart provide musical backing, which just kind of floats around untethered to any one thematic point. The sentiment, however it was delivered, was nice, but the execution was flawed.

My version of Under Construction comes with an unlisted bonus track, but I can’t tell if it was a Best Buy exclusive or what. I do know it appears in the credits of some international versions of the album, so it likely isn’t the Holy Grail, but still.

14. WORK IT (REMIX) (FEAT. 50 CENT)
Proving that Missy can not only crack jokes, she can take them as well, our host invites hot-at-the-time-in-case-you-had-forgotten 50 Cent to the official “Work It” remix. (This was after Curtis had famously made fun of Melissa, among tons of other rappers, on his pre-Shady Records single “How To Rob”.) There’s not enough to this redo, though. 50 contributes an opening verse complete with Missy ad-libs and references to his old hits, and then the original version of the song plays out in its entirety, the Timbaland instrumental unchanged. Unnecessary to a fault.

The following is an international bonus track that skipped the United States entirely; I found it on YouTube, if you two care enough to track it down.

15. DROP THE BOMB
A Missy / Timbaland collaboration that even the most diehard Timbo fanatic may not be aware of. I wasn’t, anyway, not until researching today’s topic. The instrumental is another in the vein of “Ain’t That Funny”, except this time around Melissa matches the beat’s aggression with rhymes that betray just how pissed off she is about not getting the respect she deserves. It’s not a perfect track, but it is worth hearing at least once if you dug the rest of Under Construction. Speaking of which…

FINAL THOUGHTS: Under Construction is the most entertaining Missy Elliott album on the market today. I liked it quite a goddamn bit: at thirteen (or fourteen) tracks in length, it shows itself out before growing frustrating, unlike her earlier projects, and the great songs on here (of which there are many, or at least six, which I listed below) could all have been radio or club hits easily. That’s not to dismiss them outright, though: they’re all catchy as shit, and most of them have earned their spots on my permanent shuffle playlist. Okay, maybe not “Work It”, which is a terrific song, but one I’ve heard far too often throughout my lifetime, but that's not Missy's fault: it was a gigantic hit for a reason. Timbaland accepts Missy’s challenge and turns in some of his best work: a lot of Under Construction doesn’t exactly sound like it would have played well during the old-school era, but each of his beats reflects the mood of the era, back when “it was all about good music”. (Except for “Bring The Pain”, which echoes the Wu for obvious reasons.) Melissa’s own production choices on here don’t work out quite so well, but luckily for us listeners, Timbaland dominates the boards on Under Construction, so those aberrations can be treated as bathroom breaks, as though none of you two have ever heard of the skip button. As a straightforward listen, Under Construction is Missy Elliott’s best album.

BUY OR BURN? If anybody has even read this far I’m sure I’ll catch some flack for this, but I’d recommend you spend the money. The combination of Missy Elliott and Timbaland was on fucking fire at this point in their respective careers.

BEST TRACKS: “Gossip Folks”; “Play That Beat”; “Funky Fresh Dressed”; “Slide”; “Back In The Day”; “Work It”

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
There’s more to the Missy Elliott story. Catch up here.



15 comments:

  1. Blasphemy alert: I like ZERO Missy Elliott songs and I think she’s quite garbage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Finally someone braver than me broke the ice and said it! Never got her appeal.

      Max should do a "I'm ashamed to admit but I dislike widely praised artist/album/song" post.

      Delete
    2. wow, a comment that says precisely NOTHING about the album! you're talking to the trees talking about an artist and ignoring their art

      Delete
    3. I don't need to write one of those posts: I leave those threads all over the write-ups that I actually publish. And I'm not ashamed of admitting any of it.

      But if you claim to not like Missy Elliott, you just hate joy.

      Delete
    4. Foul ball, Max! What’s wrong with preferring wanton death and destruction in your music?!

      Seriously, what does Missy Elliott offer that Reggie Noble doesn’t?

      Delete
    5. why the fuck should Max be ashamed to admit to like/dislike anything when it comes to something as trivial as music?

      Delete
    6. @shoe-in - A completely different perspective, as they are different people and I'm not comparing Missy to Reggie?

      Delete
  2. "Driving away from Best Buy." Remember when Best Buy used to be one of the holy grails of CD's and DVD's? Man, times have changed due to streaming and downloading. I'm not sure if you know this, but Best Buy is getting rid of their entire CD stack. It's kinda heartbreaking because while it is more convenient to download/stream songs, it is not nearly the same feeling as holding that CD in your hand, playing it in your stereo, and looking at the linear notes for producer credits, samples, and even song lyrics. I feel that today's younger generation and future generations will never get to experience that. Oh well, I'm glad that I lived in a time when people were still buying albums before downloading/streaming took over.
    Enough of that ramble, Missy Elliot is a legend and this album showcases that she was at the top of her game back in the day. I'm glad I got to experience her era and not be introduced to female emcees by the likes of Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, or Iggy Azalea. Great Review Max!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't gone to a store the day an album drops in years (the only exception I've made is for the last Tribe album), but the news about Best Buy getting rid of their CDs does make me sad. End of an era and all that. But it's not like Best Buys have a bunch of CDs in stock these days anyway, so it probably wont even register.

      Delete
  3. speaking from a younger head's perspective (20) I had never heard of work it until I looked it up after reading this review, whereas get ur freak on has permeated my ear drums since I was about 13. still convinced it's a bigger (and superior) song

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah. I'm 23, and while I've heard Work It before, it definitely isn't something most people my age would recognize.

      Delete
  4. This review (as well as a few others) always sheds a lot of light on fans in hip hop once you take heed to their response.

    For one, a lot of "heads" need to calm down. Hip Hop doesn't revolve around hysterical lyrical miracles with elaborate rhyme schemes. Nor should it. Hip Hop came from a certain place and has a multitude of styles and messages. The sense of entitlement and delusion from fans, a good amount who are undeserving and don't have an understanding of good music ANYWAYS, is disgusting and has even diluted the music they hold as the holy Grail (boom bap and mixtape rap mostly sucks ass nowadays). Same thing that happened to commercial rap. Why should Hip Hop revolve around boom bap? Why should boom bap be the prevalent style in hip hop? No. And the conversation of white hip hop heads who are at the forefront of this outcry...is for another forum. Missy is one of the artist I can appreciate because shes one of those examples where you can show that good Hip Hop is bigger than some lyrical miracles. Look at Eminem and a lot of underground rappers...rhyme scheme crazy, but the music is garbage. Missy had certain musical elements on lock. The same ones that you hear on 80s hip hop records. That is enough to make good hip hop. It's cute that you can start the next bar mid sentence but can you play the shit anywhere other than in private (has nothing to do with free will lol)? And does it sound good?

    Missy and some other MCs are for people who appreciate music. And don't subscribe to the idiocy of an idealogy that is pretentious and birthed from the pole stuck in someone's ass

    ReplyDelete
  5. so many words about every song, no matter the quality, and in so many other reviews some songs are reviewed with single "meh". well for me, whole missy elliot's discography is "meh"

    ReplyDelete
  6. Man I remember going through a bunch of battle records and being really pleasantly surprised to find out that Babu's Super Duper Duck Breaks is heavily sampled throughout this album. Beat Junkies and Missy colliding in some way, however small it is, is something I never expected.

    ReplyDelete