Missy Elliott's Struggles to Success
Missy Elliott is a very well-known rap artist in the music industry but it did not automatically start that way. Missy really struggled before making it big. On a tough road to super stardom, Missy Elliott endured tremendous hardships such as: a rough background and unstable beginning in the music industry, but she didn’t let anything stand in her way. Missy gained much success through her awards, endorsements, and credits. Missy broke down all the barriers and revolutionized the hip-hop industry forever.
Some of the first obstacles Missy encountered in her childhood was dealing with physical, verbal, and mental abuse from her father. She had to witness her father’s harmful actions towards her mother on a daily basis and occasionally she would be the one the violence was directed to. Also as a young girl her 16 year old cousin molested her and she didn’t tell anyone for a long time. Eventually Missy’s mother decided to leave and raise Missy on her own, this act transformed the Missy forever. In a short biography it explains, “Missy got inspired by her mother’s courage and independence to start anew, Missy determined to materialize her dream of becoming a formidable artist”(aceshowbiz.com). And this was the start of her becoming a major super star and never giving up what she always wanted. This shows that her rough background still didn’t stop her.
As a teenager, Elliott and three of her friends formed a girl vocal group named “Sista”. The group could never find their big break but about a year after they graduated they went to a R&B concert for a band Jodeci. After the concert was over they approached a band member by the name of DeVante Swing. They preformed a few songs for him, he immediately fell in love with the group, and signed them to his record and production company; Electra Records. Missy and her crew finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel when all of the sudden Electra Records had to shut down, the group was devastated and eventually split up. Missy Elliott still didn’t lose hope, she knew she had to move on and keep trying to make it big time.
She partnered up with long time friend and mentor Tim Moseley (Timbaland) to create an independent producing company with her writing the songs and Tim producing. Using connections they have they got the chance to work with (now belated) singer Aaliyah and that’s when people knew that Tim and Missy had become the dynamic duo and they are soon to become the next big thing in the music industry. Missy soon got to work with superstars such as Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Ciara, Madonna, Beyonce, Mariah Carrey and many more. She also took her talent solo writing and producing hits for herself to perform. From doing all of this Missy has received multiple nominations and has won many awards such as five Grammy awards, two American music awards, seven MTV music video awards, and eight BET awards. Her albums have gone platinum, yet she is still striving for more.
Despite all the awards and nominations Missy Elliott has received, she also deserves a ton of credit for being a strong-willed woman and not giving into the medias image of what a female rapper should be. An article states about Missy,
“Rap is a male-dominated art form; the music is filled with aggressive, often violent, imagery and negative attitudes toward women. The chances of a young musician making it big in the music industry are slim in the best of circumstances, but for a woman to become hugely successful in the world of hip-hop is nothing short of phenomenal”(Chappell).
That is why fans are so infatuated with Missy Elliott, “she has popularized a new hip-hop sound” (Fonseca, Anthony 412).Her accomplishments are extraordinaire and I believe her image will live on so she can empower others.
On top of all Missy’s success she has received endorsement deals and National advertisements with The Gap, Sprite, MAC, and Vanilla Coke. Another one of Missy’s business ventures is partnering with Adidas to produce her own athletic line called “Respect M.E.”. She also has become a spokes person for a nonprofit organization that brings awareness to young people in abusive relationships called “Break the Cycle”, which she is actively involved with. With success comes great fortune, and for Missy it did, she has sustained substantial amounts of wealth that she worked hard for and are well-deserved.
Missy Elliott told Chappell in an interview, “I'm not a follower. I'm not a copycat. I'm an original” (Chappell). She has working very hard for all that she has accomplished and she is an inspiration for everyone. She strives to get the be results for herself. I think one of the greatest achievements Elliott has had is she has permanently made her mark on the music industry and no one well ever forget the name “Missy Elliot”.
Work Cited
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