Under Construction

I'm not looking forward to his. At all. This is not a genre I enjoy. But hey ho, gotta open yourself up to new things haven't you. First track. Oh, she's mouthing off already. Shut up and sing ffs. Ok, here we go. Oh no. Go back to the talking. Please. I'm not going to make it through a whole album of this. Hitting the fourth minute of this now. The tune is pretty decent. Oooh, first use of the N word. Edgy. Better turn it down a bit. Nothing to the 'lyrics'. Track two. There are lots of collaborations on this. Maybe that'll help, because on her own she seems quite bad. Yeah, this is better. I mean, it's still nonsense lyrics, but it's got something. Track three. Did I just hear 'mama-jama'??! As annoying as I find it to say this, this track is quite catchy. Not lyrically, obviously. Track four. Ooooh, I've heard this before. It's alright from what I remember. Good chorus. Still a bit dodgy outside of the chorus - 'sex me so good I say blah blah blah'. I'm gonna be humming this all night, I know it. Hang on, she's talking to me again. Hope I'm enjoying the album? Meh, it's ok, thanks for asking. Track five. Jay-Z in the house. This track seems louder than the others? She sounds better on this track. More singing rather than rapping? I dunno. This is a bit of a nothing track tbh. Track six. 'My attitude is bitchy because my period is heavy'. Nice. No, I will not turn the volume up. This seems like something a school kid would come up with and think it's cool as fuck. It's not. It's shit. Track seven. This sounds a bit sexy. 'Pussy don't fail me now, I gotta turn this N out so he don't want nobody else'. I know I'm beating on these lyrics a lot, but come on, they fucking deserve it. Keep your man happy by making sure he's enjoying the sex. Oooh, more chat. Fuck me, is she reading my mind??!? She's having a go at me for slating her lyrics. Fuck off woman. Track eight. Here's Beyonce. Awww, she doesn't want to go out, she wants to stay in with her man. And on and on. I think she's protesting too much. Clearly out shagging all sorts. Are we at the end yet? No? Oh. Track nine. Pretty funky start to this one. She seems to be saying she's doing alright for herself. Got a bit of money, a couple of nice cars. Ok, good for you girl. Track ten. Why does she feel the need to keep telling me I'm listening to Missy Elliott? I'm ten tracks into the album, I know who you are. More advice on keeping your man. Back rubs, sex (I think), laundry, shout at hoes. Might play this to all prospective girlfriends, make sure they know what I expect. Track eleven. Back with the funk. Still telling me it's Missy Eliott. I. Know. Sounds like her fella left her. Stupid pussy must have let her down. Track twelve. 'I bought a Murcielago to sit, on the plush leather seats, forget am I on my own clit?'. It's Shakespeare. Some guy is broke, Missy isn't. 'Cuz rich folks, we buy boats' is gonna stick in my head. Track thirteen. This is pretty good. Yeah, quite like this. Best track on the album for me. Good way to finish. Oh, it's not over. More chat. She hopes I like the album, but if I don't, she doesn't give a shit. Ok.  I won't ever listen to this again. Hopefully.

I don't need to like Missy, she likes herself enough for both of us.

There are a few swings and misses here, but also a whole lot to like. Every collaboration works. It's criminal how underrated she is. Best track: Gossip Folks

I hadn’t listened to Missy Elliot before this, and that’s on me.

Enjoying this way more than I thought I would.

Missy is hands down the best female rapper of all-time. One of the best rappers period. And this album has her talent on display - smart meaningful lyrics, cool beats, lightning quick raps, and a pretty darn good voice. Her interludes are actually worth listening to (not just BS) and shows her depth of thought. Although her claim in the Intro that you don't hear Gates and Trump arguing because they got "paper" and "better shit to do" shows how much times have changed in 20 years. Her wordplay or own version of pig latin that she does in Gossip Folks and Work It is so unique and innovative. The former is one of my favorite rap songs of all time - beats and lyrics are just awesome. I'm not sure there was a weak song on the whole album. Slide and Go to the Floor were particularly good tracks I didn't know of before.

This album was a super fun listen with immaculate production and delicious retro-future sampling. Some of the tracks don't quite hold up, but the highlights are so, so high. I can really hear the influence on Janelle Monae. Rating: 3.5/5 Favourite tracks: "Work It", "Back in the Day"

I can’t believe this is twenty years old

Strong! So many top-end collaborators on this, and some deep digs for samples, and a really unique style. I never listened to the full album back in the day but really enjoyed hearing it through.

My first real awareness of Missy Elliott was the release of Work It. That song was all over the radio, and jeez, it's a banger for the ages. Is there any other track on the album that good? Well, no, not really. But it's a really strong hip hop album of its vintage. The production is fascinating and funky, full of references to hip hop (and pop) classics. But the album is more than a mere throwback. For an album with clear ambitions to mainstream success, it is surprisingly weird, clearly within the history of hip hop, but looking forward into the future as well. Missy's flow is on point; funny, surprising, and funky fresh. A who's who of A-list collaborators appear across the album, but would it be churlish of me to say I'd like to hear less of the featured artists and more of Missy herself? Not many hip hop albums of this vintage (especially those pitched at the mainstream) stand up so well over time. This is still (mostly) really listenable. I could live without the spoken interludes, which are sincere, but boring on repeat listens. Coincidentally, the day after this came up on my listening queue, I was at a record fair where I stumbled across a promo 12" of Back in the Day b/w a remix of Gossip Folks. Yes, please, I'll take that for $4, a bargain at twice the price!

Damn this was fun. I love the little before and after speeches and that, somehow, she managed to get the names of Bill Gates and Donald Trump in there. Exactly what hip-hop had been begging for.

There's nothing in the world that sounds like a Missy joint. When Missy's on her game, she's unstoppable. Unfortunately, there are a few tracks here that DON'T feel like Missy joints (I'm looking at you "Pussycat", "Nothing Out There for Me", and "Play That Beat") hence the 4-star review. But the rest of the album is just so good, she almost pulled a 5-star anyway. These beautiful, throwback traps feel so good with her effortlessly confident flow draped over top. Legendary talent.

Mucho flow, buenas rimas, grandes beats. Qué buena la Missy Elliott, no tengo skips, me gusta todo, quizá especialmente "Work It" y "Slide". También la de Beyoncé muy cool. 10/10

This album is like a history book of early 2000s hip hop and R&B. Back when driving Escalades was cool. Missy starts out with a heartfelt message to the listener that she wants to channel the roots of hip hop and celebrate the lives of those that we lost over the years. It really puts into perspective how many people left the world too soon, from Biggie to Aaliyah. From Big Pun to Left Eye. In a way this record is a memorial for all of these acts, these people who were at the top of their craft. This album is absolutely packed with features from all of the biggest names in the scene with references to popular media and figures who you undoubtedly would hear about at the time. It's almost like it was unintentionally a time capsule that, upon opening 20 years later, steeped me so deep in an era that I felt like I was actually there. Missy's intention for 'Under Construction" was clearly for it to be a love letter to hip hop and R&B. She samples classics to create boom bap earworms like "Play That Beat" but weaved throughout with Timbaland's modern style in a way that works perfectly. There are these classic-sounding tracks that are like a daydream to a golden fledging old school era with tracks like "Work It", "Slide", and "Hot" looking to the future. Side note, it's so cool that "Hot" sounds like it was born and raised in Virginia Beach. Timbaland, Pharrell, and Pusha T were all in the same circles growing up and it shows so much on this track. The beat could be a P track, the hook on the chorus could be delivered by Push. Missy ends the album with a final message to the listener where she again remarks on how far hip hop has come dedicating this one to the fallen soldiers as she calls them in "Hot". She remarks that she made this one for the ladies and it made me thing damn, Missy walked so Nicki could run. She ends it with the line "you may not feel like I’m a real hip hop artist but I grew up on hip hop and that's what motivated me to do music”. I respect the hell out of that. Seriously. Thank you Missy Elliott for this gem of a tribute to a classic era. TL;DR This album is a 5/5 for me because of the absolute heart put into it, the love for the craft and the genre, the features and the history they carried with them in their lyrics, the blend of old and new, and for "Work It".

Whew!!! She came out hard and kept going. And the Guests! I still think Missy Elliot is underrated in popular culture. Love this album.

I love Missy Elliot, and love this album most out of all of her work. The nod to early hip hop while also sounding brand new really works here. I am not sure about a couple of the more smoochy numbers, but Ain’t It Funny is a standout here with the layered vocalists and buzzy synths over a pop construction. The best from one of the best.

When I first searched for this on Spotify the first thing that came up was some jive from The Sims. A damning indictment of modern society. Anyway, this is really good - rhymes are sharp, the beats are accomplished and for once, guest spots are done with taste and intention. Absolutely of its era but no bad thing!

This is a Missy Elliot Exclusive. I like how personal this album feels. Missy has always been one of the best flows in the game, but I never knew she had such a good singing voice. Great beats. Favorite tracks: "Work It", "Pussycat", "Nothing Out There for Me"

I remember when Missy played the Super Bowl and all the white suburban online millennials pretended to be longtime huge fans. When in reality they were just nostalgic for her hits like "Work It" which reminded them of middle school dances. I doubt many regularly (if ever) put on "Under Construction" as an album. The album definitely feels of its early 00's time, not the least because of the distinctly Timbaland production. Her flow is good and understandable why she is held in such high regard for her rapping. It was a fun and interesting listen for the time-capsule element, but I don't think it has the timeless sound that keeps me coming back regularly in 2024. My gripe is mostly with people who pretend otherwise for the clout.

Hmmm. I wanted to like this more than I did. Bold on the surface but aged kinda badly 'pussy don't fail me now' ??????

Track 1: “You don’t see Bill Gates and Donald Trump arguing with each other…” Ohhh 2002, if you only knew what was to come… I enjoyed a track or 2 but nothing special and a bit dated. I don’t know why rap records need/needed to have so much extra verbal filler or little skits or whatever.

These 90s albums just get better and better (whatever I know this one is a 00s album but you know what I mean). Too good. Perfect rap album, fun, playful, clever, and also impactful when it wants to be.

Let's go Missy! The sampling on this album is really heavy on the soul and jazz which gives the songs this sense of cool thats hard to beat. Work It is a generational groove. Back In The Day is just all up in my face with Jay giving the opening rap. Pussycat is incredibly explicit, but Missy comes in with an explainer. Aight cool. This album was great I loved it a bunch.

"This is a Missy Elliott one time exclusive" e eu já fiquei animada. Conhecia pouco o trabalho da Missy, embora escute muuuito Work It até hoje, amei o disco e fiquei me perguntando porque não tinha parado para ouvir antes.

Classic

Mrs. Missy Elliot the woman that you are... Que proyecto tan interesante, lleno de elementos del hip-hop más duro. Los beats e instrumentales deberían ser estudiados por muchos de nuestra generación y los features no se quedan para nada atrás. Desde el intro hasta Nothing out There for Me con BEYONCE hace un fucking 7 song run impecable. Almost no skips, muy divertido. 10/10.

WOW, <3 Missy Intro/ Go to the Floor - Message is authentic and raw, you can tell Missy is above the bullshit and on some. Set it Off!!!! Coming out swinging She delivers both smash radio hits and introspective emotional tracks on the album. As she said it herself, she is "Under Construction" working on herself and I'm here for it. You can hear Missy's influence in pretty much every female hip hop artist out now. They all want to be flashy and spit bars, but they lean too heavy on sexuality 🍑 to sell records and unfortunately that works (discussion for another place/time). Missy uses a fresh combo of funk, RnB mashups, old school hip hop, and her own Missy style to Bring the Pain and WORK IT! Combine her flow with production from Timbaland... shyyytttt it's a wrap... game, set, match! 🎾 I need a glass of water after this one 🥵🔥

Un poco largo. Pero pues es Missy. Brutal.

This was great. I was wavering between 4-5 but went with a 5 because what the hell. She killed it.

One thing I've learned from this project is the hip-hop interstitial bit. I don't know the proper name for this. Missy's got the best interstitials. And it's safe to say I can now answer the question, "who is your favorite hip-hop artist." Fuck yeah! I loved this. I didn't catch the Missy wave in the early 2000s but I caught it now and will be working my way through her library. "We can all stand for going under a little construction"

I loved this album. First, every artist should start out with a brief track explaining what they’re doing. But this album was so joyous, and had so many great guests on it. Gossip Folks is such a great track, but I liked it all.

love me some 90s hiphop

SO good. some classics like work it, and some amazing features including a maiden named beyonce. What's not to like.

Why have I only heard the hits? Great album. Timbaland at his best too. Before he became a parody of himself.

This is a Missy Elliott exclusive. An album so influential, it can be heard today front and center on the top 40 charts, paved the way for many female MCs. Work It is an all time great song, and everything else here is almost as good. Phenomenal skills on the mic by Missy Elliott too

Our eldest cat is named after Mossy Elliot. This album is awesome. Old school hip hop at its finest.

It’s Missy. What else is there to say?

Slapped Missy is a G

Give me some of this in a bun. Varied, and I even like the slower singy ones, which doesn't often happen for me on rap albums!

Fuck yeah

Call it nostalgia (even tho I’m hearing roughly 12/13 songs for the first time today) but I loved this Both Missy & Timbaland bring out their respective best artistic qualities in each other, & the guests (e.g. TLC, Method Man) are also pretty excellent. I may have just had back-to-back 5-star hip-hop records (where’s that kid who only listens to the Beatles, Floyd & Queen now?), but while I’m still digesting the Outkast one, this more straightforward outing is easier to deliver a verdict with. HL: “Bring the Pain”, “Back in the Day”, “Slide”, “Funky Fresh Dressed”, “Can You Hear Me”, “Work It”

I don't think I've ever listened to any of Missy Elliott's albums before (maybe Supa Dupa Fly if I have), but I thought this album was fantastic. The beats were catchy, the rapping was great, and the lyrical content was outstanding. "Gossip Folks" and "Work It" are both so much fun, but they still feel like they belong on an album with a bit more serious of a tone. Is it gimmicky that she raps backwards in "Work It?" If that's what you think, keep it to yourself, because I think it's genius. I loved that Missy Elliott talked about loss (both personal grief and collective grief in a post 9/11 world), how her vision of hip hop shapes how she makes music, and criticisms of women in music. The duets were really great, especially "Nothing Out There for Me" with Beyonce. Missy Elliott raps with a personal brand of swagger that I don't think I've ever heard before; if I had to summarize it, I'd say it's a 'powerful confidence with a the perfect sprinkle of realistic humility.' I've been trying to stay away from albums on this list that I haven't listened to before, but I'm really tempted to listen to Supa Dupa Fly tonight, because this album has been rattling around my brain all weekend.

This was a blast

A little patchy, but good overall; the sleazy funk of "Work It" more than makes up for the dire "Back in the Day." She reminds me of Prince in places. I think she helped reclaim hip-hop from misogynist assholes as well.

Every song is a BANGER

This was great! My first Missy Elliot album. I liked it very much

One of the best albums to come out of the early 2000’s

Every time I get a Missy album on, it's the best Missy album. I think it dropped off after this, but for four albums she could not put a foot wrong. This one is touching, looks back over hip hop without being regressive, is very sex positive, and just plain slaps. The first 20 minutes is relentlessly good. Work It, Gossip Folks, Funky Fresh Dressed, and collabs with Jigga and Meth that both hit. Genius.

When I was younger I would listen to rap rap and it was rare to see any women rapping. Hearing Missy for the first time I said this is some good shit. Easily one of my favorites. Isn’t my first listen. Growing up with this album did open the doors to other artist in the genre of rap. Listening to it again after time of not listening to it for awhile quickly gets me listening to missy once again. Beats are raw, lyrics are different, this is some good stuff. I understand why it’s on here. Missy is one of the best to ever do it. Enjoyable listen.

Owned this album when it came out. I remember 2002 as a blur but this was and still is a banger.

Great rap album by an outstanding artist.

a little preachy but good

Other than a passing reference to the former fascist douchebag President of the U.S. this holds up. Fun, brilliantly produced hip hop.

Quality

5 Great hip hop

Muy bueno, Gossips es un temazo, la colaboración con Jay Z, es tremendo.

10/10 I mean come on now

Maybe the best flow of her generation and the production on this is immaculate

Очень забавное интро, где уже наехали на Трампа и Гейтса (альбом 2002 года, напомню). И сразу же бросают в нас ебанутые электронные сэмплы. Мне нравятся ее хуки и звучание, которое по читке напоминает смесь старой и новой школы сразу

A classic of the kind. Miss Elliott is and will remain a queen and her association with Timbaland propelled her to superstardom. That album is star studded and remains a staple in rap and hip hop history.

Super hard hitting, all the collabs are awesome to hear. She's the real deal.

Great sound, and great non-violent message. Excellent features.

I can't believe I never listened to this, I love female rappers sm, she's just amazing

Good stuff. A must listen after a run of duds dogs and dross this is finally something with actual value.

A perfect feminist hip hop manifesto with brilliant music beds.

Well finding out that I adore Missy Elliott has been a real discovery from this listening project. It's so, so fun.

Can she work it? Yes, she can. An absolute belter of an album.

Chucha yo como no he escuchado esta man todavía, absolutely goated

Exclusive. 5

Doesn’t feel dated. Missy definitely doesn’t get enough credit.

A great listen. Had not heard it before.

Bamgers through and through. I usually don't like monologues, but these fit very well.

There’s a contradictory nature to Under Construction. On the one hand, thematically it’s a call to come together and acknowledge that we are all works in progress and not perfect, and on the other all the best songs are about how hot, sexy, and fucking awesome Missy Elliot is. I’m not complaining about that, at all. I’m utterly in love with Missy Elliot after having listened to this record, hearing how confident she is makes me, a straight white man, feel just as sexy and confident as she sounds. I’m intrigued about what she says in the final spoken outro, about not caring if people think this is real Hip-Hop, because I genuinely think this is one of the best Rap albums that I’ve ever heard, immaculately produced, with a great sense of fun in the lyrics and flow for days

Holy shit, this is good. Missy is an all time great and no, not all time great “female rapper”. She’s here to remind you just who she is - she’s funny, sexy, biting and brilliant. Under Construction maintains the fire right to the end.

Fun samples and catchy beats with lyrics that are clever, sexy, and heartfelt. Missy Elliott has swagger and this album is fantastique!

Sublime in every way

Well, this was exceptional, wasn’t it? I was especially pleased with the transition from yesterday’s outstanding album…I couldn’t have dreamed it up any better!

lovely

Loved it, did not know this before, but it slaps.

Straight fucking bangin’. Really really tasty shit

Missy Elliott is a hero

Holy shit this was a surprise, I hated the other album, this one was fantastic

Amaze. Legendary. So fun!

loved it.

Intense.

Fantastic album with a lot of amazing guest contributors.

I think this was the first time I listened to "Work It" in headphones and good ones at that. It's super rad and I love how much layered detail there is to the song. I also love, love, love the opening speech from Missy! I've recently been listening to a lot of Doja Cat and I enjoy how sex positive and confident she is. Missy's "Pussycat" is a rad song and her speech at the end was a pleasant surprise! The track feels like one of the foundational tracks for Doja and others to write the type of stuff they do. I'm really into the sentiment, outreach, and positive messaging that's in this album and to be honest, I'm pleasantly surprised by it.

Disclaimer.

This was a great album

I will always love Missy Elliott, purely for the fact that she was one of my first favourite artists as a young 13 year old back in 2002 - she was so forward, so fresh and all her - and the same goes for the album. Amazing 👏🏾

This is a classic. Loving the chance to revisit the album. To those who hasn't heard it yet, you have something to look forward to.

Loved it. Made me laugh a lot.

Fire from start to finish. Missy is such an underrated MC.

Classic rap

She is marvelous. Flawless production with bangers throughout, flows, features, and soul.

Muy fresco, excelente álbum

5/5 - This album kicks ass

It's Missy 🤷🏻‍♀️ What can I say?

So many bangers! Loses the plot a little in the second half (really didn't like Pussycat or the Beyoncé collab) but otherwise so solid. 3.5

Highlights: Work It, Gossip Folks, Back in the Day, Play That Beat, Can You Hear Me This might be one of the most important hip-hop albums of all time: It's prescient (Bill Gates and Donald Trump? Jay-Z for president?), it's old-school even for its own time, but it maps out the future of hip-hop ("Back in the day...Hip-hop has changed"), and it wouldn't be Missy if it wasn't also foul-mouthed and that's OK. Hip-hop isn't my style, but I can't deny that Missy Elliot is the salesperson for the genre.