Under Construction by Missy Elliott

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

3.14
Rating
23356
Votes
1
8%
2
18%
3
35%
4
28%
5
10%
Distribution

Album Summary

Under Construction is the fourth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002 in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production from Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 359,000 copies in its first week. The album was also certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. Elliott dedicated the album to Aaliyah (who had died on August 25, 2001) and to victims of the September 11 attacks.

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Length: All Short Long

Crazy people complaining about this being dated? Yeah, but rock from the 60s/70s is 'classic'. This was, is and always will be fantastic.

I have a hunch, I'm not the target audience.

Hip Hop not my thing but this was better than expected.

Great beats, memorable tracks, solid features and some of the most effortless rapping to come out of the 2000's. Missy has some tremendous charisma. It sure sounds like its era, the intro has aged hilariously, but the overall experience isn't any worse off for sounding like a time capsule. She's still one of a kind.

With the exception of Work It, this is kind of a big nothing burger, isn’t it?

Enjoyed first half more. Standout songs: Gossip Folks Work it Funky Fresh Dressed

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Undisputed greatest female rapper of all time! While Supa Dupa Fly is accepted as one of the greatest debut albums ever, the old-school feeling and smash hits here cannot be denied. This is smooth and fun. Had me grooving all morning. The hate for this album in this project is mind-boggling to me. You don't like rap? Okay, fine. I don't like country. But I can recognize good music when I hear it and show some respect. This is particularly weird coming from the Brits (and a ton of it comes from the Brits). What, you can't handle the colonists producing quality music? And it's super weird that the country that survived the blitz freaks out over a couple of n-bombs.

I have never really cared for Missy Elliott as a rapper, but the beats are pretty good.

I guess I only listened to Missy Elliott's singles and heard her as guests on other songs. She had better rhymes than I was expecting. I do think the talking portions could have been removed to make the album a bit tighter. I was shocked at the number of huge stars that guest starred... (Ludacris, Jay-Z, TLC, 50 Cent and Beyonce)

3.5 - I wasn’t aware that I liked Missy Elliott this much. That tribute song with TLC is pretty cringey though.

Under Construction sounds very much for its time for early 2000s hip hop production, and there are good reasons to why it was such a hit record for the time, especially in NYC. I think it's a bit amusing at best and just fine at worst. I'm not the target demographic for this to give this a proper 'music review'. I think after almost 25 years later, the sound for this record in terms of its legacy is fairly dated. Not that it's a bad sounding record, just that it sounds exactly like what hip hop was in the early 2000s. She's talking like radio ads and bringing up magazines and the fucking lyric in Intro/Go to the Floor saying "You don't see Bill Gates and Donald Trump arguing with each other/ 'Cause both of them got paper and better shit to do". Look yeah they were both rich back then and household names but like, fuck man. tl;dr: okay record but sounds very dated, good if you're a new yorker with nostalgia for post 9/11 tragedy or whatever

Ehh it's... It's music... I guess

Still don't get Hip Hop, but I'm closer to it with this than I have been. Great beats, great rapping great production. Although the "This is a Missy Elliott exclusive" thing got really off, really fast. But let me get political here for half a moment. Elliott makes the not unreasonable point that male rappers have been talking sex for years, but when women do it they get told it's inappropriate. Which is fine and inarguably true. But whether its men saying "Bitch, my dick so big you'll love it" or women saying "I wanna keep my man so pussy don't fail me now!" isn't it just the same old sex based male female power narrative? Instead of just playing into the same old same old how about just... you know.... growing up.

I enjoyed this album much more than I expected. It's very early 2000s, I was in high school at the time, and I have a soft spot for that sound. The nostalgia definitely helps, but this is a fun album, nothing more.

This album is mostly hip-hop and I don't care for that. But there are a few R&B tracks that I did like. This seems like an interesting album, but I wouldn't come back to it.

Listened before?: i've listened to Work It many times over the years. never bothered to listen to a full Missy Elliott album though Go to the Floor - 3/5 Bring the Pain - 4/5 Gossip Folks - 4/5 Work It - 5/5 Back in the Day - 2/5 Funky Fresh Dressed - 3/5 Pussycat - 2/5 Nothing Out There for Me - 1/5 Slide - 3/5 Play That Beat - 3/5 Ain't That Funny - 2/5 Hot - 2/5 Can You Hear Me - 3/5 Work It (Remix) - 3/5 Average score: 2.9/5 ⭐⭐⭐ i must say, it's kinda funny hearing her talk about seducing/keeping a man when we all know she's gay as fuuuuuck. you're not fooling anyone ma'am aside from Work It, i didn't really care for many tracks off of this album. like i said, it's really hard to take the tracks about men or sex all that seriously. besides that, i didn't really find the other tracks all that noteworthy, and the album as a whole just barely lands within 3-star territory for me idk if i'd consider her the best female rapper, but she's undoubtedly left her mark in the history of hip hop and has been influential to the female artists who came after her. i don't think it's super necessary to listen to this album in full before you die, but i think it's worth checking out some of her most popular tracks (Work It, Get Ur Freak On, etc.) i haven't listened to Supa Dupa Fly yet, so we'll see how i like that in comparison later

I don't need the thematic explanation...either do it with the music or don't do it. Timbaland hit his apex working with Missy. A lot of guest spots on this album, not complaining. Method Man, Ludacris and Jay-Z is a pretty strong late 90s lineup of MCs. Work It has always been one of my least favorite rap songs that was a hit, the backwards talking is dumb. Rappers love to do the retrospective hip hop shout out song. Back in the Day is not my favorite one though. Hearing Pussycat for the first time is when Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Meghan Thee Stallion realized what they wanted to do with their lives. This album is not bad. The song with Beyonce is a highlight. The number of times she says "This is another Missy Elliott exclusive" makes DJ Khaled seem restrained. The back half of the album is the better half. The exclusive thing is super annoying. The sad song about Aaliyah and Left Eye is corny as hell. Nice little chat at the very end, CDs were super stupid.

This is such a nostalgic record. Missy is so charismatic and she can sell any song no matter how ridiculous it might read on paper.

The singles off this one were and still are great. The rest is fun, but maybe not quite classics. Missy is one of the great rappers throughout though.

More monologues/commentary than expected!

I don't mind hip hop usually. This was very annoying. I knew Work it. 1.5/5

8/10… hip hop / queen r&b / *2002

Missy Elliott's whole style I just find so dated. I think her whole vocal style is just to cheesy and really shows its age, which isn't really at all made up for with the beats or the lyrics, both of which are totally generic. She may have been super popular at the time, but I really don't think that Missy Elliott deserves two whole entries. Plus Supa Dupa Fly was a lot better anyway, so there really is no need for this one.

Huge step up from her other album on the list - shorter, higher quality and all around a great rap album

I feel this raises the bar on her other album on this list, but I'm not completely sold on her. She's not a bad rapper, but her vocals are just fine (you can hear the difference most with that Beyoncé song). However, she understands the world context around her, and it shows.

A wild mix of raw 90's hip hop and goofy 00's hip hop that made me both nostalgic for 2002 and so happy we've moved way past it. Work it is still a banger and the list of guest appearances was both impressive and a snapshot of the time. All in all, a fun listen even though it isn't high art.

Not "great" music but I had fun listening

An enjoyable listen, tempted to go a little higher but a 3 for now.

Uninspiring. What is this run we are on?

I've never listened to a Missy Elliott album before now, and I thought this one was pretty good. Like most hip hop albums of this time, I can do without the speaking interludes and/or skits, but the music was pretty good.

Normalize artists coming in periodically through their albums to examine their intentions. Love Missy's assertion that Donald Trump doesn't have time for petty squabbles. Like...petty squabbles is kinda his thing. This record is a banger though, at least thw first half. "Go downtown and eat it like a vulture" always makes me gag, and then marvel at her delightful fearless weirdness. The entirety of "Pussycat" is another example of this. It was funny hearing her lamenting the current state of hip hop because listening to this had me missing this era. Love the guests too, Methodist Man (autocorrect made him into this and I will call him that forever more) always multiplies my enjoyment of any song by at least two.

Mostly harmless.

Brought me right back to gr. 8. Didn't habe enough appreciation for Missy Elliott at the time.

Timbaland's production was pretty good at this time. There's some half decent features on the album. I like Missy's style and she's got a few good quips in here. I like her point that men get to chat about sex and tits and ass on their songs so why shouldn't she represent for the ladies? When it gets a little more R&B it loses me a bit, but when the raps are tight, I'm pretty well in.

Some pretty solid Southern pop rap. Missy also makes some excellent points about why women shouldn't be comfortable discussing their sex lives in music, since men do it all the time with much less flack.

This was fine. Some good features, good beats. She's got good flow. Some lyrics that kinda caught me off guard. Nothing I'd want to listen to again.

I misjudged this on first listen. It's heat. Much like the Tupac album we recently had, this sounded like a lot of the same until I listened very very closely. Then I was able to hear how fun it is and how fantastic the beats are. I know it annoyed some people but I loved her little pop-ins between songs. It reminded me of when Kanye was actually funny and before he became a lunatic.

It's fine, but there's better rao albums out there.

Solid 3.5/5.0, maybe 4.0

I own this album but had forgotten about the spoken word intro where she suggests that Donald Trump doesn’t waste his time on petty hating. That got me worried that this might not have aged well, but I should have had more faith in Missy. Still love it

It was good, but I didn't like the weird mission statements here and there. Great songs but a less great album.

Elliott is an undeniably positive personality, and she pulled some of the biggest rappers and R&B singers into the mix. Ultimately, though, it all does little more than entertain me for the moment. "Work It" is incredible, though.

This was pretty decent, though I'm not super into hip hop generally so probably wouldn't listen to this again

I can't imagine many paradigm-shifting philosophical tracts are written with this playing in the background. The two most interesting thoughts I had while listening were... 1 - If Method Man and Missy Elliott did go half on a baby there would be an immense amount of pressure on that kid to be a good MC (Missy Man?). 2 - The themes on Pussycat and Jesus Take the Wheel could provide very fertile material for Carrie Underwood and Missy Elliot to collaborate on a song.

Great album, flow is crazy and it feels like she's talking to you. Purr soul and truth in every song.

Missy Elliott has some sick beats and a flow to match. I enjoyed my time with this album, I just wish she had different topics to cover besides money and pussy. Gets a bit preachy.

Why do I know all these songs? And why do I like them?

*all-time.

6/10 - good hip hop, not as hardcore as her earlier stuff

I enjoyed this. I own the song Work It and I knew Gossip Folks. It had good featuring artists.

Missy Elliott grew up in my hometown, so she’s a hometown hero for me for sure. I used to drive by the mansion that she bought for her mom on my way to the beach. This album has a lot of nostalgia for me but I struggled getting through it this time for some reason. I don’t want to say it doesn’t hold up, but my tastes have definitely changed since I was a teenager.

missy !!! work it. c

Another one that made me flip flop for a bit, and one that you have to give a couple listens. Final verdict? This bumps. It’s not the best “hip hop” performance I’ve ever witnessed. Her lyricism doesn't outshine anyone in her class. BUT. These beats go. The producing on it is exceptional. Feature list is stacked. And it makes me wish, instead of being an infant, that I was a 20 something in the early 00s so I could experience this club scene. No, not a great, flawless work. But one that instantly brings the mood up and gets people moving. And isn’t that just as valuable? Give this a couple runs, and enjoy it for fun. I’m not sure it’s a full four, but it’s damn near.

I'm just a little white boy and I still popped my pussy to this

Less chaotic than I expected, but I’m not overly enthused.

some solid songs on here. Less into the chat,

DAMN! I'm enjoying this A LOT! New soul and still sounding very fresh thanks to Timbaland's production. Great collaborations and enough variety to make this an engaging listen. Despite the fact I like by 4 song, 38 minute albums, I am finding this a lot fun. But then, after about 35 minutes, my boredom started to kick in. Still, a 3 star album for me.

I think its pretty repetitive, I've never been a Missy Fan I know that's sacrilegious Best Song: Work It Rating: 5.5/10 Stars: 3

This is a really fun record, though I don’t like the production as much as her 90s stuff.

Missy is a legend and “Slide” is one of my favorite songs from the early 2000’s.

Bounce baby! Awesome album.

This album is delightful. I would like to listen to its again but oftentimes I have my kids with me and the content isn’t always appropriate for them which definitely is a common theme in my relationship with rap. I had it on kind of low I was enjoying and the kids weren’t really paying attention and then Jay-Z shows up and drops the N-word like 10 times in six seconds. I can say that this isn’t an album that necessarily shines unlimited to front seat volume, but anyhow, I really really do like it and the other Missy album that we’ve already visited.

This was really good. A lot of interesting songs and sounds. Solid 4 and glad it was on the list.

This album is a classic for me. Missy and Timbaland are one of the top hip hop production duos of all time. You can really feel 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. Is it worth it? Just for "Work It"! 3.5⭐️

Regular rap/hip hop album. Shouldn't be on this list.

Yo yo nigga bitch tits homie fuck off

I’m remember buying this when it came out. There are some good songs on it and I’m not sure if I care for the homage she paid to the past as much as I did when I first listened. Sometimes it’s cool if people know what the source is but once they forget then it becomes almost like they borrow without the proper just due. Rock master Scott and the request line for work it. The one song where she rhymed ary was supposed to be a homage to the Educated Rapper from UTFO who did a full verse on Roxanne, Roxanne. There are other moments like the Paul Revere. It just seems like a little lack of creativity where we know she’s beyond creative. The beats are good are representative of the time. Not futuristic or anything they are standard for what was happearound that time. Sure timbaland missy put their twist on but it wasn’t crazy groundbreaking. The neptunes were doing similar things at the time. But the album was enjoyable and at was nostalgic.

I love missy, she is a great artist, and very funny in her musical style and rhymes. I did feel as though a lot of this was just the same over and over and wasn’t a fun listen for me TBH. work it and gossip folks are classics, OFC, but otherwise was kinda bored :/

Missy Elliott is so unique. Holds her own at a time when the scene was more misogynistic and sexist. One of the best hip hop albums from the 2000s.

So much fun. Haven’t really listened to much Missy before, she’s awesome here, just full of energy and charisma.

started bopping my head did not add any songs tho

I like this work it leme word et revise et I added quite the few

Wasn’t familiar with your game missy.

Нудний хіп-хоп без прикольних приспівів. Тільки інструментали на другій частині трішки рятують альбом. Оцінка: висока 4/низька 5

I will concede that this is catchy, melodic and well produced. I have no interest on this but I'll also won't give it a low score. I don't think I can evaluate this fairly. I live to fight another day.

I liked this a lot more than I expected to and would definitely listen to it again

Under Construction feels like a fitting album name, the beats almost feel sparse at times. The 2000's in Hip Hop were all about bombast with movements like Bling and Crunk. Not much of that on here. Putting that aside, the album is fine. Some big names collaborating on here, not particularily interesting stuff to me still. Guess I can't put it aside, not really for me.

For a hip-hop album I thought this was a relatively good listen. I could live without the running commentary all the way through though.

Some good beats and decent rapping. I liked some of the features.

Gossip Folks and Work It are great. She's a solid rapper. Like most hip hop albums it runs a little long.

This was perfectly acceptable, occasionally enjoyable, and even a little infectious as early-2000s R&B/hip-hop from Missy Elliott. I seriously doubt I’ll ever seek out Under Construction again, but I’m glad I at least gave it a listen. I’m not entirely sure the album needed a 90-second introduction from Missy before finally getting around to letting the music speak for itself, but whatever. What do I know, anyway?

This was a strangely enjoyable album with some well known bangers on it. Worth an entry I think.

A fun throwback. I like Missy’s attitude, and I actually kind of appreciated her spoken bits between songs. The guest spots from Jay-Z and Beyoncé were standouts, and the song Pussycat is honestly hilarious. 3.5/5

This album was great , Missy just kills it

Work It is probably the only song on this album which gets me properly excited. I think I could get behind a streamlined version of this LP, with some less inspiring songs cut and Missy Elliott resisting the temptation to verbally contextualise the record throughout. My main problem with Elliott's music is that each song is very deliberately written around "an issue" which gets grating after a while, especially in a song that doesn't have much else going for it. You get the point she is making and then 3 minutes later she is still making that point. I could have done with some more of the confessional songs, including songs relating to some of the personal events she mentions in her monologues.

Missy Elliott gets a solid 3 from me, good rapping, solid production, but nothing huge here

This album actually changed my mind a bit. I went in expecting a fairly vanilla rap experience, but the overall style and appeals to peace within the rap community were powerful. Overall good album

Too much pontificating and loo little good music

Intro tosca, ela vomitando exposição sobre quem é e etc. como se quem ouve seu disco esteja interessado em assistir uma entrevista sua da MTV ou algo parecido. Que ideia horrível. Se for fazer isso, faça igual Kanye em Last Call. E pra piorar, a canção que vêm na sequência é uma das piores do álbum, com uma batida irritante e um flow psicótico (no pior sentido possível) de Elliott. Felizmente, o resto do álbum não é tão desagradavel. Uma coisa me chocou: Descobrir que este é o quarto disco da cantora. Este álbum possui uma vibe fortíssima de disco de estreia. Ainda mais com a abertura tosca, e a tremenda inconsistência aqui presente. Tudo é inconsistente, algumas batidas são ótimas e outras são repugnantes, alguns versos de Missy são brilhantes, e outros são horríveis. Tematicamente é bem pobre também. Mas poderia ser pior. Há momentos bons, e há momentos bem vergonhosos. Talvez em 2002 ele era mais palatável. Menos hoje. 2.5/5

New to me, except the singles. A bit over long perhaps, but in the main a really enjoyable listen

Decent album, this - witty, inventive and decently produced.

Great album, not one I’d heard previously, I really enjoyed it, especially “Bring The Pain”. 3 stars. Tom.