Supa Dupa Fly

I wish I liked this a lot more than I did. I liked the intro with busta in it, but past that the album was mostly downhill from there

757 represent - Timbaland is easily in the GOAT conversation for production. The whole album is funky and soulful af, and so deep and rich. I could probably listen 10 times in a row and hear new elements. I really can't believe this was '97 - it feels way ahead of its time.

This album is really a trip to listen to in 2021. It's all about the vibe, above all else. The standard formula is Missy's smooth vocalizing setting the scene of a blunt smoke-filled room in late 90's NYC, followed by a guest emcee coming in to lay down the raps. It is maybe a tad repetitive, but it makes for an excellent chill album that's easy to listen to.

Another classic album in one of my favourite genres. Very much of its time, but Missy is one of the best and it was great listening to all her early stuff again. A couple of the tunes on the 2nd half of the album dragged a bit but on the whole it was great fun to listen to.

I don’t know if it’s the slower pace, the beats, or the samples used, but this is undeniably 90s and that it comfortingly familiar even when I have never heard any track beyond The Rain. Is this the best hip hop album? No. Would I put this on while I get shit done. Absolutely. I hover between 3 and 4 but I think pure nostalgia bumps this up to 4.

"Supa Dupa Fly" is the sound of a big step forward for the genre: I was struck by the feeling that in 1997, Missy Elliott developed a brand of hip-hop and R&B still celebrated and explored by women artists in the current scene. Themes of feminism, sex-positivity, body confidence and solidarity between women help to make the album a fresh and engaging listen, although the songs themselves weren't always up to scratch. The first half jumps out immediately, a result of all four singles being placed together at the very start. This isn't to say it's the best material, but it's certainly the most immediate, the most demanding of attention. I enjoyed Elliott's vocals across all of these tracks, as well as the scratchy bass hook in "Hit 'Em Wit da Hee", the brass sample and chorus of "Sock it 2 Me" and the soulful groove of "The Rain". In the second half (appropriately, from "Pass da Blunt" onwards) it all becomes hazier, mellow, more subtle- on first couple of listens, this is where my interest began to wane. Sensual slow jam "Friendly Skies" and the cool detachment of "Why You Hurt Me" both strike good tones but are overlong. "I'm Talking" is another weak link- there are surely stronger, smarter hooks she could have used than "my style of rapping/I'm such a good rapper." But "Izzy Izzy Ahh" and "Gettaway" are good fun and help prop up a weaker second half. A strong array of guest stars (Lil' Kim with a James Joyce reference, Da Brat with a lightning-speed rap, Ann Peebles via sample) add different perspectives to the music and all give distinct voices. And finally, Timbaland's production is bold and innovative throughout, with a lot of layers that are fun to unpack. As well as the sampling and rhythms, some of my favourite arrangements pushed beatboxing (the final minute of "Pass da Joint", the vocal percussion in "They Don't Wanna Fuck Wit Me", and the accompaniment to "Gettaway"). This just scrapes 4* and would have been stronger still if a couple of tracks were shaved off towards the end: it starts brilliantly and Missy Elliott's vocals made a great combination with the guest stars and Timbaland's production.

A hip hop album with strong R&B influences. I'm sure this album was a major impact on encouraging female artists into the industry. The main appeal is the fantastic production by Timbaland which gives it a very futuristic funky sound to lots of the tracks (you should just see the videos), from space sound effects to robotic drones. Out of this world beats consistently throughout. That being said, despite her sexy voice, I don't think Missy is a great rapper, and for most of the second side, I was just curious what Timbaland was going to try to do.

Wanna like this more than I do. Some of the beats are really eccentric and I like that but it just doesn't completely gel for me. I think it's the combination of the more r&b sung elements that throw me off. Favorite track is "Izzy Izzy ahh" where she's doing this kinda laid back ODB thing. I like it when she gets more nonsensical and playful like that.

Seriously, another missy Elliott album? The author of this book really did just fill gaps wherever hey. This just went on and on and on without end, yet another nameless rap album from the late 90s when it lost all character and started to sound like generic mass produced crap. This is the rap equivalent of poison or nelson. 2/5.

Had this at a 4/10 rating thirty minutes in halfway through, until I saw red upon realizing I was halfway through thirty minutes in! Snoozefest full of weak bars except for Lil Kim's past- left-field Finnegan's Wake reference, which I missed because I was catching Z's. Inexplicably in the top 100 of Rolling Stone's 2020-edition Top 500 Albums list, above and below some astronomically superior works. 3/10

Fantastic beats from Timbaland, and some bomb features as well. It is unfortunate that I find Missy Elliot herself to be so dreadfully boring. I genuinely do not get her hype someone please explain it to me.

Hard to contextualize this one. Progressive female rapper from the 90's. Groovy jams. Trouble is I can't remember if this was breaking new ground or just sounding like what else was out there at the time.

I love Missy E, but this one is a miss. Too many Timbaland ad libs and iffy features. Best track: Hit 'Em wit da Hee

This is Missy's first album and it feels like a freshman attempt. It's a bit jumbled and weak, missing that weird snap that makes a Missy joint so recognizable. It's far more generic R&B than hip-hop but the unique spark that makes Missy the queen is there, just barely visible, buried in the sand. I'm glad she dug it out for further albums. Sadly, there's not enough here to save this first one.

Another week, another overlong hip hop album with too many songs and skits. Is there any point in the making of these albums where someone pipes up that maybe 17 songs is too many and 10 or 12 is more than enough. Some good stuff, a lot of average, the Busta Rhymes intros/outros are embarrassingly bad as is 'Missy's Finale', where she thanks the people who worked on the album. Same time next week?

I'd rather take a cheese grater to my eardrums than listen to this again.

I have to be honest, I had to just skim through this album because I really did not like it. Now I need to go cleanse the palate with some King Crimson or something. Favorite Track(s): “Friendly Skies”

This was a big barrel of wank. That’s my review.

Moronic, low brow and pretty obnoxious in parts. Propped up by a host of thoroughly skanky guests.

Supa Dupa Good xD

Early Timbaland and Missy. Some of the greats.

More Missy, yes please

so good! so many killer features and production is on point on every single track!

this is a great album! Missy is so cool and I absolutely love seeing this on the list

Missy is a queen. Point blank, period.

They don’t wanna fuck w me!!

Always a pleasure.

Just a transcendent hip-hop record that still feels groundbreaking 25 years later.

This was great! Loved her voice.

Another incredible debut

A quarter century old and still sounds fresh and modern as can be.

crying, screaming, throwing up this album is so good!!! sock it 2 me, the rain, izzy izzy ahh were so good. something abt the sound of this album rlly tickled my brain in the best way. pass da blunt SENT MEEEE lmao bc pass the dutchie has been on my rotation lately & i did not expect to hear it here. I love how she references some rlly classic songs in such an original way, it's rlly well done ❤️❤️❤️

Incredible album. You could tell Missy and Timbaland we’re gonna be stars from the beginning.

great

Great samples. Very entertaining. Loved it.

When this album appeared, I cheered aloud! So excited to finally see Missy on the list. Top notch!!!

5/5. Every song was enjoyable and fun and the beats were amazing. Some okay songs but no bad ones.

Missy created a classic album with this one!

This album is super-duper fly.

Wow. How did this come out in 1997 am still sound like the future in 2022? The production and rapping were both great and it clearly influenced everyone from OutKast to Drake who pushed hip hop to be more ambitious as a genre. And this was a debut album?! Extremely bold but it works! I never heard this before and will need to relisten to fully grasp it all.

Missy Elliott had years of experience as a writer and performer before releasing her debut. That maturity shows. In addition, her close working relationship with influential producer Timbaland is on full display here as well. This is an exceptional release. It was not written for me. This is a black urban album from a woman's perspective. That in and of itself would put it on my list. However, the music is creative and exceptional throughout. Timbaland's style (I call it stutter stop production, but I am sure there is a better phrase) became ubiquitous in the decade, but I am not sure the work with Miss Elliott is not the peak.

6/24 Bomb Timbaland production over Missy's fly singing and rapping, classic. Standout Track: Hit Em wit da Hee, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), They Don't Wanna Fuck wit Me, Bite Our Style Interlude, Izzy Izzy Ahh, Gettaway

Missy is wonderful, r&b leads the front of this album and rap leads the back half, great vibe

I was not anticipating to like this album as much as I did. Timbaland has such great producing chops. Only song I didn't like was that Genuwine song

Skelsættende album for kvindelig rap og r&b, chill vibe, fed Timbaland-produktion

Man glömmer lätt att detta släpptes på 90-talet och att varken Missy eller Timbaland hade gjort särskilt mycket innan detta. De satte ett sound som lever kvar än och det förtjänar sina stjärnor i betyg.

Great album. Lots of fantastic hip hop with a smooth serving of R&B to top it off. Easy 4 stars.

Missy Elliott is a goddamn national treasure and you can’t tell me otherwise. This album slaps, it was recorded in 1997 but sounds like it’s from 2007. Had no idea Timbaland produced.

Takes a while to get rolling. Missy is a mediocre rapper at best, but it's about the big picture here. Great beats from Timbaland. Never knew that line in "Work It" was a callback to "Izzy."

Enjoyed this one

Wow 90's rap is dope!

CLASSIC

Only one fantastic song but the whole album is pretty good

Missy Elliott in this sounds like a girl you over here at Denny’s at 1am on a drunken Saturday night and love the story she is telling. I like it

Love coming back to this one. It's a classic, but not my fav Missy album.

Great songwriting and performance by Missy, undercut by Top-Tier Timbaland Production

Enjoyable

Top notch. A bit too RnB for me but the more times I listened, the more I enjoyed it. Great beats and great colabs and fair play to Missy for breaking into a male dominated industry with so much confidence, attitude and talent. Has no doubt paved the way for many other women

Never listened to this before but I really liked it. I was nostalgic anyway

It might be my 90s nostalgia talking, but I liked this one.

Missy earns her spot in the halls of great rappers and proves that there isn't a gender issue. This 90's touched R&B hip-hop record is solid and easy listening.

This album is fast and daring

I have never heard a hip hop album before, because it's not my style actually, I'm not a hip hop fan, but this album, it's really good, I love her voice, the lyrics are quite good. Good album

this is exciting. i've liked her features in songs and i know her hits obviously but i don't know how an entire album of her will go, tons of features i see. first second of music and i'm into it lol. on the second song. take a shot every time someone rhymes missy and pissy. song sounds great though. i'm about halfway through now, i love the vocal layering. okay i'm done. my fave songs were friendly skies, best friends. a really nice listen.

missy/timbaland production set trends for the next decade

This was great.

Really tasty beats, good songs. Feel like it doesn't quite capture the quintessential Missy Elliot we would hear later on.

At the time; it was a refreshing hip hop album.

The thing I love the most about Missy Elliott is that she's all in on her music career. Seemingly every other star who achieved success in her genre has at least tried to pivot into acting. But not Missy Elliott. She may eventually become the Joni Mitchell of rap and hip hop before all is said and done. Hell, she probably already is! I hear some Lauryn Hill here, along with some Prince and maybe even some Nenah Cherry. Overall, I found this to be a delight.

Not that much a rap album, especially compared to her other work, but great production and great rhymes by the legend

Supa Dupa Fly has an accurate title for this album as it does hum and flow smoothly, though not too in your face like the insect. The four singles are bops, with Sock It 2 Me and The Rain being my preferences out of them. The album cuts are mostly great too, with Best Friends being my favourite. Missy Elliott's vocals is smooth, playful and her rapping skills flows so well. Sets a nice chill vibe overall. The featured are great too (though didn't enjoy the intro and outro from Busta Rhymes). Timbaland's production and beats are fantastic here too, making them really enjoyable. Cut a couple of tracks off for b sides or for another album and it would be perfect.

Blijft lekkrr

Awesome album, Timbaland's crisp beats make this an absolute banger. Hip-hop at its finest

A classic. I really got in to Missy Elliot the year I was in Nepal.

Dope

Loved this album, super refreshing, smooth sound

The baddest bitch of the century hitting hard like penitentiary dick. I can only assume that's pretty fucking hard as sadly I have no first hand experience of penitentiary dick.

really enjoyed it, surprisingly. I was mostly passively listening, but didn't get bored and any time I really tuned in it was all good. 4/5

Missy, you are indeed supa dupa fly, Hip hop albums don't always age well, but this one is still damn fine after all these years. If I was going to edit, I would cut the skits and guest spots (I mean, why did we need Busta Rhymes to introduce the album? No offense to Mr Rhymes). Missy's flow is on point, and pairs wonderfully with the consistently funky fresh production from Timbaland. Great choice to keep a consistent vision across the whole album, although tracks maintain their individual identity. Love the singles (obviously), but this one is a great listen throughout.

first listen cool and groovy, timbaland beats are timeless

Beep beep.... Missy Elliott's debut album is a perfect introduction for those who want to dig into why she remains a influential figure in pop, R&B and hip-hop nearly twenty-five years on. Apart from the Busta Rhymes stuff and the spoken word outro, almost every song here is a banger from the hits to the deep cuts. An essential listen all around. Favorites: Hit 'Em With da Hee, Sock It 2 Me, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), Beep Me 911, Pass da Blunt, Best Friends, Don't Be Comin' (In My Face), Why You Hurt Me, I'm Talkin'.

Nice to hear a female voice in hip-hop. Occasionally discordant and a little too long, but I liked it, especially the first track.

some good stuff on here - plenty of strong attitude and some slick samples

Missy Elliott can do no wrong.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The rain

Sick Timbo beats and Missy’s lyrics on point make for a classic album and even the guest artists add to rather than detract from the whole (not always the case). As with so many rap albums, more judicious editing would make for a shorter, tighter, slicker album (I could do with fewer r and b tracks - Missy, why you *sing* that you such a great rapper?!?). Regardless, a classic, significant and influential record which shook up the hip hop sound and showed female rappers could break out of a mould which up to that point had them having to out-thug the men.

pretty good, I liked it I think I liked it a little more than the other Missy Elliot album I got 8/10

Pretty fun album, with the limitless toy of Timberland on board. A springboard into some cracking later songs

Really enjoyable. Beats are minimally produced which allows the vocals to shine. Minimal beat boxing mixed into the beats give an organic feel. Rap mixed with 90s style R&B with thick vocal harmonies. Overall, fun and very easy on the ears. Will listen again. That talk box is sneaking back in in friendly skies. Get out, talkbox 😡

pass the dutchie on the left hand side

Is aight. Pretty dope.

A fun album - it does not contain my favourite Missy Elliot but it’s a great record nonetheless - soulful, playful - great collaborations and the production is impeccable. There’s a lot of Missy Elliot’s sass right below the surface but it hasn’t bloomed yet in full glory on this record..

Crazily strong debut. Just fresh and solid from top to bottom.

Staple album.

good

Love this

Very melodic. Love the harmonies and the background sounds...horns, pianos, etc. And the rapping is excellent.

Not my usual thing but I figured this had to be good. But I wasn’t so sure I would like it. Turns out I really like this album… great guests, great harmonies, great album!

missy elliott is amazing, she’s influential and wonderful.

coool....

I generally don't like pop but this one works well

Beats are great!

Very 90s. Very Missy. I appreciated her “thank you” outro.

Good.... but a little too much timberland on this one. His name was mentioned in practically every song.

Missy Elliott is iconic but no real standouts to me other than "The Rain."

Looooooool

Not really a fan of missy but those timberland beats as smooth as hell

Just Supa Fly but go Missy

Not my thing. Why are there so many songs "feat." someone?

A bit boring. And maybe too cool for me. Also seems a bit childish. "Beep beep get in the jeep" and "I'm such a good rapper". Although I recognise the impact and influence this album has had on popular music

Lekker muzikale beats, fijne samples van bijv. trompet tussendoor (Sock it 2 me). Tekst lekker generiek cool doen, maar soms ook gevoeligere nummers (Best Friends). Overall vooral muzikaal een aantrekkelijk album, de teksten kan ik niet echt relaten. Ondanks dope beats meer achtergrond muziek voor mij.

90s albums please be shorter I'm begging you

3.2

Really not my kind of music. It was catchy but I couldn't wait for it to be over.

It's nice to have some variety, as I'm not the biggest fan of 90's Hip Hop. I didn't dislike the album as much as I expected to. I found a lot of the instrumental choices very interesting, and it made for a good listen.

Ok hip hop

A good album that brought the unique sound of Missy Elliot to the masses(and brought the amazing production of Timbaland). This is a great intro to both their sounds and has some great hits too("hit em with the hee", "sock it 2 me") really good debut album.

Loved hearing timbalands beats from back in the day, there were some bangers but overall not a huge fan.

Supa Dupa Fly is the debut studio album by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, released July 15, 1997 on The Goldmind and Elektra Records. The album was recorded and produced solely by Timbaland in October 1996, and features the singles, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", "Sock It 2 Me", "Hit Em wit da Hee" and "Beep Me 911". Guest appearances on the album include Busta Rhymes, Ginuwine, 702, Magoo, Da Brat, Lil' Kim, and Aaliyah. The album was recorded in just two weeks. Supa Dupa Fly brings together elements of hip hop, dance, R&B, electronic music, and soul.[10][11] Music critic Garry Mulholland described Timbaland's production as "eschewing samples for a bump 'n' grind electronica, strongly influenced by the digital rhythms of dancehall reggae, but rounder, fuller, fatter".[12] AllMusic described it as consisting of “lean, digital grooves [...] packed with unpredictable arrangements and stuttering rhythms that often resemble slowed-down drum'n'bass breakbeats."[10] Elliott's raps were described as “full of hilariously surreal free associations that fit the off-kilter sensibility of the music to a tee.”[10] According to author Mickey Hess, the album's lyrical content "reveals Elliott's complex, creative, and challenging discussion about womanhood; her demand for respect, respect for her personal voice and her desire for fulfilling intimacy with lovers and friends".[13] The album's opening track, "Busta's Intro", features rapper Busta Rhymes as a town crier warning of a "historical event about to unfold".[13] "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" contains a sample of Ann Peebles' 1973 song "I Can't Stand the Rain".[14] "Pass da Blunt" is partly based on the song "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth.

I appreciated that this was good music, was a good uplifting vibe for me after bank hol Tues. But wasn't wholly my thing - hard to know how to rate.

Its was aight, I have never been all the way through a Missy Album, same problem as most rappers, they sticking to the same 5 subjects.

No me ha entusiasmado. Pero se escucha sin darse uno cuenta. Bastante tranquilo. Me ha recordado al The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Lo volveré a escuchar.

Rap clàssic. Bé.

Mit Don't Be Comin' In My Face direkt mal die Antwort auf z.B. Biggies Blowjob-Skit geliefert, Izzy Izzy Ahh so. Überhaupt Sex: natürlich auch hier wichtiges Ding, mit umgedrehter Macker-Perspektive (Sock It To Me). Warum eigentlich immer Macker-Perspektiven/Posen? Kann ich als Whitie White Kartoffel vom Dorf eh nicht beantworten und freue mich, dass ich mein Sexleben mal schön selbst verhandle, alles kann nichts muss. Punkte jedenfalls für's selbst in die Hand nehmen, Missy. Ansonsten: ganz gut, reißt mich aber auf voller Länge nicht weit vom Hocker; wird nach hinten raus bisschen schwächer, und gerade am Booty mag man's doch tight.

Never really been into Missy Elliott but I totally get that being a female rapper in the 90s was massively pioneering and, as a result, my score is largely on that basis. I like the Timbaland production but just don't find the album as a whole massively exciting. No bangers either. 6/10

Enjoyed this. Gave it a couple of listens. Ridic production levels.

Good but not my jam.

Another Missy Elliott. Not much to add to my comments on the 1st Missy E album we had.

- feminism - makes me move

WHAT CAN’T MISSY DO? 💯

No need for it to be an hour long and 17 songs long. Appreciate what she did for R&B and especially for female rappers but wouldn't listen to it as anything more than background music on my GTA radio. Was between a 2 and a 3 for me but I'll give it a 3 because I like the vibe.

No suelo escuchar hip hop pero me ha gustado.

It was ok

Good but Missy has better albums

Find early Missy a bit dull. And most of her albums. Some songs are good though

This album is more soulful and laid back than some of her other ones. I didn't immediately get into it, but I see how influential it was/is.

Classic Timbaland beatz and some surprising fresh rhymes and content from Missy that have really aged well. Part of her appeal is that she's not a pop star and doesn't need to go the Nicki Minaj/Cardi B route, so there's a lot more attention and emphasis on the music vs. the packaging.

Beats, vocals, production are solid. Uncertain if essential though.

Standard 90s Hip-hop to me. It's not bad but just sort of there, doesn't do much that other things haven't. Very radio friendly sound to me.

Hit and Missy

There some decent stuff in here - definitely of a time but it really drags after a while - could have done with some quality control and stripping back the number of tracks

Very enjoyable.

Not really my favorite offering from Missy Elliott, but not bad considering this was earlier in her career. I really liked the beats, but the lyrics...could have been better.

Busta rhymes doesn't actually bust any rhymes in that intro contrary to popular belief it's weird but through albums in this time period I can really see where Sonic Adventures Battle 2 DX got it's soundtrack, especially the Knuckles and Rouges sections. This just sounds like the Rouge levels but with lyrics Does sound a bit like Persona 4's style of music It was alright, sort of generic, but didn't hate it, probs a 3 star

A Lot of shout outs to timbaland and rightly so since the beats and production do shine. Otherwise less firepower than some of missys later stuff I’m more familiar with but I appreciate her range from dropping bars to soul/reggae. Solid features with lol Kim, Busta, Aliyah Sock it to me, the rain, pass da blunt

The 90's were my early parenting years so missed a lot of interesting stuff including Rap and R & B, but being on oldish child of the seventies (18 in'77) I would have probably erred toward Britpop rather than American music at this time. But what does Missy bring to the party here, well I like "Hit em wit da hee" with Lil' Kim. The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) is a good reworking of I can't stand the rain but my favourite track is "Pas de Blunt" who'd of thought those young lads from Birmingham UK would be so influential! An interesting exploration with some super production values from Timbaland

Cool collabs and woman-led hip hop but just didn't connect with me.

Pretty good, but not four stars.

Not bad

Supa dupa fye

Niet helemaal mijn ding maar wel oké

I liked the first half of the album, then it sort of dropped. My favourite track from the album is Hit 'Em Wit Da Hee (ft. Lil Kim).

Smooth production but pretty damn boring. 5/10

6/10 this had a nice vibe but it was like it couldn’t help but fade into the backgrohnd

Not a rap guy. This is fine. Nothing amazing, nothing terrible.

Loved some tracks but others didn’t do it for me. Love Timbaland though

Some real catchy stuff at times in there. Other parts were less engaging -- kind of sounded to me like too many other things -- but overall, this album took me in with some really nice beats, and I do like her voice and the way she uses it.

Ok. Good production. Meh lyrics

Fun album. Nostalgic hip hop.

The beginning of Missy, more R&B than I expected to be. Not very memorable, but ok

Liked the music; a little funky. The lyrics were forgettable.

Flawless production. Not entirely my thing (as much as her later albums would be) but still worth it.

A very nice 90s hip-hop album with Timbaland as a producer. Beats and rendition of Missy Elliott were great! However, it joins me less emotionally and I don't think I will listen to it again in my life.

Nothing mindblowing, but I understand why it became an important piece of the cultural landscape in hip hop. I'm glad I heard it, but I doubt I'll ever return to it.

-Some good beats and great vibes -Kinda wish it were a bit shorter -Album feels a bit front-loaded with the best songs

I know Missy moreso from her early 2000's hits than anything, but this album has been on my radar for a while, after seeing it listed in Harvard's Hip-Hop Archive (sidenote, I hope they earn more to update it soon). It's not bad, but it does get a little samey. It could have been a lot better at a brisk 45 minutes, but still earns points for that crisp Timbaland sound. He'll always be relevant IMO C

Pretty enjoyable funky, smooth hip hop with crisp production. Not entirely my thing but I can chill to it. The beat and jazzy chords in Beep Me 911 are awesome. But why the fuck is this an hour long?

Never listened to this before, other than hearing the singles when they were popular. Pretty good overall. I like Missy Elliott's voice and production skills, but a lot of this album isn't as memorable as tracks she released later in her career. Some good guests like Busta and Aaliyah, but Timbaland is an immediate detractor from any track he appears on.

I liked this more than I expected. Still not super my thing though

I'd never heard this and I was glad it's Timbaland on production, he was starting to hit his stride here. Loads of good tracks

First listen: pretty much only like Beep Me 911.

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Legalzinho mas não muito empolgante

I liked this much better than 'Under Construction'. I don't think it's right that Missy Elliot has two albums in the 1001 albums you 'must hear' before you die though.

Mehhh

Il n’y a pas un album de Missy que j’aime dans son ensemble. Il y a des pièces super fortes sur différents albums, donc mon écoute tiens toujours compte de l’ensemble de l’œuvre dans son cas. Sur ce premier album, on tire beaucoup plus vers le R&B que j’apprivoise encore graduellement. C’est le côté Hip Hop qui me plait chez Missy, donc cet album me parle moins que Under Construction ou So Addictive. Il est aussi un peu long. Par contre son audace et son humour sont présent. Les beats des pièces Hit ´Em wit da Hee, Sock It 2 Me, The Rain et Pass da Blunt sont contagieux. Donc album à avoir écouté oui, mais ce n’est pas mon premier choix quand j’ai envie d’écouter du Missy. J’ajoute une étoile pour l’importance de cette artiste dans ce genre dominé par les hommes. Pièces préférées: Sock It 2 Me, The Rain et Pass da Blunt

Some great production from timberland but Elliot is a weak rapper at this stage

I started off thinking that this was yet another boring album that’s on here for some historical or music critic reason but by the end I was totally on board. The vocals are basically nick cave from the boatman’s call mixed with frank Sinatra but the production is on a whole other level of mixing genres and it’s all really beautiful sounding

Soul hip hop

Izzy Izzy Ahh, bluh blah, bluh blah blah! There wasn't much here for me on this one. I liked the pass the dutchie style Pass the Blunt song. The rest was just kind of irritating.

3-3.5 out of 5

Not my usual neighborhood but I am, of course, aware of Missy Elliot's iconic status so I'm interested to dive into this, her debut studio album. Love the luxe setting of the cover photo. I don't love the intro but otherwise the initial tracks are really strong, especially The Rain. Honestly it's not quite what I was expecting. The rest of the songs are a bit uneven but with lots of sex and drugs and attitude sprinkled throughout they are all entertaining. Overall I'm left wanting to hear more from her.

I liked this more than expected. Not a fan of most hip hop or rap but Missy seems kind of musical compared to others. 3 stars.

Respect for Missy, but this genre has never been my thing.

Why is it so long? That question shall be our guide for diagnosing the flaws not only in this album, but of 90s albums generally. The compact disc (remember those? they were also known as CDs, if that helps) can hold 74 minutes of music; apocryphally, the inventors decided on this length in order for a single disc to be able to hold Beethoven's 9th Symphony on one disc (this isn't true, but it's a pleasant lie). This empowered musicians with the ambition to extend the lengths of their albums, but signficantly increased the prevalence of filler, shivelling the impact of their albums by filling the fuckers with inessential crap. Well done CDs, you gave licence for the Sm*sh*ng P*mpk*ins to torch two hours of my life with their conceited arse-gravy. No genre suffered more from this technological grandiosity that hip-hop. For 90s rappers, you proved the scale of both your vision and your swagger by ballooning your album to its maximal size, not caring about the resultant pop. As a stance, this is in keeping with hip-hop's machismo, but it mainly begat homogenised tracks and godawful skits. Missy Elliott is of course a lady, so you'd hope for less self-aggrandisement and more delicacy (yes, I know that's a gender stereotype, but wishing for more femininity is hardly the most unforgivable of crimes). So it's a touch heartbreaking than Missy Elliott doesn't try to flip over the table, and instead produces a 90s hip-hop album. To its credit, there's an undercurrent of soul flowing into several tracks, and these are the womanish pearlers of the album. But there's also the swamp of undistinguished, indistinguishable songs about marijuana and how Missy is not someone to mess with. This makes the album less a treat than a march. Finishing an album out of obligation isn't that gladdening a sign. To illustrate further, the track Best Friends, a sweet duet with Aaliyah about, well, friendship, would have served as a great, rewarding coda. However, here it's just track 10 of 17. This glut leads to the paradox that it's difficult to appreciate Missy Elliott's rap skills because she spends so much time demonstrating her rap skills. It's no piece of cake to consume a whole Black Forest gateau in one sitting. Finally, I'd like to discuss the conspicuous samples on certain tracks. Ann Peebles' I Can't Stand the Rain? Fine. Musical Youth's Pass the Dutchie on the track Pass Da Blunt? A joke that doesn't come off (fun fact: Pass the Dutchie was partially taken from the reggae song Pass the Kouchie, kouchie being a hash pipe; since Musical Youth were a kid-friendly act consisting of kids, they changed the cannabis references to food references, with dutchie being patois for a Dutch oven). Jamiroquai's Morning Glory? You're extracting the urine and no mistake. Three stars for the good bits.

More like 3 and a half. Don't need all those goofy sound effects in there. I think those are Timbaland's contributions? TIL that he's the thing I hate most about late 90s/early 00s R&B/hip hop. Sound effects aside, this album has great vibes and good flow. First half is stronger.

This is indeed Supa Dupa Fly

Meh

Today, Missy Elliott's debut album is regarded as one of, arguably THE most important R&B and hip-hop albums by a female artist of the 1990s. Despite this, this album is far from flawless. Missy Elliott is still an intriguing character because she writes and—with Timbaland— produces her own songs. Furthermore she's talented in rapping and singing. The song material on the other hand falls short in many ways, especially lyrically, even if you can already tell that the production was ahead of its time in terms of sound. With those great trumpets and the well-crafted chorus, "Sock It 2 Me" is unquestionably the album's highlight. Although "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" makes good use of that sample, the verses that surround it just don't sound right with the background track or the sample lines. The laid-back vibe, along with a gorgeous guitar riff from Eddie Floyd's Check Me Out that plays throughout the song, makes a somewhat darker production like "Why You Hurt Me" appealing. But those stand out as the album's highlights. Although it might possibly be a result of the album's lackluster song selection, there are a lot of guest appearances that don't add anything (read: nothing really). It's also difficult to find anything good in songs like "They Don't Wanna Fuck With Me" because the lyrics are yet another example of how ridiculous they are. A mixed album across the board; so three stars.

LOL can’t really listen to this with my kids around! At first I was just ok with this album but have enjoyed the songs more the further in I get. There is a lot of humor in this, and great beats by Timbaland. I’m still not clear why it is ranked so high on critic’s lists, but I could definitely see myself listening again.

As "Get Ur Freak On" is one of my favorite jams ever, I really looked forward to hearing this debut album for the first time. While there were some good moments, for most of the hour I did not connect with what felt very repetitive. I still don't love dragged out slow beats without a change in tempo here and there, and I just got both annoyed and bored with a lot of it.

Funcionou melhor do que o outro dela.

Generic and unoriginal but reading the reviews it was quite groundbreaking so maybe this paved the way? Even the biggest hit on this is a remake but having said that it's well produced and pleasant to listen to so there you go.

Vibing funky and soulful beats and the delivery is not bad either, but lyrically it falls behind and stretches for just too long.

Enjoyed it - much chiller than I expected

I'm really not a fan of this genre, but enjoyed this more than I anticipated.

3.75

The album is alright. A couple of songs were recognizable. Some songs that I had not heard before and were pretty good. Some were just a bit too long and just unnoteworthy. There a couple songs were Missy is just making noise. There is a shoutout to Timbaland on every song.

I preferred this to "Under Construction" and there are some great tracks on here. I particularly enjoyed "Sock It To Me" and "The Rain" 3+/5

not what i was expecting at all but in a good way! 1990s missy > 2000s missy