Five-time GRAMMY® Award winner Missy Elliott has announced the official visual for “Cool Off.” The new clip – which finalizes the storyline from the previously-released “Why I Still Love You” – sees Missy starring as both the artist and the art as she and her spectacular troupe of dancers light up the night at a museum. Watch the visuals in sequence via Missy Elliott’s YouTube channel.
“Cool Off,” produced by Wili Hendrix and Mike Aristodle, is, of course, featured on Elliott’s latest EP, “ICONOLOGY,” available via Atlantic Records/Goldmind at all DSPs and streaming services. Produced by Elliott, Timbaland, and Wili Hendrix, the EP drew instant applause upon its surprise release last summer, with USA Today declaring it “a master class at the school of Missy Misdemeanor Elliott…The project brings back the Missy fans know and love, with booming bass beats that are the perfect backdrop to showcase her lyrical prowess.”
Along with “Cool Off,” “ICONOLOGY” includes the hit singles “Throw It Back,” “DripDemeanor (Feat. Sum1)” (produced by Timberland and Corte Ellis), and the aforementioned “Why I Still Love You,”(produced by Timberland, Federico and Angel Lopez), all of which are joined by spectacular companion visuals streaming now on YouTube. “Throw It Back” – co-starring Teyana Taylor – has quickly proved another classic, earning over 20 million views thus far. The clip drew unprecedented acclaim upon its multi-platform premiere, with Elle advising readers to “cancel all music videos today because Missy Elliott’s ‘Throw It Back’ is the Only One That Matters.” “One of the best visuals from any music video this year,” enthused Esquire. “‘Throw It Back’ absolutely delivers, with a beat that defies anyone not to dance and a nostalgia-inducing ‘flip it and reverse it’ reference.” Perhaps Marie Claire said it best: “Throw It Back” is “a complete return to form for the icon…Not only is she back, but she’s somehow even better, which I didn’t know was possible.”
“DripDemeanor (Feat. Sum1)” – now boasting over 12.5 million views – followed in October, just in time for homecoming season. Hailed by Esquire as “pure nineties-inspired R&B perfection,” the video sees Missy paying homage to the HBCU culture, spotlighting members of the Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternities, Inc. throughout.
“Why I Still Love You” arrived in January and quickly drew over 4 million views. The clip – co-directed by Missy and Derek Blanks, and featuring an exclusive cameo from Monica – was immediately feted by a wide range of applause, with Billboard simply noting, “Missy Elliott’s creative genius is on display once again.” “Missy brings her icon status into the new decade with her latest top-notch visual,” wrote MTV, while Vogue praised the clip’s iconic fashion and styling, declaring, “Elliott might have established a singular style within the world of hip-hop, but ‘Why I Still Love You’ proves she’s just as adept at playing era-specific characters, too.”
And as if all that weren’t enough, Missy kickstarted 2020 by making history yet again, this time co-producing the Lifetime original movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel alongside Queen Latifa and Mary J. Blige. The biopic is now known as Lifetime’s biggest movie in four years, which pulled over 11 million views. Last month saw Missy sit down for an exclusive in-depth interview on the smash Showtime chat show, DESUS & MERO; a full-length 20-minute version of the discussion is streaming now via YouTube. Elliott was also among the star-studded guest list at DJ Derek “D-Nice” Jones’s “Home School” virtual dance party on Instagram Live – a.k.a. #ClubQuarantine – joining such luminaries as Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Elizabeth Warren, Steph Curry, Ava DuVernay, and Joe Biden, among many others.
The iconic Elliott – who was seen starring on the July 2019 cover of Marie Claire – made history once again last summer as the first female rapper ever to receive the MTV Video Music Awards’ prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Indeed, Missy stole the show with a dazzling performance of hits that included “Throw It Back,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It,” “Pass That Dutch,” and “Lose Control.” “Missy Elliott is finally MTV Video Vanguard Award recipient,” raved Harper’s Bazaar, “and she proved that she earned every bit of the accolade with an epic performance at the VMAs.”
Furthermore, 2019 saw Elliott break new ground as the first female hip-hop artist and third-ever rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also, Elliott became the first female rapper to receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, celebrating her lasting contributions to music and popular culture. Atlantic Records recently rewarded Missy Elliott with a plaque in celebration of her music receiving over 1 billion streams.
One of the most significant female artists in contemporary music history, Missy Elliott is an avant-garde solo superstar, pioneering songwriter-producer, and across-the-board cultural icon. The five-time GRAMMY® Award-winner – with nominations spanning three decades – has attained unprecedented success, including U.S. sales over 30 million. Out of Missy’s six studio albums, five have been RIAA platinum-certified or better, marking her as the only female rapper to achieve that remarkable accomplishment.
Born in Portsmouth, VA, Missy first made waves for her inventive songwriting and production work, among them a score of hits for the late Aaliyah – including “One In A Million,” “If Only Your Girl Knew,” and “Hot Like Fire” – as well as such chart-topping favourites as SWV’s “Can We,” 702’s “Where My Girls At?,” Destiny’s Child’s “Confessions,” and Whitney Houston’s “In My Business”.
Elliott’s milestone solo debut, 1997’s RIAA platinum-certified “SUPA DUPA FLY,” proved a landmark, debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200 – the highest-charting debut for a female rapper at that date. Immediately acclaimed upon release as a boundary-shattering masterpiece, “SUPA DUPA FLY” spawned a string of blockbuster hit singles, including “Sock It 2 Me,” “Hit Em Wit Da Hee,” “Beep Me 911,” and of course “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).” “DA REAL WORLD” followed in 1999, showcasing the record-breaking #1 hit, “Hot Boyz (Remix) (Feat. Lil’ Mo, Nas, Eve & Q-Tip).”
2001’s “MISS E… SO ADDICTIVE” was yet another platinum certified milestone, a worldwide sensation that established Elliott as hip-hop’s preeminent female artist. With its six-note Punjabi hook, the album’s “Get Ur Freak On” redefined contemporary pop and hip hop, earning Missy her first-ever GRAMMY® Award (for “Best Rap Performance”). “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 upon its 2002 release and has since been certified 2x platinum for 2.5 million sales in the U.S. alone. “Work It,” the album’s lead single made history by spending an incredible 10 weeks at #2 on Billboard’s “Hot 100,” tied as the longest-running #2 single not to reach the #1 position. Missy’s sixth studio album, 2005’s “THE COOKBOOK” featured the GRAMMY®-nominated “We Run This” and the chart-busting “Lose Control (Feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop).” Missy’s 1999 hit “Hot Boyz” went #1 for 18 weeks, breaking records and landing in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Missy’s massive mainstream accomplishments extended far beyond her solo works, including innumerable guest appearances on singles and remixes by a truly diverse span of musical artists. As one of modern pop’s definitive songwriters and producers, Elliott’s star-studded list of songwriting credits continues to grow, including collaborations with, among others:
- Beyoncé
- Janet Jackson
- Katy Perry
- Ciara
- Monica
- K. Michelle
- Faith Evans
- Ginuwine
- Fantasia
- Jazmine Sullivan
- Justin Timberlake
She also participated in Michelle Obama’s all-star anthem “This Is For My Girls” and participated in ‘Car Pool Karaoke’ with the first lady.
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