Missy Elliot
R&B musician, songwriter,
label foundress
1971-

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot was born and raised in the town of Portsmouth, Virginia. Elliot recalls, "I always used to tell my mom I was going to be a star." Elliot began her work in the world of R&B in the early 1990's, as a member of the now defunct group, Sista. After the breakup of this group, Missy became not only a vocalist, but a producer. She was involved with over 20 hits-- including songs for Aaliyah, Juvenile, Whitney Houston and Jodeci, among others.

In June of 1997 Missy released her first solo album, Supa Dupa Fly, to rave reviews. It debuted at number three on the Billboard Top Albums chart. Selling more than a million copies and capturing a Grammy award, Rolling Stone Magazine asserts that this established Missy "as a major force in 90's pop- period- a rare talent who transcended both genre and gender."

After the release of this album, and in conjunction with Elektra Records, Missy founded her own record label and production company, The Gold Mind Inc. In the summer of 1998 she went on to become the first hip-hop star to appear as part of the all-female Lillith Fair tour. In addition, she made guest appearances on The Wayans Brothers TV show, and starred in advertising campaigns for such high profile companies as the Gap and Sprite.

Missy demands to be taken seriously by those in the hip-hop world, and by those outside of it. She says that "females in [the R&B] business aren't taken as seriously as we should be....A bitch is what they call a woman who knows what she wants. When a man does it, he is called aggressive, and it's a positive thing. I'm just taking the term back."