"She takes the little she’s given and transforms it into something complex....she is outrageous because no one cares what she does - until, that is, she begins to make money." (The New Yorker)

This prophetic M.O. was applied to Missy Elliott upon the release of her Grammy nominated, platinum-plus debut, Supa Dupa Fly, in 1997. Two years later, after achieving a level of success that few female hip hop performers have ever attained, Missy’s bank account is indeed bulging. Her new single from Da Real World - the controversial "She’s A Bitch," also confirms that Missy and her trusted producer Timbaland have once again raised the hip hop standard. Says The Face, "Da Real World is the unsurpassably creative, zenith-defining hip hop sound of 1999. Missy Elliott has just gone and reinvented hip hop." But the most accurate part of the prediction?: It’s 1999, and everybody wants to know what’s up with Missy Elliott? Some may be scratching their heads at the "bitch" moniker, but all are uncontrollably slinking to its rolling groove, miming (as they did with her breakthrough ‘97 single "The Rain") the throwaway trail of verses that are pure, unadulterated Missy.:

"She’s a bitch! When you say my name, talk more junk but won’t look my way. See, I got more cheese, so back on up while I roll up my sleeves."

As one of the few music stars to successfully navigate the rap, pop and R&B worlds without bowing to any of them, Missy has taken rap’s testosterone-fueled B-word, and inverted its meaning. She’s camouflaged her ethereal ability to flex words and thrown a fastball. Says Missy: "Females in this business aren’t taken as seriously as we should be. So, in order to be heard we’ll often assume a character and give off what one would call a ‘diva’ or a ‘bitch’ attitude. When a man does it he’s called aggressive and its a positive thing. A bitch is what they call a woman who knows what she wants. I’m just taking the term back. If a ‘bitch’ is what I am for achieving that, then so be it. If I got to check you loud and clear, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m showing you what it’s like to come off like that."

But the multi-faceted Missy also displays a diverse arsenal of firepower on Da Real World. Chilling duets with hip hop and R&B superstars such as Juvenile, Aaliyah, Da Brat, Destiny’s Child, Lady Saw and Eminem help punctuate Timbaland’s versatile fuselage of beats. Missy admits that the unprecedented acclaim of Supa Dupa Fly made the prospect of a follow-up LP more than a little nerve-wrecking. "I’m not going to lie to you. I felt the pressure," she laughs. "Not only to live up to my first album, but I was also competing with all the collaborations I’ve done."

The superstar’s own production and writing discography is endless, including work with Whitney Houston, Scary Spice, Aaliyah, Total, 702, Nicole, SWV, and more, as well as recent remixes for Paula Cole and Janet Jackson. To top it all off, Missy has been steadily at the helm of her very own record company, The Gold Mind Inc., which kicked off its amazing run last year with the gold-plus debut album of Nicole. "So, I’ve been busy," says Missy. "When I went in to do my album, I was worried the first couple of days. I didn’t know if any of the songs I was doing would live up. So I took two days off. Timbaland was bugging. He was saying ‘You’re crazy.’ He talked me into getting back and just treating it like we were doing any other sessions. He told me not to worry how I was coming off. ‘Don’t be too careful,’ he said. ‘Because you’re Missy Elliott.’"

That reminder took Missy back to her early days in Portsmouth, Virginia. "I always used to tell my mom I was going to be a star," she says. She got her first break in 1991 with the now defunct group Sista. The album was slated for an Elektra release, but never came out. It did, however, jump start Missy’s reputation as a writer and producer. She graced gold and platinum tracks for artists such as Jodeci and Aaliyah, snagging a breakthrough rap performance on Gina Thompson’s "The Things You Do." She had perfected a casual but memorable style, with fans calling her the "hee ha " girl for the infectious imprint she dropped on the video remix of the track. She soon landed a production/label deal with Elektra, launching The Gold Mind Inc., and cultivating her own artists to produce. Her successful partnership with Timbaland, and her increasing inside-the-industry-rep as a hitmaker finally convinced Missy to create her own solo project, releasing the universally hailed Supa Dupa Fly in June of 1997. It changed the male-dominated hip hop landscape forever, making the singing and rhyming Missy the genre’s first phosphorescent voice. The groundbreaking video for the single "The Rain," directed by Hype Williams, was nominated for three MTV awards, and cemented Missy’s reputation as an extraordinary visionary. The album debuted on Billboard’s Top Albums chart at number 3, establishing Missy as a major force in 90’s pop - period! - a rare talent who transcended both genre and gender.

She went on to create a virtual empire, building on the success of The Gold Mind Inc., and becoming the first hip hop star to appear as part of the renowned Lilith Tour (to rave reviews), as well as acting in The Wayans Brothers TV show and starring in high profile ad campaigns for companies such as Sprite and The Gap.

"It’s been an incredible couple of years," says Missy. She cites her intuitive relationship with Timbaland as one of the main reasons she’s been able to focus on each project, delivering her best each time. "It gives you exposure to new ideas. I realize that whatever or whoever I’m working with, it’s still going to carry my name. I always have pride in my work."

That enthusiasm definitely applies to her own Da Real World, where the unflappable Missy once again mixes it up over Timbaland’s trademark rhythms. There’s the euphoric "Smooth Chick," a sultry club tune that reflects the wide range of styles that Missy commands. "It’s the kind of straight up club record you feel more than hear, if you know what I mean," says Missy.

There’s the self-explanatory "Beat Biters." "It’s a message from me and Timbaland to so many people who have bit our style. ‘When are you all going to get some originality for yourselves.’ But in a way, we are thanking them. It makes me and Timbaland always want to do something different - go in another direction."

Like they do with the sly styling of "All In," which features Big Boi of Outkast and Nicole. "I’m reversing the stereotypes on that one too," says Missy. "I’m saying to the man: ‘Don’t be running up my phone bill and watching my cable and trying to get a free ride unless you can do something for me,’" she laughs. Missy also draws the line with some uproarious interludes with Lil’ Kim, including a mysterious snippet called "He Ain’t Checkin’ 4U." Another trash-talk masterpiece is "Check Me Out," which features Juvenile and B.G.. "From the first time I saw Juvenile’s video on TV, I wanted to work with him. It was all low budget. It looked like the joint you shoot from a camcorder. I had to have him on my album. He gives the song that special edge." Other gems include the cocky "Sticken Chicken," with Aaliyah and Da Brat, ("I want it all, from the motherfucking house down to the dog...) and the back-off/slow jam of, "You Don’t Know," featuring labelmate Lil Mo.

But the blowup track on Da Real World just might be the much talked about summit with Eminem, "Bus A Rhyme." As the album’s third song, it serves as the telling compass point of the LP, signaling that Missy fans are in for the ride of their life. Eminem’s mad-jester style fits perfectly with Missy’s more subtle ability to change venues on us. It soars and spirals like some deranged hip hop opera, including a symphony of helicopters that meld perfectly with Timbaland’s paranoid beats, sending Eminem’s and Missy’s diverging vocal styles into a whole other level of chaos. "I loved working with Eminem," says Missy. "Timbaland had told me about him long before he hit big. I knew he was going to blow. I’m told Dre would only let him work on two other albums, mine and the Mad Rapper. I was honored. When he came to the studio he couldn’t have been sweeter. We had a great time."

The sudden success of Eminem is not lost on Missy. Thankful for her own good fortune, and knowing she has weathered what is undoubtedly the most crucial career step - the sophomore album - she drops a closing dedication at the end of Da Real World for anyone straddling similar territory. "Being caught up in the fame....How easy we forget. Do you think without him, you would be who you are, for if he made heaven and earth, he also made you a star...I’ve come to tell you, in God we must trust."