Alright, so a big part of Missy Elliott‘s legacy along with her crazy songs and crazy looks was her crazy videos. Those videos that were so weird, that used such strange costuming and visual techniques. Plus the videos almost always included something really funny/silly, some guest appearances by the top artists of the time, and amazing choreography that was copied countless times.Missy’s videos are truly what made her a star, and here are 10 of her best.
So, there are A LOT of people who maybe didn’t know who Missy Elliott was when she came and stole Katy Perry’s Halftime Performance. Some may have known who she was, but never got into her music. Hence the huge spike in Missy’s music on iTunes.
I notice her singles are doing great, but not necessarily her albums. I think if she had some sort of Greatest Hits album available, that would be a hit today, but since she doesn’t (crap! she actually DOES, it’s called “Respect M.E.” but it wasn’t released in the states) some people might be wondering where to start with her actual discography. And I’m here to help!
Here are the 5 Essential Missy Albums I think any one would enjoy.
1. “Miss E… So Addictive”
I picked this as the top choice because it was her most succesful. It had super hits “Get Ur Freak On”, “One Minute Man” and “Take Away”, but aside from that I think this album is probably her most FUN and her most diverse. I mean she has great R&B (“Old School Joint”, the aforementioned “Take Away”, “Step Off” with Tweet) and some great Hip Hop (“Slap Slap Slap”, “Dog in Heat” with Method Man), and there’s even a really good dance song on here that will blow your mind (“4 My People” featuring an amazing verse from Eve). It’s a really well rounded album, and I think that it being her third that she had become really comfortable in what she was doing. So, yeah start with this one.
The 5 BEST : Old School Joint, Get Ur Freak On, Take Away, One Minute Man, X-Tasy
2. “Supa Dupa Fly”
This debut is INSANE, and surprisingly not dated. You have to realize that the introduction of Missy also meant the introduction of her producer Timbaland who went on to become a big star just like Missy. At the time of this release, those Timbaland beats were so new and unique and totally not like anything you had ever heard before. I think because both of them were so new, the album and it’s production have a tendency to get kind of one-note towards the end. It’s also a little moody and slow towards the end, but the album is definitely front-loaded with some #BANGERZ. This is a good place to follow up, but don’t lose all faith in Missy if you don’t like this entire album.
The 5 BEST : Friendly Skies, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), Beep Me 911, Pass da Blunt, Sock It 2 Me
3. “Under Construction”
Missy’s 4th album was also her attempt at creating a concept album, as “Under Construction” deals with her trying to re-build Hip Hop. And there are songs like “Wake Up” and “Back in the Day” that go along with that message. The album is overall really fun though because almost every song pulls from something out of the Old School Hip Hop days of the 80’s, like “Funky Fresh Dressed” or even hit singles “Work It” and “Gossip Folks” that have huge chunks of samples from 80’s Hip Hop classics. Mixing the old with the new was a genius idea, and paying homage to an era that MADE her the artist she is was also a nice touch, making this a really enjoyable album.
The 5 BEST : Gossip Folks, Work It, Go To the Floor, Nothin’ Out There, Funky Fresh Dressed
4. “Da Real World”
Personally this is my favorite album by Missy, it’s really dark in both lyric and production vibes. It might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but for me I loved it because she and Timbaland continued to look forward and make innovative beats that no one ever heard of. Among the stand outs are first single “She’s A Bitch”, the Eminem assisted “Bus a Rhyme”, the ratchet-“The Boy Is Mine” track with Lil Mo “You Don’t Know”, the Beyonce duet “Crazy Feelings” and the Cash Money all star featured “U Can’t Resist”. Those songs right there show the diversity of the album, from hardcore rap sounds to slow jammed R&B. It might be one you have to grow into, but it’s definitely a great and timeless album.
The 5 BEST : She’s a Bitch, Crazy Feelings, Smooth Chick, U Can’t Resist, You Don’t Know
5. “The Cookbook”
Simply because this 2005 album was the very last time we’d be able to buy a new album from Missy. OVERALL it was a decent outing, but something felt OFF. For one, she worked with more producers and actually Timbaland’s productions aren’t even the majority here as we have some from Pharrell “On and On” and some from Rich Harrison “Can’t Stop” and some Scott Storch “Meltdown”. In fact, Timbaland only produces two songs on here so that’s probably why the album felt a little odd. Still I think this is essential (I actually prefer “This is Not a Test” to this album) because it was her last recording, and whenever she comes out with new material you will know where she left off musically.
The 5 BEST : Lose Control, Joy, Partyime, Can’t Stop, Click Clack
Yay Patriots!!!
Okay I actually didn’t watch the Superbowl, or Katy Perry’s Halftime Performance… but it’s kind of PERFECT that Missy Elliott was Katy’s “Surprise” guest last night, and it’s also perfect that Missy stole the show and has since had a huge spike in single and album sales on iTunes.
Perfect because I had planned on doing a Missy #WCW Day this week. But I’m going to post a MINI-Missy Day today with just three posts. I decided to do it today because I’d be a fool not to, I mean I can only imagine lots of people are Google Searching her today – and I’d love to get some of those hits!
So let’s start out with my 25 Favorite Missy songs! And Yes, I’m qualified to post and rank this because I am a HUGE Missy fan, and have been from the very beginning. Anyway, here goes the first post of a potentially fun Missy Monday!!
25. Beep Me 911
24. HOT
“Don’t carry guns, Kick Ass with a chain… you know what I’m sayin’… Don’t carry guns, Kick ass with a chain (WAAT-AA!!!)”
It’s FRIDAY!!!! but Yikes, it’s gonna be a busy Blog day if I get through everything. For starters here are my Top 10 Songs of the Week. Either today or tomorrow I WILL post a new Monthly feature where I talk about my favorite Music of the month – be it a full album, just a single or an artist. That should be fun, but I totally haven’t finished compiling shizz. Lastly, “How To Get Away With Murder” came back on TV last night with new episodes… and I LOVED IT!! So I’m going to start recapping that on a weekly basis as well, starting today! So… Enjoy THIS list and Enjoy the rest of what I have to offer today.
10. Jeremih featuring YG “Dont Tell Em”
9. Ashanti “Rock Wit U (Aww Baby)”
8. Vanity 6 “Bite the Beat”
7. Rae Sremmurd featuring Nicki Minaj and Young Thug “Throw Sum Mo”
6. Nicki Minaj featuring Beyonce “Feeling Myself”
5. Peter Rauhofer featuring Kim Cooper “I Look Good”
OMG let me tell you guys something, I feel SO vindicated today because this #JanetDay Redux went surprisingly well.
“I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!”.
Anwyay for a closer post, I thought I’d do something a little fun.
Janet Jackson was known for her incredibly long tracklistings, which came from the fact that she was one of the artists that LOVED doing Interludes. Sometimes those interludes, that came between every song almost, were annoying and pointless but it was something we got used to from Janet. Some were supposed to be extra sexy, some were supposed to be inspirational, some motivational and some just funny little peeks into Janet’s personality.
So here are my 10 favorite Janet interludes.
10. RACE
9. YOU KNOW
8. TWISTED ELEGANCE
7. SPINNIN
6. TV
5. LOVE PT 2
4. HEY BABY
3. LET’S DANCE
2. PLEDGE
1. LOOKING FOR LOVE
The BEST because it could have been it’s own song. I LOVE the backing production which is so electronica-smooth! I also LOVE the sentiment behind what she’s saying… we are all flawed and complicated and contradictory… but we’re ALL looking for love! So sweet! Just like Janet!
So really, you can’t have a whole day devoted to the fabulous Miss Janet Jackson if you don’t talk about her amazing Live performances. I mean, yeah she was a notorious lip-syncher, but she was ALWAYS given a pass because she goes so hard on the choreography. And while not all of the 10 performances listed below include dancing, all of the Top 10 show Janet’s versatility and just how amazing she was on stage.
10. “Alright” from Jackson Family Honors
This 1994 special was totally forgetable, but I always remembered this performance for a few reasons. I thought the staging and set design was great. I always love seeing her perform this song, and she did a great job of matching the fun and energy of the video and putting it on stage. Lastly, you have to remember that in 1994 Janet was THE Jackson. Michael was having his legal issues, and the rest of them were has-beens or never-weres, so not only was this a huge moment for Janet fans… but she was the main draw for this entire special and she definitely delivered.
9. “All for You” from MTV Icon
The main reason I love this performance from Janet’s MTV Icon special (I don’t really like the song) is if you notice the dancers, they all have different outfits Janet wore in past videos and performances. It was a cute element and while the dancing was on point here, that was my favorite thing of the whole performance.
8. “Again” from The 66th Annual Academy Awards
Janet isn’t a SINGER, so I was impressed that she was able to tackle this huge performance in a satisfactory way. I thought she looked great as well. Look, it was just nice to see Janet at the Oscars.
7. “All Nite (Don’t Stop)” from Saturday Night Live
***So, yeah, this is NOT from Saturday Night Live. I could not find a clip of that performance, so this Jay Leno performance will have to do!***
The thing about the SNL performance was that they gave her such a small stage, but the dancing and staging was done to perfection (and she was doing all those moves in heels!)
6. “I Get Lonely” from The Rosie O’Donnell Show
This is probably the most surprising performance ever. I remember being excited that she was going to be on Rosie (a show I LOVED around this time), and I had an inkling she would perform “Lonely” since it was her current single. I just never imagined she’d do this slow stripped down piano version of it. And… she KILLED IT!! Like I said before, she’s not a singer, but she knows HOW to sing which is evidenced in some of the choices she made here.
5. “What Have You Done for Me Lately/Nasty” from The 29th Annual Grammy Awards
SO FUNKY!!!!!
4. “Doesn’t Really Matter” from the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards
I don’t like the way she looks here, I really hate the goth-look and it doesn’t match the song at all. BUT, the dancing is perfection. Even the beginning when she and her dancers are just standing there and they break out in different spastic poses and moves to the beat. Than you get the first breakdown, and the second one, and it became clear that Janet still had it!
3. “Throb” from Saturday Night Live
***This is actually a crappy version of the performance, it’s the video but the audio is actually from the album. Kinda sucks but it’s the best I could find.***
This was also a shocker for Janet fans. We were excited she’d be the musical guest that night, but not sure what she’d sing. What we got was this Dance-Off that is so fierce and so full of energy that you can’t help but to love it. THIS performance made me LOVE this song!!! (and I love it a lot, stay tuned!)
2. “All For You/Rythm Nation/Rock Your Body” from Superbowl XL
Before Justin Timberlake ruined her career (lol!), this was a VERY pleasing Superbowl performance. Sucks that she only did two of her own songs, the flow of her set was perfect. It’s such a shame that such a big performance for her was overlooked because of one nipple, but hey… America is WEIRD!!
1. “That’s the Way Love Goes/If” from the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards
So sexy, so fierce, so on point! Everything about this performance KILLS!!
Often times, artists that are known for their visual output (either great music videos, or great live performances, or both) they are a bit underrated. Artists like Janet Jackson aren’t always taken seriously as musical artists because critics write them off as being more about Look than Quality. In Janet’s case though, that’s not all true. Sure she has her fair share of “Fluff” songs, but she also has an immense discography that has a great array of quality songs.
This listing of my 25 favorite Janet songs shows her diversity and range in genre, tone and vocals. Proving she does have some substance when it comes to creating new music.
(Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with WordPress today. I have tried FOUR TIMES to write descriptions for each song and why it made the list, but WordPress won’t SAVE any of it. So after the 4th time of getting through over half of the songs, I give up! And maybe… just maybe, I’ll come and re-edit it later but I’m over it today! sorry!)
So this is a no-brainer. Since my Top 10Janet Jackson Videos post was such a success, I’m going to open up #JanetDay with an extended version of that same post. Instead of just 10, you get 25 of Miss Jackson’s best videos.
ENJOY!!
25. “Twenty Foreplay”
Madonna had “Take a Bow”, and that is rumored to be the reason she landed the “Evita” role. In this Video, Janet channels Dorothy Dandridge and it may or may not have been an attempt to get cast in a Dorothy biopic. We know that didn’t happen, but regardless this is still a sexy video with Janet looking so classically beautiful.
24. “When I Think of You”
This video is a fun fun time, one of those one-shot type videos that works so well. There’s so much going on as Janet walks through a “Sesame Street”-at night type town while dancing and smiling and looking adorable as ever. A visual treat.
23. “Together Again”
This right here has some beautiful choreography and some beautiful settings, It’s supposed to be a representation of heaven (I’m guessing) where she can dance and frolick with her friends who have passed on. I think the video definitely fits the song, and it’s nice enough to look at.
22. “All Nite (Don’t Stop)”
So the electricity in New York City goes out, and Janet and her crew can only think of one thing… DANCING!! Eh, I don’t think we needed the storyline we just needed to see Janet dancing to this infectious track. So, mission accomplished.
??? Can’t find the video ANYWHERE!!!!
21. “Escapade”
This is basically a washed-out adaptation of “When I Think of You”, yet nobody was mad at all. It’s become one of her classic videos with familiar dance steps and really great (but again, washed out) styling for Miss Jackson.
20. “All for You”
This monster single and video was the first time we had seen Miss Janet in a long while, so it was nice to see her looking great and dancing like we were used to. I think the selling point of the video is the cute mixture of vibrant 2D backgrounds, oh and that breakdown is pretty much everything.
19. “Control”
A cute little mini-movie, that provides a fictional backstory on the album “Control” and how Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis gave her the confidence to attack the new style that album provided. Or maybe I’m putting too much on it. Either way it’s a cute vintage moment from Janet and we love it.
18. “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think this Song is About You)”
This video took Janet out of her element a little bit. It’s really dark, but with a nice humor to it as Janet chases down her cheating lover and puts the voodoo on him,, but not in a good way. One of my favorite things about it, Janet is SERVING with that walk and we get A LOT of it!! But overall it’s a great video that was slightly underrated.
17. “Runaway”
Cute video, nice dance moves, perfect compliment to the song.
16. “Nasty”
I am at a loss for words here. I just will say this video is a classic, classic Janet moves and just a fun video to watch overall. CLASSIC!
15. “So Excited”
This came out, and it was really sexy and gritty and all. But mostly we love it because the song is pretty kick ass and Janet’s dance moves are so on point. I could care less about the topless effects, I’m here for that dancing!
14. “Doesn’t Really Matter”
So So cute! This clip from her musical contribution to “The Nutty Professor 2” is both so adorable and so innovative. I remember watching the “Making the Video” for this video and was loving the unique idea of having Janet and crew dance on a stage that shifted and slanted. It’s different and it’s challenging, but even with the hurdles Janet and her dancers still KILL the intricate yet fun choreography.
13. “Feedback”
The lack of dancing is the only downside to this video, but I can get over it because the visuals are so striking. The overall tone is really slow moving and ambient, which is odd given the fact that this track is so danceable. It was a really great move on the Directors part to do something so unpredictable with the video. And Janet LOOKS great and is serving some fierce ass poses throughout!
12. “Scream”
I almost didn’t include this because it’s not really a Janet Jackson video but (and maybe it’s because I am such a big fan of hers) her parts are the best in the video. It was great to see Janet a little more grungey, but even with her being not as polished she serves some of her most beautiful and striking images ever here.
11. “Miss You Much”
The DANCING!!! OMG That choreography is literally some of her best. I remember spending a weekend with this video trying to learn all the moves, and I SUCCEEDED!!! (I actually still remember all of them too)
10. “Rock With U”
A very sexy, very dark, very underrated video. However like most Janet videos it’s all about the choreography which is just as sleek, smooth and sexy as the track.
9. “Anytime Anyplace”
During the “janet.” era, Miss Jackson was getting really nasty. This ode to public sex was matched with a really pretty and vivrant video of the affair between her and her next door neighbor. Beautifully shot and very sensual the video matched the song perfectly.
8. “Go Deep”
One of her most underrated videos. This idea was perfect, a huge pop star like Janet randomly visiting a mega-fan and the outrageous-ness that ensues when everybody else in the neighborhood finds out. A Fun video that didn’t have the huge budgets of her previous work, but was much more effective because of it.
7. “If”
So Janet and crew perform at some Asian brothel type place, where cameras are set up to… oh blah, let’s not get into the story, this video is a classic because of the choreography. Janet goes full steam ahead with some very intricate choreography that’s both fierce and fiercely sexy at the same time.
6. “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”
This is always going to be an Iconic Janet moment because for the first time in her career, she showed some skin. This fun little frolic in the dessert, directed by IT-Director of the time Herb Ritts, showed everyone a new side of Janet and thus will always be one of the favorites.
5. “I Get Lonely”
Proving that Janet doesn’t always have to serve up-beat hyper-fast choreography to be sickening, this had to be very sensual and Tina Landon’s choreography was quite possibly some of the best Janet’s ever had. The video itself and the visuals are great, but it’s the choreography that takes it to another level. Oh… and let’s say HELLO to Janet’s cleavage which had a starring role in this clip.
4. “Got Til It’s Gone”
I really don’t know what to say about this, except that it’s BEAUTIFUL! One of the more “art-house” Janet videos, coming at a time that was supposedly really dark for her. I think this has such beauty and positivity and fun, but underscored with real sadness and melancholy. Mark Romanek is just the man anyway, but this is one of his and Janet’s finest moments.
3. “Rhythm Nation”
Doesn’t get more Iconic than this. People still associate the look, the moves and this entire movement as Janet’s shining moment. A true statement of the time, and a message that will last for decades.
2. “Pleasure Principle”
Often imitated, never duplicated. A video with JUST the star, doing what they do best was very unique at the time and it’s still a major classic for artists, dancers and video directors.
1. “Alright”
Not only is this an incredibly fun and alive video, with Amazing choreography from start to finish. It was also a very nostalgic video, that paid homage to all the Movie Musicals that really inspired the 80’s Music Videos without ever getting it’s fair dues. Some of the stars of those groundbreaking musicals The Nicolas Brothers, Cab Calloway, Cyd Cherise make cameos dancing along with the new school of talent they inspired. A truly fun and classic video that has always been my favorite.
So there you have it!! A comprehensive list of the BEST from Janet!
HEY!!! Happy Friday, we FINALLY made it!
This week felt super long to me, but I made it through and I have a 3 day weekend to look forward to so I’m GOOD!! Another thing… I GOT SPOTIFY BACK!!!! Yeah I updated my account yesterday and, let’s just say absence makes the heart grow fonder lol!
So yeah, Enjoy!
10. Tracy Chapman “Fast Car”
9. Sister Sledge “Lost in Music”
Thank “Looking” for this one.
8. Aretha Franklin and George Michael “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”
7. Chrisette Michele “Charades”
6. Third Eye Blind “Jumper”
5. The Drums “Money”
4. Janet Jackson “Let’s Wait Awhile”
3. Ariana Grande “One Last Time”
2. Nicki Minaj featuring Jessie Ware “The Crying Game”
Hello Folks, HAPPY FRIDAY!! We made it through our first full week of 2015, and I feel good. Anyhoo, here are my Top 10 Faves of the week (#7 is one I forgot about last week, I seriously love that song). Enjoy!
