The wildly creative Missy Elliott is one of hip-hop’s game-changing giants, beloved for hits (“Work It,” “Get Ur Freak On”) that pushed the sonic and visual boundaries of the genre and achieved huge pop success. In recent years, she’s achieved some impressive milestones, performing at the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show and receiving the MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Recently, she also became the first female rapper inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Now comes some supa dupa fly news: Elliott is finally embarking on her first headlining tour. “The Missy Elliott Experience” begins in early July and will arrive at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on Monday August 5th. The legendary rapper will be joined by three of her most important collaborators, Busta Rhymes Ciara, and Timbaland.
On Instagram, Elliott announced the upcoming tour with a typically theatrical and futuristic video featuring Busta and Ciara. The latter was featured on one of Elliott’s biggest hits, the dance-floor banger “Lose Control” with Fat Man Scoop, while Elliott also appeared on Ciara’s iconic smash “One, Two Step.” Busta famously featured on the intro and outro the Elliott’s Supa Dupa Fly album. When Elliott was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Busta Rhymes shared the following on Instagram: “You are brilliant, you are an icon, you are a source of one of my greatest inspirations. It’s beautiful that you have pulled from me as a source for great inspiration as well. We pull from each other so much that’s why we call each other twin.” The respect is clearly mutual; Elliott congratulated Busta Rhymes on receiving the BET Lifetime Achievement Award last year by writing “we have been glued at the hip for 26 years & my LOVE & ADMIRATION for you still grows” on Instagram. This can’t-miss tour will surely feature the 2000’s hits fans know and love, as well as a surprise-filled spectacle from some of the most visually innovative rappers of all time.
Prepare for the upcoming tour by listening back to a 2022 World Cafe Episode celebrating the 25th anniversary of Elliott’s Supa Dupa Fly. Reflecting on the enduring impact of the classic album, John Morrison says “It’s one of the few major label debuts from an artist — from a new artist — that I remember completely shifting the sonic palette of hip hop and RNB, in particular.” Check out the episode below, along with music from each of the artists.