Supa Dupa Fly

1	Busta's Intro 1:53
2	Hit 'Em Wit da Hee / Lil' Kim 4:19
3	Sock It 2 Me / Da Brat 4:26
4	The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) 4:10
5	Beep Me 911 4:57
6	They Don't Wanna F** Wit Me / Timbaland 3:16
7	Pass da Blunt 3:18
8	Bite Our Style (Interlude) 0:43
9	Friendly Skies / Ginuwine 4:59
10	Best Friends 4:09
11	Don't Be Commin' (In My Face) 4:12
12	Izzy Izzy Aah 3:54
13	Why You Hurt Me 4:31
14	I'm Talkin' 5:01
15	Gettaway 4:29
16	Busta's Outro 1:36
17	Missy's Finale 0:24

Barnes & Noble

By the late '90s, when it seemed that the best way to gain stature as a woman in hip-hop was to flash as much skin as possible, reigning queens Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown never met a G-string they couldn't work. Then, in the summer of 1997, came Missy, a singing-rapping-dancing sensation from Virginia. Strictly a baggy-jeans-and-baseball-jersey kinda girl, she established her own fashion prerogatives. After a stint in {|Sista|}, an undistinguished R&B group developed by {|Jodeci|}'s Devante, Elliott got her big break on a remix of Gina Thompson's "The Things That You Do." Her "hee hee hee hee haw" cameo became all the rage and -- along with producer Timbaland's soulful spin on the chattering rhythms of drum 'n' bass -- remains her trademark to this day. Most impressive on "The Rain" (a remake of an Ann Peebles classic), "Beep Me 911," and "Best Friends," Elliott stamps SUPA DUPA FLY with personality and wit (no easy feat when the guests include Busta Rhymes, Aaliyah, Da Brat, and Kim). In 1998, she went on to establish her own boutique label. Martin Johnson

All Music Guide

Arguably the most influential album ever released by a female hip-hop artist, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott's debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, is a boundary-shattering postmodern masterpiece. It had a tremendous impact on hip-hop, and an even bigger one on R&B, as its futuristic, nearly experimental style became the de facto sound of urban radio at the close of the millennium. A substantial share of the credit has to go to producer Timbaland, whose lean, digital grooves are packed with unpredictable arrangements and stuttering rhythms that often resemble slowed-down drum'n'bass breakbeats. The results are not only unique, they're nothing short of revolutionary, making Timbaland a hip name to drop in electronica circles as well. For her part, Elliott impresses with her versatility -- she's a singer, a rapper, and an equal songwriting partner, and it's clear from the album's accompanying videos that the space-age aesthetic of the music doesn't just belong to her producer. She's no technical master on the mic; her raps are fairly simple, delivered in the slow purr of a heavy-lidded stoner. Yet they're also full of hilariously surreal free associations that fit the off-kilter sensibility of the music to a tee. Actually, Elliott sings more on Supa Dupa Fly than she does on her subsequent albums, making it her most R&B-oriented effort; she's more unique as a rapper than she is as a singer, but she has a smooth voice and harmonizes well. Guest rappers Busta Rhymes, Lil' Kim, and da Brat all appear on the first three tracks, which almost pulls focus away from Elliott until she unequivocally takes over with the brilliant single "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)"; elsewhere, "Sock It 2 Me," "Beep Me 911," and the weeded-out "Izzy Izzy Ahh" nearly match its genius. Elliott and Timbaland would continue to refine and expand this blueprint, sometimes with even greater success, but Supa Dupa Fly contains the roots of everything that followed. [Supa Dupa Fly was also released in a "clean" edition, containing no profanities or vulgarities.] Steve Huey