Missy Elliott Talks Inspiring Nicki Minaj & The State Of Female Hip Hop

“THERE IS ONLY ONE MISSY”

(AllHipHop News) Missy Elliott recently returned from her musical hiatus with the Pharrell-produced “WTF.” In the 10 years since the Virginia performer released The Cookbook album, Nicki Minaj emerged as the top female rapper in the game.

[ALSO READ: Missy Elliott Talks Musical Comeback, “WTF” Video Puppets & Modern Artists]

Many Hip Hop followers see some of Missy’s style in Nicki. Billboard mentioned the influence in a cover story about Miss E.

“Oh, she is?” replied Missy about Nicki being inspired by her. “Unfortunately, breaking news, there is only one Missy.”

The artist known for crafting hit records like “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Get Ur Freak On,” and “Work It,” also addressed the lack of women representatives in rap music today.

“It was me, [Lil’] Kim, Lauryn [Hill], Eve, Foxy [Brown], Trina,” said Missy about her era. “There’s room for so many. It’s important.”

As Missy prepares to release more music, she is fully aware of how the public could react. Modern internet culture is known to be ruthless when comes to criticism.

“I have to be very careful,” she says. “It’s different now. People are quick to be like, ‘You’re irrelevant, you’re a flop, you’re washed up.’ ”

MISSY-BILLBOARD

[ALSO READ: Missy Elliott Is The Recipient Of Billboard’s Women In Music Inaugural ‘Innovator’ Award]