'We Need Her': At The Super Bowl, Missy Elliott's Incredible Return

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Another underestimated player who stole the show last night? Grammy Award-winning rapper Missy Elliott.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GET UR FREAK ON")

MISSY ELLIOTT: (Rapping) I know you dig the way I switched my style. Holla. People sing around.

CORNISH: Elliott and her dancers, outfitted in black jumpsuits and trucker caps, popped up in the middle of Katy Perry's candy pop performance of dancing beach balls and sharks. Now, for those who don't know, Missy Elliott is one of the most revered women rappers ever. But she hasn't put out an album in more than a decade.

Here to talk more about why is Frannie Kelley, co-host of NPR's Microphone Check. And, Frannie, for people of a certain generation, we probably went bonkers last night over Missy Elliott's appearance. Talk a little bit more about the reaction.

FRANNIE KELLEY, BYLINE: Well, Missy said it best. She tweeted that the new kids think she's a new artist who's about to blow up, which was kind of amazing. I mean, she was huge less than 10 years ago. But overall, I think people were just thrilled. I mean, my parents were happy. The party I was at, people went bananas. We all knew it was going to happen, and she still came out and delivered in such a different way that Katy Perry was delivering. It was great.

CORNISH: Now, let's get a little context here, right? Her first album came out in '97, and in the early 2000s, she had many Grammy-winning hits. Can you talk a little bit about her style? The way she danced and the sound of the music - right? - it sounds like it's from outer space. Like, what marked her as different?

KELLEY: Super jangly. I mean, she comes from Portsmouth, Va. You know, this is where Pharrell Williams came from. They sort of were in the same circles at formative moments of their careers. They worked with - or at least knew, you know, Teddy Riley, Timbaland is involved in all this - and the Clipse. And it's a really bright sound, not afraid to be a little bit left-field, to incorporate sounds from all over the place. And I also have a really deep respect for the history of hip-hop, prominently sampling really important songs like Run-D.M.C. tracks and "Peter Piper" on the song "Work It."

CORNISH: And we should hear a little bit of that now. That popped up in the medley last night.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WORK IT")

MISSY ELLIOTT: (Rapping) Is it worth it? Let me work it. I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it. (Unintelligible).

CORNISH: A lot of humor in her work, right?

KELLEY: Yeah, which was also often expressed in her videos. In the video for "Work It," they're in this post-apocalyptic playground. And at one point, she swallows a Lamborghini.

CORNISH: (Laughter).

KELLEY: And, like, if she had gotten the same kind of money and treatment that Katy Perry did, her thing would have blown these sharks and the chess pieces and the beach balls out of the water. But as it was, the way that she came in and sort of just delivered a straight, like, dance performance, and she was, like, in workout gear...

CORNISH: Which is the opposite of the modern female rapper, right? Like, that's not really the costume that you get away with today.

KELLEY: Yeah, which is so - right, which is kind of crazy because without Missy there is no Nicki.

CORNISH: Nicki Minaj?

KELLEY: Yeah.

CORNISH: Now, the big question people have is where has Missy Elliott been - right? - the last 10 years? She's done some recording here and there, but what's the explanation?

KELLEY: Yeah, it's like we need her. Come back, please. She has said that she has Graves' disease, which is a disease of the thyroid and has very different symptoms depending on the person who has it. She has said that there were times where she couldn't even pick up a pen to write songs. So what do you want? What do you expect? She's also spoken about the pressures of following her wild success less than 10 years ago, and also sort of not being inspired by new sounds, wanting to make something really different and maybe even also, you know, wanting to be an underdog again to come out and shock the world.

CORNISH: So are we going to hear any more from her anytime soon. Any albums that might be in the works?

KELLEY: Please, Lord Jesus, I hope so.

CORNISH: Beyond your prayers, Frannie (laughter).

KELLEY: I don't have any further information.

CORNISH: All right. Well, keep us posted. That's Frannie Kelley, editor at NPR Music and co-host of NPR's Microphone Check. Frannie, thanks so much.

KELLEY: Thank you, Audie.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GET UR FREAK ON")

MISSY ELLIOTT: (Rapping) Is that your chick? People you don't know. Me and Timbaland been hot since twenty years ago. What the dealio? Now, what the drilly, yo. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.