Rock the Bells will be the first time I’ve ever seen Missy Elliott perform (along with Timbaland) but I just had to go back and highlight a couple of reason why she is one of my favorite artists, even into my adult years.

Talk is talk, talk is cheap, tell it to her don’t say it to me. Cause’ i know, I’m in control- see Tricks are for kids, and boo I’m too old….

The ultimate “get the hell out of my face and just let me live my damn life” hook, with the ultimate “oh you think I haven’t heard all this game you’re giving me before? Meh” verses. What’s there not to love?

Beep Beep, who go the keys to the jeep?

I remember the exact day I saw this video for the first time- and I was hit with a feeling of “What in theee fuck am I watching” followed by “ooooh this is definitely something that I can relate to artistically” and I instantly became a fan. She was just so damn different and didn’t give a shit that she wasn’t like anything we had ever seen before in hip-hop, rap, r&b, whatever it is you listened to at the time.

I’m at your house around midnight’ don’t fall asleep…

This one right here? My all time favorite Missy song ever- the beat was so hard along with the lyrics which just made anyone cruising with it in the whip hard as hell. No matter where I was at, where I’m at, when this beat knocks I’m making that face you make when you just can’t smile big enough. I was in 7th grade when this came out and it was on all of my sharpies up mix cd’s as the first and last single. Missy Elliott had this 7th grader walking the hallways like I was the shit haha… I would have killed for one of the video outfits for Halloween though… PLUS Da Brat’s verse on this was one of my favorites to remember-

Gotta Get them Ends Biiiitch

Ok. It’s late and I’m getting too hype to pass out so I think I should leave it here for now.

I love what I love for a reason and each of these songs just sticks to my mind with the memories I have of my youth, which would have not had been as amazing without the correct soundtrack. Considering she’s one of those artists that I loved listening to, Thank God Missy stuck to her guns and did her own thing when it came down to it, or I would have definitely been lost.

Oh I haven’t even gotten to the Timbaland side of my excitement yet either, but I’ll save that for the next sleepless night.