But it would also become one of the greatest years in the genre's history, with landmark releases from Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, the Notorious B.I.G. and none other than Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott. Her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, would take music into a new sonic and visual Wonderland. And as an audience, we were ready for someone to lead us into the future. 

She was—and still is—a rare artist. Missy can sing, rap, write, dance, and produce. She is technically impeccable with the ability to improvise. Sexually playful while resisting the male gaze. Charmingly shy but has a commanding presence.

Her versatility, talent, and passion were apparent from the start. But what was most exciting in an era populated by hardcore and hyper-sexualized personas was her innovation. 

When the public met her in the summer of ‘97, Missy was already an established industry juggernaut. She, along with her childhood friend, Timothy ‘Timbaland’ Mosley, solidified themselves as a dynamic producing duo, working with acts like Jodeci, SWV, Destiny’s Child, New Edition, Puff Daddy, Mary J. Blige, and most notably Aaliyah.  

Even with all her success behind the scenes, Missy decided to take center stage. She recorded Supa Dupa Fly in two weeks with Timbaland as the sole producer. She would later tell interviewers, “I did this album for my fans.” She didn’t need the money. It was about her artistic expression.  

Her sound was seemingly familiar but mostly novel. Missy and Timberland created music rooted in Hip-Hop and R&B, but they tore it apart and put it back together in experimental, avant-garde, and fresh ways. They started a conversation with the existing musical landscape that has never really ended, even 25 years later. Their work, and Supa Dupa Fly in particular, definitively expanded rap – clearing the path for artists like Nicki Minaj, Janelle Monae, Lizzo, FKA Twigs, and a long list of others.

The album’s biggest single, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," sampled Anne Peebles' 1973 hit, "I Can’t Stand The Rain." The original song is a soulful ‘my man done did me wrong’ track. However, Missy’s version is satirical, flirty, and confident. She doesn't lament about heartbreak. Instead, she smokes a little weed, brags about being fly as shit, drives to the beach, and dumps a guy who clearly doesn’t understand, “to have me, yes, you lucky.” And it may be raining, but “chill” Missy brought her umbrella. 

This new narrative centers her pleasure. And as Black feminist author Adrienne Maree Brown insists, “Pleasure is the point. Feeling good is not frivolous; it is freedom.” While Missy’s fantasy may seem lighthearted and fun, and it is; it also gives Black women permission to enjoy themselves. 

The video also produced the iconic image of Missy floating through the air in an inflatable black trash bag. At the time, it was unimaginable a female artist would do such a thing on purpose. But we celebrated it because it felt like a giant 'fuck you' to impossible beauty standards. She chose to make herself larger than life rather than shrink. She said years later, “The outfit was a symbol of power... I knew I could have on a blow-up suit and still have people talking. It was bold and different." 

She always saw herself as "an innovator and a creative, unlike any other."

Other standouts include the seductive "Sock it 2 Me" with an unforgettable verse from Da Brat.In the video, also directed by Hype Williams, Missy and Lil Kim play Mega Man-inspired intergalactic superheroes on a mission to save the Earth from robotic villains. Although initially outnumbered, they ultimately escape danger with some help from the Da Brat. Then ride off into the sunset together.

In the words of Audre Lorde, “the erotic offers a well of replenishing and provocative force.” Missy is tapped in. She can move through this world and others with complete access to both her sexuality and strength.

On the silky smooth, "Best Friends," featuring Aaliyah, the two women promise to be there for each other in their time of need. Obviously, the song took on a greater meaning after "Baby Girl" passed in 2001.

“That song is always gonna mean so much to me," Missy told Michael Penn II of VinylMePlease in 2017. "I wouldn’t have did that record with anyone else but Aaliyah. When I wrote that record, I was thinking like… ‘This is what friends do.’ Be on the phone, and it’s always that one friend that’s telling her other friend ‘I’m done, I’m done with this cat! Woo woo woo…’ And you just got that friend like ‘Yo, I’ma be here in your time of need. Forreal forreal, he ain’t no good, but… I got you. I’m slidin’ witchu.’ And because of me and Aaliyah’s friendship, I felt like that was the perfect person to have that song with and it feel natural as if me and her was on the phone, and she telling me or I’m telling her about somebody.”

On Supa Dupa Fly, the reliably energetic Busta Rhymes acts as emcee of the proceedings: telling us to stay tuned on the intro; then congratulating us for listening and feeling “the whole emotional roller coaster of this LP,” which he categorizes as “that official full-fledged shit.”

However, the final words are Missy’s. She speaks directly to us—thanks God, Timbaland, and everyone who made her solo debut hot. No, thank you, Misdemeanor; for giving us a project that was hot, dope, and extraordinarily special. 

The album received acclaim from critics across the country and was nominated for multiple Grammys. It was also a commercial success selling over a million copies by the Fall of ‘97. It was a classic then and remains one to this day. The girl from "tha Big VA" was catapulted to superstardom while making us all feel supa dupa fly.