Missy Elliott helped pioneer hip-hop music videos with her Afrofuturism and limitless creativity. This allowed visuals like her iconic “She’s a Bitch” to easily withstand the test of time.
On Wednesday, Missy took a stroll down memory lane by sharing a clip of her 1999 “She’s a Bitch” video with her social media followers. In the tweet, she praised herself on the single’s 22nd anniversary for creating something that helped change the direction of music videos to this day.
“22 Years Ago. This don’t look that long ago This video changed the game! This actually still is Top Tier TIL THIS DAY!” she wrote before reminding her fans and fellow creatives to ignore critics and follow their hearts. Back then every1 thought I was a lil off because I rocked a bald head but me & Hype & Tim was just decades ahead,” she added.
“She’s a Bitch” was the second single off Missy Elliott’s 1999 sophomore album Da Real World. Like a lot of groundbreaking visuals, it was directed by the great Hype Williams.
Although the video still holds up to this day, Missy pointed out that a lot of things were constricted and censored in the ’90s. For example, she raps about grabbing a Philly blunt for her weed. Nowadays this wouldn’t be a cause for commotion, but back then it was removed from the verse.
She also touched on the robotic movements that are often associated with her visuals and raps:
Revisit Missy Elliott’s “She’s a Bitch” music video above.
