Missy Elliott

Melissa Arnette Elliott

Melissa Arnette Elliott, better known as Missy Elliott, was born on July 1, 1971, in Portsmouth, Virginia. At the time of Missy's birth, singer-songwriters ruled America's popular music scene. Artists such as John Denver, Carole King, and James Taylor, and rock bands such as the Rolling Stones, Genesis, and Pink Floyd dominated the airwaves.

The record industry was booming in the early 1970s, and many record labels merged to form larger companies. Because so much money was being made, and thanks in part to the success of labels such as Motown in the 1960s, many of these companies took chances and formed rhythm and blues—or R&B—divisions. At the time, popular music was still fairly split along racial lines, and R&B was thought of mainly as "black music." But as record companies made more money, and budgets loosened, they began hiring more upper-level African-American employees and signing black artists in greater numbers.

As disco's popularity waned in the later part of the decade, hip-hop would emerge as the fresh, urban sound. It would not be as immediately popular in the mainstream, however, for many years to come. Disco music led the way in R&B music throughout the 1970s, more so than any other type of what was thought of as "black music," and it was with disco that DJs began using two turntables to play one song after another without a break in between. "Mixing," as this was called, helped DJs to be seen as artists in their own right through the unique mixes they made by combining different records.

This was one early sign of hip-hop and rap emerging in parts of New York City during the 1970s, as Missy Elliott was growing up. Motown star Aretha Franklin recorded "Rock Steady" with the Rock Steady Crew, which later gained fame in the break-dancing world. Joe Tex's album From the Roots Came the Rapper was one of the first to use the word rapper for a street poet.

When Missy Elliott was born, her father was a United States Marine, which meant there was a possibility the family might be moved due to reassignment to other military bases at any time. Although she was born in Virginia, she and her parents lived for a time in a mobile home community in Jacksonville, North Carolina—a place, Missy later said, where she felt she truly belonged. Missy amused herself in those days by singing and dancing to the Jackson Five until her mother would call her into the house and remind her to eat something. Then Missy would run back out and sing some more.

When Missy was still quite young, her father left the marines and moved his family back to Portsmouth. The move was not easy on Missy, who missed her old home in Jacksonville. Also, money was tight. Missy's mother, Patricia, told Rolling Stone magazine, "We'd take something like thirteen dollars and go to the grocery store, get bread, pork and beans, and hot dogs."

Their living conditions were rough. In the same Rolling Stone interview, Missy and her mother described how the house they had rented had so many rats that Missy's dad would stay up nights to keep them off his family, who slept on the floor in sleeping bags he had gotten from his time in the marines.

Missy's dad began to work as a shipyard welder. But, even though there was more money coming into the household, times were still hard for Missy and her mother. Missy's parents did not have a happy marriage. Her father often beat Patricia in front of Missy. He hit Missy once, and he also pulled a gun on both her and her mother. She grew up very afraid of her father and was scared to leave her house for fear of what he would do to her mom next. Missy was afraid he might even kill her; there seemed to be no limit to his rage.

Missy's relationship with her father was not her only brush with abuse. When Missy was eight years old, a cousin sexually molested her. The abuse went on for a year before her aunt, the mother of the cousin, found out. "While I have found peace," Missy wrote in an open journal published by Teen People in 2003, "there's a part of me that never escapes the memories." These cycles of abuse would later influence Missy's music and charitable work.

Missy was a very smart child who in grade school had drawn attention after scoring well on an IQ test. Her mother told Rolling Stone: When she was in elementary school they took tests. Her IQ was so high, they sent someone from Richmond [Virginia] down to give her another test. Because it was like a genius IQ. Then they skipped her two grades, from the second to the fourth.

After she moved to the fourth grade, however, Missy's grades dropped. She felt out of place with the older children and wanted to go back to being in school with kids her own age. Missy was moved back to the second grade after her mother asked the school to do so.

Missy also showed early signs of creative talent. When she stood on the street near her house and sang Jackson Five hits and other songs to passing traffic, people would lean out of their cars and clap for her. This gave her an early indication of her talent. But she didn't require outside validation: When Missy didn't have an audience, she'd create one of her own, using dolls or broomsticks, as she sang and danced behind her bedroom door.

Missy often spent time in school writing letters to Janet and Michael Jackson and other famous artists of the day, asking them to come take her away from her hard life at home and her abusive father. Missy recalled in Interview that she would "imagine (Janet and Michael Jackson) running down the hall and asking my teacher, 'Ms. Daniels, can we get Missy out of class? We're here to see Missy.' My imagination was always wild like that."

Her letters were not answered, but years later, she did finally hear from some of the artists she had admired the most as a young child and teen. Even then, after finding fame in the music business, Missy was blown away to hear from the artists she'd loved in her childhood. Asked in a Rolling Stone interview about some of the most exciting moments in her career, Missy said, I could name so many. When I got my first phone call from Janet (Jackson). My first phone call from Whitney (Houston). My first phone call from Mariah (Carey). The first time I spoke to Madonna. Getting a call from Michael Jackson. In my mind, I was like, "I think people need to stop playing with my phone. I'm going to have to get my number changed." I'm still in groupie mode. Madonna was somebody I watched on TV, and I put on all those belts and gloves and started singing "Like a Virgin" in my room. You couldn't tell me I wasn't the black Madonna. So, to get those phone calls, I never adjusted to that.

Missy's father's abuse got worse as time went on, and Missy became more and more terrified of him. When things were finally bad enough, Patricia's sister encouraged Patricia and Missy to leave the abusive home. This was a difficult choice to make, as both Missy and her mom needed Missy's dad in a lot of ways. Patricia was able to find the strength to do it for Missy's sake, but life on their own would not be easy.

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