This last weekend, Missy Elliott’s new song “WTF (Where They From)” hit YouTube and racked up almost 13 million views and counting in less than a week. This is the first song the singer has released in several years, and the first the public has heard from her since her appearance at the Super Bowl this past February. To say that her new music video was well-received and much-anticipated would be a supreme understatement, as her status as a pioneer in the genre of female hip-hop continues to captivate audiences to this day.
Featuring Pharrell Williams (coming off of his immensely popular song “Happy”), the video brought the widely known “Queen of Hip Hop” to new levels of stardom, as a result of the video’s heightened sense of innovation and glamour compared even to Elliott’s past works. The sense that Elliott is light-years ahead of everyone in the industry was reiterated to viewers through the song’s catchy dance beats and smooth but sassy vocals. Elliott first appears wearing an ensemble ripped straight off a disco ball, and continues the video with high-energy hip-hop dancers and progressive lyrics that question the sincerity of media portrayals of entertainers.
The video gets even edgier with the addition of Missy and Pharrell turned into marionette puppets, which appear as surprisingly realistic interpretations of the singers. This eccentric concept was extended upon when Elliott and others rose up out of rows of boxes wearing a lot of plastic, while other people took up hibernation in their boxes similar to those trapped in the pods of The Matrix. In combination with plenty of lighting effects, glitter, and futuristic-themed lyrics, Elliott showed audiences that her innovative brand of music remains relevant in today’s music culture, and maintains freshness even as a veteran in her career.
Featured Image by Atlantic Records
