Missy Elliott On Feeling Pressured & Second Guessing Herself: It was a time where I felt like, ‘do I still have it’?

Missy Elliott

Hands down, some would suggest that Missy Elliott is the musical comeback the world was waiting for. Earlier this year, the internet went insane after the rapper popped up during singer Katy Perry’s Superbowl halftime performance and took us down memory lane. Now, she is officially back with a new single “WTF (Where They From).” Recently, the Virginia native spoke with i.D magazine on the pressures of her career, working with Pharrell and why she respects Kanye West. Peep some excerpts below.

On the pressure of being an artist and producer:

The one thing that a lot of people don’t know is that for as long as I’ve been as artist, I’ve been a writer and a producer. So I’ve had to write and produce for other artists and then maintain my sound and myself as an artist. So all that time, I was doing Missy and also making sure I was giving all of these other artists a different sound too.That was hard for me. At first it wasn’t, but then when it started piling up on a plate, it was tough.

On second guessing herself:

It was a time where I felt like, ‘do I still have it’? Especially when you see a whole new slew, a whole new generation of kids, come through and the music is not like how it was. I felt like, ‘how do I fit in’? I’m battling. But then I never fit in! The whole time, I’ve never fit in! But it was still that battle. Do people still want to hear something creative and risky at this point? People might not be accepting of your music.

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