June 12, 1999

Elliott, Missy : She's a bitch

Oh yes. [B]Missy[/B] and [a]Timbaland[/a] save hip-hop. Again.

Breathtakingly ornate in its construction, yet brutally simple in execution, 'She's A Bitch' confirms Missy Elliottand Tim 'Timbaland' Mosley weren't fluking their salvation of modern R&B with 'Supa Dupa Fly'. This is peerless stuff, a tangy risotto of bop-bop beats, perverted orchestration and
spooky
atmos, all spread lovingly before the bejewelled Sass Empress, the better for her to do that funny thing with her tongue and reclaim rap's most benighted epithet as a female power tool. Even the ludicrous 'clean' version is worth a listen, as
every
utterance of 'bitch' is replaced by Elliott's inimitable 'beep'.

Oh yes. Missy and Timbaland save hip-hop. Again.

JAMES OLDHAM