Missy Has A Man, And A Danja Beat

ARTIST: Missy Elliott TITLE: “Best, Best” WEB DEBUT: June 13, 2008

ONE-LISTEN VERDICT:There was an era when Missy Elliott was on top of the world, at least as far as buzz in the music world goes (which isn’t terribly far). Million-dollar videos, a million appearances on mashups, the best of Timbaland’s beats. It sort of seems like a long time ago now, especially since her last album, the somewhat underwhelming The Cookbook, came out in 2005; if you asked the attention-span-challenged kids of today, they might tell you that Missy is more notable for her appearances on Ciara tracks and her verse on Keyshia Cole’s “Let It Go” than anything else. This may be due in part to the fact that both of her tracks from the Step Up 2 the Streets soundtrack were both dull and chirpishly irritating. So, what now?

“Best, Best” begins with the announcement that it is a Danja production; while his beat isn’t switching up R&B like Missy claims, it is good. Missy’s verses are solid enough, and switching back and forth between singing and rapping, although frankly, I could live without hearing about the size of her lover’s genitals. Just saying. The lyrics are a little dopey, but you can picture this track playing at a roller rink, and that’s always a plus.