Throwback Thursday: Missy Elliott “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (Video)

After getting taken back through the entire Missy Elliott catalog earlier today in our "Open Letter to Missy Elliott" I found myself going through all her old flicks, and one stands out in particular - "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)". Although it may seem relatively mundane now, when this one first dropped in '97 it caused an absolute outpouring of response. Let's take a little trip back in time, shall we?



The Refined Take:

1) It's crazy to me now how insane people went over the fact that Missy was wearing a trash bag in this video. Back in the day I remember everywhere you went people were saying, "Yo, did you see Missy wearing that trash bag? That was insane." Maybe it's just because I've be desensitized by the antics of the Lady Gagas of the world, but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal anymore. I get that it wasn't your usual move for a female artist, particularly a larger one, but folks reacted like she was wearing someone's skin Hannibal Lecter style.

2) As long as we're on the topic, it's also hard to believe how often, "beep, beep, who got the keys to the jeep?" got quoted. Seemingly every rapper on the planet (Busta comes immediately to mind) dropped some version of that line in their raps for at least a year after. It was like the late '90s version of "Last name ever, first name greatest."

3) While "Hypnotize" will forever be the video Hype Williams is most closely associated with, it was really this video that cemented his style and made the fish-eye lens so popular for a minute. For the record, I always thought the work he did with Busta was his best: "Gimme Some More", "Put Your Hands", etc.

4) Ok, cameo check. I know that's SWV, Lil Kim, Lil Cease, Diddy and Da Brat making appearances, does anyone know any others?

5) So where is Missy now? You'd think this would be an easier question to answer. As a solo artist she's almost completely disappeared - her "Block Party" album has been delayed for three years now - and she's chosen instead to move behind the scenes and work with artists like Jazmine Sullivan. It's probably a smart move, but I'd love some new Missy in my headphones. There's no one like her, and there never will be.