Supa Dupa Fly is the debut studio album by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. In high school, Elliott and three friends formed a group called Fayze, later renamed Sista. The group caught the attention of record producer DeVante Swing, who was part of the R&B group Jodeci, who signed them to his record label, Swing Mob. The group recorded an album in New York, which was never released. This led to the termination of the group's recording contract. After returning Portsmouth, Virginia, Elliott and record producer Timbaland began writing songs, contributing several to singer Aaliyah's album, One in a Million.
In 1996, Elliott was signed to Elektra Records and was given her own record label, Gold Mind. Chairmen and chief executive officer (CEO) of Elektra at the time, Sylvia Rhone encouraged Elliott to embark in a solo career. Supa Dupa Fly was recorded and produced solely by Timbaland, and was released in July 1997 through The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records. The album features the singles, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", "Sock It 2 Me", "Hit Em wit da Hee" and "Beep Me 911". Guest appearances on the album include Busta Rhymes, Ginuwine, Nicole Wray and Aaliyah. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold 1.2 million copies in the United States, where it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.Supa Dupa Fly is the debut studio album by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. In high school, Elliott and three friends formed a group called Fayze, later renamed Sista. The group caught the attention of record producer DeVante Swing, who was part of the R&B group Jodeci, who signed them to his record label, Swing Mob. The group recorded an album in New York, which was never released. This led to the termination of the group's recording contract. After returning Portsmouth, Virginia, Elliott and record producer Timbaland began writing songs, contributing several to singer Aaliyah's album, One in a Million.
In 1996, Elliott was signed to Elektra Records and was given her own record label, Gold Mind. Chairmen and chief executive officer (CEO) of Elektra at the time, Sylvia Rhone encouraged Elliott to embark in a solo career. Supa Dupa Fly was recorded and produced solely by Timbaland, and was released in July 1997 through The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records. The album features the singles, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", "Sock It 2 Me", "Hit Em wit da Hee" and "Beep Me 911". Guest appearances on the album include Busta Rhymes, Ginuwine, Nicole Wray and Aaliyah. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold 1.2 million copies in the United States, where it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.false2025-10-06 19:27:59Supa Dupa Fly19971997-08-181997-08-1860Hip Hop112317211756290c41759-a6db-4f97-9beb-e55608c9e48fa0b8cb9e-7532-45fe-a74c-30e7c4009a3945a68d94-6923-38c1-a6dd-4cfc1cdc193a/media/data/media4/Music/Missy Elliott/Supa Dupa Fly/folder.jpgMissy ElliottMissy Elliott feat. 702Missy Elliott feat. AaliyahMissy Elliott feat. Busta RhymesMissy Elliott feat. Da BratMissy Elliott feat. GinuwineMissy Elliott feat. Lil’ KimMissy Elliott feat. Space & NicoleMissy Elliott feat. TimbalandMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began on her musical career as a member of the R&B girl group Sista during the 1990s, who were part of the larger musical collective Swing Mob—led by DeVante Swing of Jodeci. The former group's debut album, 4 All the Sistas Around da World (1994) was released by Elektra Records and met with positive critical reception despite commercial failure. She collaborated with album's producer and Swing Mob cohort Timbaland to work in songwriting and production for other acts, yielding commercially successful releases for 702, Aaliyah, SWV, and Total. She then re-emerged as a solo act with numerous collaborations and guest appearances by 1996, and in July of the following year, she released her debut studio album, Supa Dupa Fly (1997).
As her mainstream breakthrough, the album was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200 and spawning the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 single "Sock It 2 Me" (featuring Da Brat). Her second album, Da Real World (1999) produced the singles "She's a Bitch", "All n My Grill" (featuring Big Boi and Nicole Wray), and "Hot Boyz" (remixed featuring Lil' Mo, Nas, Eve and Q-Tip). The latter song set a 19-year record for most weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs by January 2000 (until Lil Nas X's 2019 single "Old Town Road"), and spent 18 weeks atop the Hot Rap Songs chart from December 1999 to March 2000. Her third and fourth albums, Miss E... So Addictive (2001) and Under Construction (2002) made her the sole recipient of both Grammy Awards for Best Female Rap Solo Performance with their respective songs "Scream a.k.a. Itchin" (featuring Timbaland) and "Work It." Furthermore, the albums peaked at numbers two and three on the Billboard 200, respectively, while "Work It" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her fifth album, This Is Not a Test! (2003) was followed by The Cookbook (2005), her sixth album which matched Under Construction as her highest charting release while spawning the Hot 100 top three single, "Lose Control" (featuring Ciara and Fatman Scoop). Following a long-term hiatus, her debut extended play, Iconology (2019) marked her first release in 14 years.
Elliott has received numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards. Her overall discography has sold 40 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling female rapper in Nielsen Music history according to Billboard. She was the first woman rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received the MTV VMAs Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her impact on the music video landscape. In 2020, Billboard ranked her at No. 5 on their list of the 100 greatest music video artists of all time. In 2021, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2023, she became the first woman rapper to be nominated and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.