Get Ur Freak On: The most iconic 21st-Century dance anthem – BBC News

"It's hypnotic, ballsy, amazing The crowd is on their feet, yelling and stomping their approval." (VIBE magazine reports a TV audience reaction to Missy Elliott's Get Ur Freak On, June 2001)

Twenty years ago, Virginia-born rapper, singer-songwriter and producer Missy "Misdemeanour" Elliott released what would prove to be one of the most iconic anthems in modern music: Get Ur Freak On. This was no debut Elliott had already made a bold impact with hits over two albums: Supa Dupa Fly (1997) and Da Real World (1999), as well as penning songs for R&B stars such as Aaliyah and SWV with her long-time friend, producer and collaborator, Timbaland but it was a gamechanger. From its opening notes, the track was fantastically irrepressible: the six-note melody played on a Punjabi one-stringed tumbi; the impulsive tabla percussion; Elliott's vivacious Southern flow ("I know you dig the way I sw-sw-switch my style"). In 2001, it felt like a thrilling shock to the system; countless plays, remixes (and multi-genre covers) later, Get Ur Freak On still sounds utterly electrifying.

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Switching things up had definitely been Elliott's intention. By then in her late 20s, she was already a savvy businesswoman, had founded her own offshoot (The Goldmind) from major label Elektra, and was conscious of the industry pressure surrounding her next move. There was also a sense that while Timbaland's distinctive productions were proving widely influential, they weren't yet getting their mainstream due. In the above VIBE feature (written by Marc Weingarten), Elliott explained that: "I wanted to do what everybody else is scared to do." She and Timbaland had actually created Get Ur Freak On as an impromptu late addition for what would be her third album Miss E So Addictive; first, though, she intended to let the track "marinate in the clubs for a while, get a street buzz going". This buzz would blossom into a crossover storm; Get Ur Freak On channelled serious hip-hop cach, worldly flavours, and an instant, all-encompassing pop appeal, as Elliott insisted: "It could be about dancing, the bedroom, whatever. You're cleaning your house? Get your freak on!"

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Get Ur Freak On: The most iconic 21st-Century dance anthem - BBC News