LOS ANGELES — In a 24,000-square-foot studio near downtown Los Angeles, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes and Ciara are preparing to shoot a video to promote a tour no one expected.
This summer, the trio will embark on Elliott's first headlining arena tour, titled “Out of This World – The Missy Elliott Experience,” with legendary producer Timbaland.
“Listen, I never thought I'd never done my own tour,” said a smiling Elliott, wearing Gucci and holding a little Yorkie named Fendi. “The last real tour I was on, the consistent days, was with Beyoncé and Alicia (Keys).”
That was in 2004.
You might say it's been a long time coming, but the timing is ideal. In recent years, forward-thinking artist Elliott has been recognized for his talents as a musician, producer, songwriter, and more.
In 2019, she became the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2021, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2022, a thoroughfare in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia will be named after her. Last year, she became the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“Receiving this kind of praise makes me feel like I've finally succeeded,” Elliott says. “It feels great. I feel very blessed.”
“What we're seeing now is the rest of the world kind of catching up,” says Mona Scott Young, Elliott's longtime manager and co-producer of the tour. “She has always been ahead of the curve.”
In his dressing room, Busta Rhymes told The Associated Press that during his decades of friendship and collaboration with Elliott, the topic of touring had never come up. (He provided the intro and outro for her debut album, 1997's Supa Dupa Fly. They have been inseparable for a long time.)
“She doesn't really tour and she doesn't perform very often. I kind of understood my sister, but it wasn't said,” he says. “If she decided to do this, to actually go to a place ready to tour, she would go crazy because one of the things Missy never did was mess with her own work. And you saw it in the movies, everything she did, from shows to videos. ”
He added, “Missy would turn down $10 million to appear on the show. …She is in complete control of her own destiny that way, without compromise, and that's what makes her so incredible.” She's made something of herself. I can't help but love her for that.” She is a true artist in the purest form of the word. ”
Don't get me wrong, this is not a nostalgic tour.
“We are in the best space of our lives, individually and collectively. We are in the most experienced space of our lives,” Rhimes says. “We're not Daniel-san anymore. We're all Miyagi-sensei now. You know what I'm saying? We're all at the perfect level of what we've done and built together as a family. For 30 years. ”
Elliott expressed a similar opinion.
“I feel like there's something special about this lineup,” Elliott says. “It's a family. It's not together.”
On set, the trio is styled by longtime collaborator June Ambrose. The all-black look makes it look like the Avengers are dressed to the nines and made up of R&B and hip-hop legends. They take photos both in groups and individually.
After her solo photo shoot, Ciara starts crying.
“When I was little and a little artist came along, I was always asked, 'Who inspires you?' I would say a combination of people: Michael Jackson, Prince, and Missy Elliott. “She's one of the greatest performers of all time,” she said.
“She is someone who is very important to me, not only as an artist, but also as a human being, as a sister. She is someone I can always ask for the truth, and she must continue to tell me the truth. She's the person I can call and cry to 'need.' ”
But ask her if there will be an on-stage collaboration. Elliott wrote and was featured on Ciara's big hit, “1, 2 Step.” Ciara is on Elliott's “Lose Control” — she laughs. “Missy is very picky. She doesn't want to ruin any surprises,” she says. She said, “I think she stands up for everyone from beginning to end. She has a lot of records where everyone is up.”
“Someone's gonna die!” rhyming joke.
“And come back to life,” Ciara interjected.
“Let's try to stay positive,” Rhimes says with a laugh. “Even if people die, they will come back to life.”
Elliott then gives hints about what fans can expect from the show. “It's an experience. It's more than just seeing an artist on stage,” she says. “I want people to travel through that moment, that (music) video. I want them to relive it on stage. There's definitely a lot of good stuff. It's expensive!”
“Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience” begins July 4th at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia and concludes August 22nd at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois .
It will hit Seattle. Oakland, California. Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Denver; Austin, Texas. Houston. Fort Worth, Texas. Tampa, Florida. Sunrise, Florida. Atlanta; Baltimore; Hampton, Virginia. Philadelphia; Washington, DC; Newark, New Jersey. Boston; Brooklyn, New York; Detroit; Montreal and Toronto.
The tour will be produced by Young's Monami Entertainment and Live Nation. Advance sales will begin on Tuesday, and tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday.