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Get Ur Freak On
Missy Elliot
Miss E… So Addictive (2001)
Missy Elliot is probably the most talented female rapper out there. I’m not even sure I need to use the “female” qualifier there either. “Get Ur Freak On” is perhaps the epitome of her striking combination of weird, catchy, and rhythmic. Sounding more like a Talvin Singh track than a hip-hop smash, she even establishes her superiority by… spitting at you (and the video shows this acted out, even). She and Timbaland could pretty easily be credited with keeping hip-hop as the one genre that can still innovate and surprise above any other.
Also check out: This other Missy song just missed the top 50, but the frantic “Lose Control” still blows me away