Music Video Friday: Missy Elliott – The Rain
Beep beep, who got the keys to the Jeep? V-r-rrrrrrrooooom!
The announcement that Missy Elliott is headlining Bestival this year has got us all excited here at YUK FUN studios. It’s great to hear that she’ll be back performing after some time away from the spotlight due to illness. This is our favourite Missy Elliott video for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the outfits – the big black glossy bin bag looks both hilarious and somehow incredibly cool and futuristic at the same time. That suit was made out of tyre inner tube on the inside with a patent leather finish on the outside. According to June Ambrose, the costume designer who came up with the outfit, Missy had to be taken to the local petrol station to be pumped up. Throughout the filming of the video the suit kept leaking so it was being re-inflated during filming using a bike pump, giving it a surreal, living quality which makes it look even more bizarre. There are also bright red dungarees, a white leather suit and the cycling helmet with the red sunglasses.
The song itself is the epitome of cool, Missy’s laid back rapping flowing perfectly over Timbaland‘s beats and the sample of I Can’t Stand the Rain by Ann Peebles. I Can’t Stand the Rain was enthusiastically described by John Lennon as “the best song ever” and definitely worth checking out.
Finally we love the dancing and spotting the famous people who make cameos in the video, such as Puff Daddy (aka P. Diddy, Diddy, P. Diddles, Piddletron, Duff Paddy), Lil’ Kim and Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George of SWV.