Missy Elliott REFUSED to Fit In, and Made History

In a genre that sidelined women, the weirdest outsider became its most inventive star.

Missy Elliott grew up poor in Virginia, surviving a childhood scarred by abuse.

She escaped into music, writing songs and dreaming far beyond her hometown.

She started behind the scenes, writing hits for other artists with her friend Timbaland.

Labels wanted female rappers to look one way. Missy refused to fit the mold.

So she stepped up front herself, with strange sounds and wild, futuristic videos.

Nobody sounded or looked like her, and that is exactly why the world watched.

She became a hitmaker, a visionary producer, and one of music's great inventors.

She showed a generation of girls they could write, produce, and lead.

The outsider who refused to fit became the first female rapper in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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