Pioneering hip hop artist Missy Elliott has debuted a new music video for the track “Driphemeanor,” featured from her recent EP ICONOLOGY, which debuted back in August. The music video, features a vocal feature from R&B singer, Sum1, and was directed by Derek Blanks, with choreography from Sean Bankhead.
This latest visual holds a futuristic spin, with Elliott and her back up dancers clad in leather, and later in color sci-fi suits, with bright lights, and futuristic set pieces. It also serves as an ode to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, prominently featuring fraternity members of Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternities, Inc.
This latest track, whose title is a reference to Elliott’s nickname Misdemeanor, is a slower track, with more restrained raps and delivery from the artist, which are complimented by a melodic, laid back beat. The song takes a more soulful edge with both Elliott’s and Sum1’s vocals highlighting this neo-soul hip hop fusion track.
This is the second video from ICONOLGY, following “Throw It Back,” a more upbeat dance oriented hip hop song, which serves as a welcome call back to the performer’s classic 1990s style. “Let’s #ThrowItBack to a time when music just felt good and made us want to dance,” Eliott said regarding the track. Prior this the the rapper collaborated with Lizzo on the track “Tempo.”
Elliott surprise released ICONOLGY, which served as her first new project in 14 years, since the release of her 2005 album The Cookbook. Despite this time between projects, in a recent interview with the Guardian, the performer states that she was never really on hiatus. “I hate to say I’m back because in reality I never went nowhere,” she explained. “I was still doing stuff behind the scenes. I don’t always want to be upfront. I’m very shy.”