Missy Elliott has announced a surprise release of her first album since 2005.
The rapper revealed on her social media accounts that Iconography will be unveiled at midnight and has suggested that the tracks will be a throwback to a more upbeat time.
“This year has been a tremendous year for me,” Elliott wrote on Instagram. “I am humbled and grateful. THANK YOU for allowing me to smell the roses. You, my fans, and God are the reason I am here and have celebrated every milestone with me! So, I have a SURPRISE for you … let’s continue the celebration at midnight tonight … I’m dropping a collection of new songs! Let’s #ThrowItBack to a time when music just felt good and made us want to dance!”
It marks her first new album since 2005’s The Cookbook which featured the hit Lose Control. At the time she referred to it as her “best album” and it went on to sell over 657,000 copies in the US before losing the Grammy for best hip-hop album to Kanye West’s Late Registration. On the album, the Guardian’s Alexis Petridis wrote that Elliott sounded “as unique and startling and formidable as ever”.
Since then she has appeared on songs with Ariana Grande, Little Mix and most recently Lizzo. At this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, she will be honoured with the Video Vanguard award just months after she entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Elliott was asked what she wants fans to think when they hear her new album for the first time. She responded: “There’s no one like Missy. No one.”
