ABSTRACT
2001: Established songwriter, producer, rapper, and singer Missy Elliott’s smash hit “Get Your Freak On” catapults her third album to the top of the charts. Claiming that she can last 20 rounds with the “Niggahs,” Missy declares that she’s the “best around” because she has a “crazy style.” In tribute to and in dialogue with Elliott, singer Nelly Furtado also records her version of “Get Your Freak On.” Describing Elliott, Furtado sings “she’s a freak and I’m a chief head banger.” In case listeners might think Furtado is not as down as Elliott, Furtado sings “Who’s that bitch? Me!” Elliott’s song becomes so popular that a series of websites offer its mesmerizing sitar tones as ringers for cell phones. They ring in Burger King. “Get your freak on” . . . “Hello?”
