Missy Elliott’s ‘Get Your Freak On’ Tops Rolling Stone’s ‘Greatest Songs of the 21st Century’ List

Earlier this week, Rolling Stone dropped its “The 250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century So Far” list. According to the outlet, Missy Elliott’s iconic track, “Get Your Freak On,” is the No.1 song of the 21st century. “…It was a challenge, a dare, the sound of Miss E and Timbaland defying everyone else to keep up with the future or get left behind,” the outlet wrote.

The outlet continued: “And after more than two decades, ‘Get Ur Freak On’ still sounds like the future — everything vibrant and inventive and cool about 21st-century pop is in here somewhere.” The track, which dropped in 2001 and featured on the rapper’s third studio album Miss E… So Addictive. Upon its release, the track landed at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

That said, Miss E… So Addictive debuted at No.2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 250,000 copies in its first week. It’s also been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2002, at the 44th Grammy Awards, Missy Elliott walked away with a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for “Get Ur Freak On.”

Missy Elliott Reaches Settlement In Long-Running Lawsuit

In other news, back in August, Missy Elliott finally put an end to a lawsuit that followed her for years. On August 22nd, just as jury selection was about to begin in a Philadelphia courtroom, she and producer Terry Williams agreed to settle their dispute, closing a chapter that had been active for seven years.

The conflict stemmed from Williams’ claims that he helped write several songs during Elliott’s early career. He pointed to four tracks from her group Sista’s 1994 project 4 All the Sistas Around Da World and argued that Elliott went on to publish the material without giving him the credit or payment he believed he deserved. He later tried to connect his argument to Aaliyah’s 1996 single “Heartbroken,” but in August 2024, U.S. District Judge Nitza Quiñones Alejandro ruled that the attempt came too late after more than two decades had already passed.