People define success differently, and Missy Elliott isn’t letting anyone tell her whether or not she’s “winning” at life. Following her recent comeback to the music industry, the rapper and producer used social media to explain how she defines her career’s success.
Against a black-and-white photo of herself smiling and wearing a signature baseball cap, the star wrote on Instagram about how she doesn’t use herself as a benchmark for her accomplishments, but rather her impact on other people. “People say I’m out here Winning well for me it’s not my success that makes me say I’m winning I’m winning when I can inspire people to be themselves when I can inspire many to live out their dreams & be great I’m winning when people look at my struggles my set backs and see how I made it through & say if Missy can overcome these things I can do it! It gives them the strength & courage to keep pushing! That’s my definition of Winning! [sic]” Very poignant and humbling, to say the least!
This post comes after the announcement that she is working on Block Party, her seventh studio album and the first since 2005. The new album’s lead single, “WTF (Where They From),” was released in mid-November and quickly made it on Billboard’s list of the 10 hottest R&B/hip-hop songs.
In 2006, Missy Elliott released a greatest hits album and from 2007 to 2014, she worked mostly in the production booth. She hinted at a comeback last year, though, when she joined Katy Perry on stage to perform parts of her hit songs during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Over 9,300 fans appreciated Missy Elliott’s unique perspective on success, with comments such as, “You inspire everyday you make so many feel free to be themselves! Don’t stop ever please,” and, “We really respect you, Missy. You are such a huge inspiration.”
One person said the true “winning” quality was her smile in the photograph, and while we’re not certain that meets Missy Elliott’s definition of the word, she likely appreciated the kind words nonetheless!
