There are a lot of reasons why Missy Elliot’s new video is making major headlines today. It is her first official single in seven years and an indication that the rap artist might have a new album in the works. If this is true, it will be her first original album in more than ten years. Missy has not had an album out since she released the “Cookbook” in July of 2005.
The new single “WTF (Where They From)” also features Grammy Award-winning musician, Pharrell Williams. Pharrell had hinted earlier in April on The Tonight Show that he was working on a song with Missy. The video, in true Missy style, was eclectic and fun with marionettes, dancers and a captivating wardrobe.
The choreography is my favourite part of the video. From the dance in the subway, to the fierce and talented little girl, to Missy and her dancers doing the ‘Shoki’ on the streets. Yes, Missy performed the Shoki at the 2.30 minute mark and we are excited to say the ‘Supa Dupa Fly’ 44-year old nailed it. Nigerians would be proud.
It is not the first time that African dance steps have been incorporated into music videos of top American artistes. In 2011, Beyonce’s ‘Run The World’ choreography was inspired by the Tofo Tofo, a Mozambique dance group. Beyonce even had to fly in two Pantsula dancers to teach the entire dance crew the Tofo Tofo.
“My hats off to the Tofo Tofo guys cause none of us could imitate that…we had to bring them around to learn that [move], which is really, really interesting. They had such a great vocabulary of movement,” said Frank Gatson Jr., the choreographer for the video.
The Shoki dance is one of Nigeria’s most popular and favourite dances, even Olamide’s ‘Shakiti Bobo’ couldn’t relegate it to the background. Shoki is still a crowd favourite at weddings and even in churches.
Missy and her crew didn’t perform the dance for long though, but those three seconds are enough to make Nigerians click pause, and grin. If Missy needed help, all she had to do was ask. Like most ‘Nigerian-born’ dance moves, the Shoki can be performed in a variety of ways.
“The dance you doing is dumb, how they do where you from,” sings the rapper. Well Missy, in Nigeria, we do the Shoki, amongst other things.
The new WTF video was co-directed by Missy alongside Dave Meyers, who has collaborated with the rap queen before on videos like “Work It” and “Lose Control.” The concept for most of Missy’s videos are hers; she’s a creative.
“Like we’re in the studio, and just the things that she says and thinks about,” Pharrell gushed about her on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. “And like her video concepts. I didn’t know that all those video concepts were hers. I’m so proud of her.”
Watch Missy Elliot perform the Shoki dance in her new video WTF (Where They From) below:
