This song is part of our “THE SUMMER 97 (1998 x 2023)” playlist. Check out the full list.
In Hip-Hop, the come-up is cyclical; good karma yields great success. In the case of Missy Elliott, she’s essentially Hip-Hop’s Buddha with all the good karma she’s put into the genre… but even she started somewhere. The reputation she cultivated as a songwriter, producer, and force of female empowerment manifested via several high-profile features on her debut. On its final single “Hit Em Wit da Hee,” she managed to secure features from not one but two fellow female rap stars: Lil’ Kim and Mocha. The result is a fierce, hard-hitting romp that’s all bite, yet no fight.
Watch the “Hit Em Wit da Hee” music video, stream it, or buy “Supa Dupa Fly.”
In celebration of summer, the staff at THE 97 has compiled a playlist containing some of our favorite summer songs, from then and now. Each day we will reveal one song, rotating daily between past and present with pairings from 1998 and 2023, for a total of 97 days/songs. Since we love nostalgia, we’re celebrating summer songs from 1998 as they turn 25, alongside new songs that we feel deserve some shine. Pairings could be thematic, sonic, or based connections between the artists.