25 of the best R&B songs written by Missy Elliott

Missy Elliott worked with Mya a few times throughout her career — once for the singer’s debut album and for “Lady Marmalade.” The two teamed up again in 2003 for Mya’s hit single “My Love Is Like…Wo.” On the track, Mya is confident with all her physical assets and ready to show off her love-making skills. The song reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Missy Elliott and Timbaland put the world on notice as a hit-making duo when they helped Aaliyah craft her sound on her sophomore album, One In A Million. Their production and songwriting magic was evident on “If Your Girl Only Knew.” The song tells the story of a guy who’s in a relationship but makes advances at Aaliyah. At the same time, the singer defines how it’s not an easy task to woo her. 

Missy Elliott originally wrote “Where My Girls At” with the girl group TLC in mind. When the recording session didn’t happen, Elliott knew that 702 would be perfect for the track. The song is an anthem for any woman who’s had to deal with other ladies trying to steal their man.

Missy Elliott was instrumental in introducing the world to Jazmine Sullivan. Elliott contributed to the majority of Sullivan’s debut album, Fearless, including “Need U Bad.” The song finds Sullivan realizing she walked out on a good relationship and longs for another chance. On the hook, she sings, “Boy I need you bad as my heartbeat / Bad like the food I eat / Bad like the air I breathe / I need you bad I can’t take this pain / Boy I’m ‘bout to go insane.”

For years, many fans thought Tweet’s debut single “Oops (Oh My)” had a sex theme, but in 2021, Missy Elliott took to Twitter to state it's about self-love. It’s the type of track that highlights how people might catch their reflection in the mirror and feel shook by how good they look.

When Fantasia became the third winner of American Idol, it was important that she worked with producers and songwriters that could help her shine even more on her debut project. Missy Elliott wrote and produced the album’s fourth single, “Free Yourself.” The track showcases Fantasia realizing her partner’s behavior changes in their relationship. If he’s unhappy, she’d rather have him move on.

Missy Elliott contributed to a few songs on Monica’s fourth album, After The Storm, including “So Gone.” The song highlights a woman who realizes her partner has been unfaithful in their relationship, making her act out of character. The single went No. 1 across Billboard’s Dance Club Songs and Hot R&B charts.

Missy Elliott has never shied away from writing songs about sex. Her pen was a bit raunchy at times. She addresses the topic a bit more subtly, though, on “Can We.” The song is about a woman being a little tipsy and expressing her desire for a kinky evening.

In 2003, Beyoncé released her debut solo album, Dangerously In Love. She had worked with Missy Elliott a few times on Destiny’s Child songs. The two teamed up again on the album deep cut “Signs.” On this track, Beyoncé tells the story of meeting a Sagittarius man with the qualities of other zodiac signs. In the first verse, she sings, “I was in love with a Sagittarius, he blew my mind / He also had a flip side too much like a Gemini.”

In 2007, Keyshia Cole released her sophomore album, Just Like You. Missy Elliott produced and wrote the album’s lead single, “Let It Go.” In the song, Cole is joined by Elliott and Lil' Kim as they detail how people should leave relationships that are no longer serving them. The song was a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Missy Elliott and Timbaland teamed up on “Make It Hot,” Nicole Wray’s debut single. On the track, Wray realizes that her man isn’t showing her the same love anymore, even though she believes she has everything he could possibly want. “Make It Hot” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Mariah Carey had a number of hit singles on Butterfly, but she also had quite a few solid album cuts. Carey teamed up with Missy Elliott on the fan-favorite song “Babydoll.” The track showcases Carey having a restless night at a hotel as she longs for her lover to join her for an intimate night.

In 2000, Tamia released her sophomore album, A Nu Day. She teamed up with Missy Elliott on the sensual album cut “Can’t No Man,” a track where she realizes she’s had the best love she could ever have and no other man can compete or compare. Tamia sings in the first verse, “The way you hold my body babe / There’s no other man that could / And even if he tried to turn me on / I don’t think that he would.”

Mary J. Blige’s 2001 album No More Drama is often lauded as one of her most personal albums. In typical Blige form, the singer’s discography expands upon life’s trials and relationships. She collaborated with Missy Elliott on the album cut “Never Been,” which tells the story of a woman finally feeling a love that she had never experienced before.

In 1998, Whitney Houston released her fourth album, My Love Is Your Love. One of the album’s standout tracks is the Missy Elliott-assisted cut “In My Business.” Houston sings about dealing with oblivious people who are questioning and criticizing her relationship. 

Missy Elliott has worked with some of the biggest girl groups of all time. She gave Total their biggest single to date, “Trippin,’” which became a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. “Trippin’” is about a woman expressing to a potential lover that she’s ready for commitment.

In 2004, Ciara put the world on notice as the newest artist out of Atlanta. Her artistry was helmed by Jazze Pha and Missy Elliott as they joined forces on her second single, “1, 2 Step.” Since Missy Elliott is a rapper, she can easily make a dance-heavy record for any artist. She did that with “1, 2 Step,” which earned Ciara the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1998, Destiny’s Child released their multi-platinum and critically acclaimed album The Writing’s on the Wall. The album followed the theme of commandments, and one of the standout tracks was “Confessions.” On the track, Beyoncé tells the story of having an argument with her boyfriend and then cheating on him. However, she confesses to her wrongdoing because she knows it’s the right thing to do. 

In 2010, Monica released her sixth studio album, Still Standing. Since Monica and Missy Elliott have seen success with past collaborations, it only made sense for them to continue teaming up. The album’s lead single “Everything To Me” samples the Deniece Williams hit song “Silly.” “Everything To Me” is about a person being so in love with their partner that they believe they’re everything they could ever want and need.

702 came onto the scene in 1996, and with help from Missy Elliott, they dropped their debut single, “Steelo.” The track is about a woman being infatuated with a man’s aura and swag, to the point that she wants to get to know him a bit more.

In 2017, Mary J. Blige released her 13^th studio album, Strength of a Woman. The album's theme followed Blige after her divorce and a new chapter in her life. One of the album’s standout tracks is “Glow Up,” where Blige knows her worth and is moving on to better things.

Aaliyah’s sophomore album, One in a Million, showed her growth in her sound and artistry. Missy Elliott and Timbaland were the pioneers of her sound, and it was evident on the album’s third single. On the track, Aaliyah details being infatuated with a man to the point that she believes he’s one of a kind.

Although Missy Elliott is notorious for penning hits for the R&B ladies, she also wrote for R&B crooners. Ginuwine frequently collaborated with Missy Elliott and Timbaland, especially during the early years of his career. On Ginuwine’s “I’ll Do Anything/I’m Sorry,” he's apologetic when he realizes he messed up in his relationship and wants the love of his life back.

Tweet’s second single, “Call Me,” tells the story of having the luxury of calling another lover to fulfill one’s needs. The song was a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

In 2003, Lil Mo released her sophomore album, Meet The Girl Next Door. She teamed up with Missy Elliott for “Doing Me Wrong.” The song tells the story of a woman who’s found a brand new love but is afraid of falling head over heels, especially since her past relationships made her believe she wasn't deserving.