Under Construction (2002)

Under Construction is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002, in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself.

The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 259,000 copies in its first week. It was also certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. Elliott dedicated the album to Aaliyah (who had died on August 25, 2001) and to victims of the September 11 attacks.

Singles

"Work It" was released as the album's lead single on September 16, 2002. The single peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying at that position for ten weeks. As of 2023, "Work It" has sold over 3 million copies in the US alone. The official music video was directed by Dave Meyers.

Under Construction's second and final official single was "Gossip Folks", which was released on December 9, 2002. Dave Meyers directed the video. "Gossip Folks" charted in 14 countries worldwide.

"Back in the Day", featuring Jay-Z, was intended to be the album's third single. It was released in February 8, 2003, peaking at number 86 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, but was scrapped as a single.

Additionally, another contender to be the album's official third single, was a newly recorded remix of "Pussycat" with guest vocals by Janet Jackson and featuring Lil' Kim. Elliott's label felt the song was too explicit to release and plans were withdrawn.

Reception

Under Construction received universal acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, it earned an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

AllMusic editor John Bush called the album "one of the best rap LPs of the year." He felt that "while Timbaland's stark digital soul girds these tracks, Missy herself continues her artistic progression, trying to push hip-hop forward with an almost pleading intro and neatly emphasizing her differences from other rappers by writing tracks for nearly every facet of the female side of relationships." Rolling Stone's Gavin Edwards found that the album "sounds like habanero peppers, cinnamon and sweat" and that "Under Construction, uninhibited and unpredictable, is [Elliott's] best yet." Nathan Rabin wrote in his review for The A.V. Club: "Distraught over the death of [...] Aaliyah, Elliott finds comfort in rap's colorful past on Under Construction, which looks back while surging forward. She and Timbaland load the album with sonic and lyrical references to days gone by [...] In the long shadow of death, Elliott and Timbaland's funky, feisty, infectious music joyously celebrates life." Drowned in Sound's Chris Nettleton remarked that lead single "Work It" was a "good sample of the food for offer, individual, funky, sexy music. Add that to moments of sober thought, moments of Salt, Pepa and N.E.R.D.-y chilli sauce, moments of banging old-school, moments of silky R&B, and you have a killer album."

Blender critic Jonah Weiner felt that "like 2001's Miss E… So Addictive [...] Under Construction is a sex-obsessed dance-floor romp [...] Tempering futurism with retro-rap here, they feed the old through the new and refresh both. Shaken by violent hip-hop feuds and the passing of friends, [Elliott] asks herself how long she can keep the party going. Brilliantly reanimating the music of her youth through her club-ready sound, Elliott collapses past and present to defy death [...]." Steve Jones from USA Today considered Under Construction "Elliott's most sonically innovative effort to date, which is saying something considering the way she has always pushed the envelope [...] While everybody else is still trying to catch up to the previous trends she set, Elliott doggedly refuses to repeat herself." New York magazine's Ethan Brown described Under Construction as a "decidedly retro" album that "contrasts hip-hop's current seriousness with its more joyful past." He noted that Elliott and Timbaland "are odd authors of such paeans to the past — they share a futuristic sensibility that’s as bold as any electronic music producer's — and that's what makes Under Construction so strange and wonderful."