Critics and fans were praising Missy Elliott and Timbaland so much during 2002-2003 that the hottest production combo in hip-hop may have started believing that a great production is synonomous with a great song.
This Is Not a Test!, her first major mistake, featured cutting-edge tracks in abundance, but virtually nothing in the way of heavyweight material.
Its follow-up, The Cookbook, brings the focus back to Missy the rapper and songwriter, wisely (in most cases) leaving the productions to a more varied cast than any of her previous records.
Ironically though, Elliott herself produced the lead single, "Lose Control," giving it a tight electro feel (courtesy of some vintage '80s samples from Cybotron and Hot Streak).
It's only the first nod to the type of old-school party jam that Elliott does better than ever here; "We Run This" resurrects the "Apache" break and a classic Sugarhill Gang track for one of the best club tunes of the year, Rich Harrison gives a bright, brassy production to another party song, "Can't Stop," and "Irresistible Delicious" featuring Slick Rick sounds at least 15 years removed from contemporary rap (yes, that's a good thing).
In a few spots The Cookbook isn't too far removed from This Is Not a Test! -- Elliott forces a few rhymes, plays to type with her themes, and uses those outside producers to follow trends in hip-hop (she could have easily accompanied a 12-track record of her usual solid material with a watered-down "New Sounds in Hip-Hop & R&B EP" that would kick off with the syrupy Houston retread "Click Clack," the Neptunes' tired "On & On," and the bland pop-idol duet "My Man" featuring Fantasia).
What's different here is how relaxed Elliott is, how willing she seems to simply go with what comes naturally and sounds best.
"My Struggles" isn't the myopic confessional suggested by the title, but an East Coast all-stars jam that features one of her best raps ever and deftly switches in midstream to allow Mary J.
Blige to reprise her "What's the 411?" classic (to say nothing of Grand Puba's verse).
And the final track, "Bad Man," sees one of the most welcome collaborations seen in rap for some time, as Elliott joins dancehall heroes M.I.A. and Vybz Kartel (plus a drumline from Atlanta A&T).
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JoyMissy Elliott, Mike Jones, Timothy Mosley | Missy Elliott | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | PartytimeMissy Elliott, Timothy Mosley | Missy Elliott | Play | 03:04 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | Irresistible DeliciousCraig Brockman, Missy Elliott, Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee, Ricky Walters | Missy Elliott | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | Lose ControlJuan Atkins, Richard Davis, Missy Elliott, Ciara Harris, C. Hudson | Missy Elliott | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 5 | My StrugglesMary J. Blige, Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, Missy Elliott, William Jeffrey | Missy Elliott | Play | 02:52 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 6 | MeltdownMissy Elliott, Scott Storch | Missy Elliott | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | We Run ThisMissy Elliott | Missy Elliott | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | Remember WhenMissy Elliott | Missy Elliott | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | 4 My Man | Missy Elliott | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | Can't StopMissy Elliott | Missy Elliott | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 29 MB |
| 11 | Teary EyedMissy Elliott | Missy Elliott | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 12 | MommyMissy Elliott | Missy Elliott | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 13 | Click ClackMissy Elliott | Missy Elliott | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 14 | Time and Time AgainMissy Elliott | Missy Elliott | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 15 | Bad ManMaya Arulpragasam, Missy Elliott | Missy Elliott | Play | 05:11 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 16 | On And On | Missy Elliott | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 62 mins | 143 MB | |||||
| 62 mins | 389 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June Ambrose | Stylist |
| 2 | Marcella Araica | Assistant Engineer |
| 3 | Maya Arulpragasam | Composer |
| 4 | Juan Atkins | Composer |
| 5 | Mary J. Blige | Composer, Featured Artist, Main Personnel |
| 6 | Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner | Composer |
| 7 | Craig Brockman | Audio Production, Composer |
| 8 | Chris Brown | Assistant Engineer |
| 9 | Jay Brown | A&R |
| 10 | Greg Gigendad Burke | Art Direction, Design |
| 11 | Warryn Campbell | Audio Production, Producer |
| 12 | Vybez Cartel | Main Personnel |
| 13 | Vadim Chislov | Assistant Engineer |
| 14 | Ciara | Featured Artist, Main Personnel |
| 15 | Andrew Coleman | Engineer |
| 16 | Wyatt Coleman | Engineer |
| 17 | Shondrae "Mr. Bangladesh" Crawford | Producer |
| 18 | Richard Davis | Composer |
| 19 | Jimmy Douglass | Mixing |
| 20 | Michael Eleopoulos | Engineer |
| 21 | Missy Elliott | Audio Production, Composer, Executive Producer, Main Personnel, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 22 | Paul J. Falcone | Engineer, Mixing |
| 23 | Fantasia | Main Personnel |
| 24 | Fantasia | Featured Artist |
| 25 | Fatman Scoop | Featured Artist, Main Personnel |
| 26 | Gloria Elias Foeillet | Make-Up |
| 27 | Chris Gehringer | Mastering |
| 28 | Serban Ghenea | Mixing |
| 29 | Grand Puba | Featured Artist, Main Personnel |
| 30 | Hart Gunther | Assistant |
| 31 | Ciara Harris | Composer |
| 32 | Rich Harrison | Producer |
| 33 | C. Hudson | Composer |
| 34 | Chad Hugo | Composer |
| 35 | Iz | Instrumentation |
| 36 | William Jeffrey | Composer |
| 37 | Eric Jensen | Assistant Engineer |
| 38 | Darrale Jones | A&R |
| 39 | Mike Jones | Composer, Featured Artist, Main Personnel |
| 40 | Charlene Keys | Vocals (Background) |
| 41 | Keith Lewis | Producer |
| 42 | Patrick Magee | Assistant Engineer |
| 43 | Kimberly Mason | Coordination |
| 44 | M.I.A. | Featured Artist, Main Personnel |
| 45 | Timothy Mosley | Composer |
| 46 | The Neptunes | Audio Production, Producer |
| 47 | Saint Nick | Producer |
| 48 | Eric Sadler | Composer |
| 49 | Hank Shocklee | Composer |
| 50 | Larry Sims | Coordination |
| 51 | Slick Rick | Featured Artist, Main Personnel |
| 52 | Southwest DeKalb | Drums |
| 53 | Scott Storch | Composer, Producer |
| 54 | Timbaland | Audio Production, Producer |
| 55 | Vybz Kartel | Featured Artist |
| 56 | Ricky Walters | Composer |
| 57 | Saint Warwick | Photography |
| 58 | Rhemario Webber | Producer |
| 59 | Pharrell Williams | Composer |
| 60 | Rayshawn Woolard | Assistant Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |