Book excerpt: Five-time Grammy Award winner Missy Elliott creates something fresh and original with every new album. She has a natural confidence and a style all her own. Growing up in Virginia, Missy wrote an performed songs all the time for anybody who would listen. Since her first album in 1997, Missy has had 6 platinum albums, a feat that has never been accomplished by any other female rapper. She is a record producer, clothing designer, and charity spokeswoman and has her own record label.