When Rolling Stone calls a track “the greatest hit of the century,” you know it’s not just another catchy tune — it’s a cultural earthquake. And this time, the honour goes to Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On,” the 2001 banger that redefined what hip-hop could sound like and set a new bar for creativity in mainstream music.
The magazine’s longtime writer Rob Sheffield crowned the song “the defining hit of the 21st century” in Rolling Stone’s latest Greatest Songs list, praising Elliott’s “wild imagination and fearless production.” He wrote, “‘Get Ur Freak On’ is not just a song — it’s an atmosphere. Missy created a world that everyone wanted to live in, from the first beat.”
Released as the lead single from her third studio album Miss E… So Addictive, the track was produced by Timbaland, whose signature sound — an infectious mix of bhangra-inspired strings, Indian tabla rhythms and futuristic hip-hop — was unlike anything else on the radio at the time. The result was explosive. From the moment Missy shouted “Holla!” at the start, “Get Ur Freak On” became an anthem of self-confidence, swagger and boundary-breaking sound.
The song topped charts across the world, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, and later earned Elliott a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Its music video — featuring Missy swinging from chandeliers, spitting rhymes upside down and flashing her signature grin — became one of the most recognisable visuals of early-2000s MTV.
More than two decades later, “Get Ur Freak On” still feels fresh. It’s been featured in dozens of films and TV shows, from The 40-Year-Old Virgin to Mean Girls, and has been sampled by artists including Nelly Furtado, Ludacris and Nicki Minaj. When Missy performed the song at the 2019 MTV VMAs, the crowd’s reaction proved it hasn’t lost a bit of its fire.
Rolling Stone has a long tradition of naming and celebrating musical milestones, updating its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list every few years. Previous editions have highlighted classics like Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” But Sheffield’s recent declaration gives Missy a special place in what the magazine cheekily calls its “21st Century Hall of Fame.”
Elliott herself reacted to the honour on X (formerly Twitter) with her trademark humility and humour, writing: “God is good. I just make music that feels fun, so thank you Rolling Stone for showing love. Still freakin’ 20 years later!”
It’s a fitting recognition for an artist who’s consistently pushed hip-hop and pop into the future. Long before “genre-blending” was a buzzword, Missy Elliott was out there bending beats, breaking rules and celebrating individuality. As Sheffield summed it up, “When the beat drops on ‘Get Ur Freak On,’ the world feels different. That’s what greatness sounds like.”
Missy may have told us to “get our freak on” — but what she really did was get music moving forward.
@rollingstone and the #1 greatest song of this century? @Missy Elliott’s #getyourfreakon. #missyelliott #missyelliottchallenge #popmusic ♬ original sound - Rolling Stone
