Lizzo and iconic rapper Missy Elliott released a new song to empower curvy women.
The singer/rapper’s song, “Tempo,” is the third single released from her much-anticipated Cuz I Love You album, which will be released on April 19, according to Billboard. The song is the Houston-born artist’s first collaboration with Elliott, which is something she said she always wished for, as she grew up admiring the rapper.
“2 years ago I met my hero. I played her my music, she threw beats at me as I freestyled. It was fun and life-changing—10 years ago if you told me I’d rap w/ Missy Elliott, I’d think that was impossible…so we took selfies because I thought I’d never see her again,” she recalls in a lengthy Instagram post. “I never posted these pictures because they were just for me.. a secret I held close to my heart. But also… deep down inside I knew one day we’d have something even more special than a selfie. Today is that day.”
The collaboration includes a massive guitar riff at the beginning of the song, with Elliott stating she’s “been waiting” for a song like “Tempo.” Lizzo then sets the tone of the song being an ode to plus-size women, rapping lyrics like “thick thighs save lives” and Missy offering a bit of nostalgia by saying “All the fly girls head to the dance floor/ Kitty cat, kitty cat, prrr/ All the thick girls down on the flrrr.”
? BEST NEW MUSIC ? @lizzo f/ @MissyElliott ? “Tempo”
“It’s an exciting collaboration between an OG and an up and comer, both of whom do things their way, always.” https://t.co/cV1afNwsEN pic.twitter.com/bIkYUHyMLJ
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) March 22, 2019
The song comes shortly after it was announced that the “Get Your Freak On” rapper will receive an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music. The rapper, singer and producer, who rose to fame in 1997 with her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, will be the first female rapper to receive the award. Elliott took to her Twitter account to say she was “humbled” for the honor.
Lizzo’s career is currently elevating as her debut album’s release date nears. The artist, 30, has been gracing magazine covers left and right as a way to promote the album. In March, she became the feature star in Playboy magazine, joining model Molly Constable as one of the two plus-size women to be featured in the magazine since its launch in 1953, per Revelist. In the article, she discusses body positivity, feminism, and leading an overall positive life through perspective.
“We gotta be undeniable,” she told the magazine. “We gotta fix ourselves in the culture so that we’re unshakable. Body positivity has to be mainstream.”
