Hit Parade: “Flip It and Reverse It, Part 2”

Podcast: Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Host: Chris Molanphy
Date: May 27, 2022
Episode Theme:
An in-depth exploration of the genius and influence of Pharrell Williams (with Chad Hugo as the Neptunes), Timbaland, and Missy Elliott—three visionary artists and producers from Virginia Beach—whose idiosyncratic style, innovation, and collaborations reshaped the sound and business of 21st-century pop, hip-hop, and R&B. The episode focuses on their career peaks, their creative highs and lows, interwoven stories, and the lasting cultural impact of their musical legacies.

Episode Overview

Chris Molanphy charts the meteoric rise, creative experimentation, challenges, and enduring influence of the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo), Timbaland, and Missy Elliott from the early 2000s onward. Through storytelling, song snippets, and sharp chart analysis, Molanphy shows how these innovators redefined mainstream music, switched up the rules, and blended genres—often finding themselves at the top of the charts even as they retained their distinctive, off-beat edge.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Neptunes’ Pop Crossover and Sonic Expansion (2001–2003)

• Britney Spears Breaks the Mold:
  • The Neptunes wrote "I'm a Slave 4 U" initially for Janet Jackson, but it became Britney Spears’ lead single in 2001, marking her shift toward R&B-influenced pop ([01:47]).

    “Britney generated her most R&B-leaning track to date. It was actually the first of her songs to crack the R&B chart…” (Chris Molanphy, [01:47]).

• Dominating Multiple Genres:
  • In 2002, The Neptunes crafted hits for artists as wide-ranging as NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, and especially Nelly, whose “Hot in Herre” became their first #1 pop single, spending seven weeks at the top ([05:16]).

    “The Neptunes flipped this hook, added their percolating percussion and Nelly’s rapid and turned it into the 2002 song of the summer.” ([05:16])

  • Their versatility allowed both pop and hip-hop artists to cross over to new audiences without sacrificing credibility.

2. The Missy Elliott & Timbaland Masterpiece Era (2002–2004)

• Missy’s “Work It” Era:

  • In 2002, Missy Elliott’s Under Construction—a celebration of Aaliyah’s memory—featured “Work It,” a party anthem loaded with wordplay, memes-before-memes, and iconic reversals ([11:13]).

    “That backwards line … that’s just ‘I put my thang down, flip it and reverse it’ played backwards right after Missy has rapped that line forwards.” ([11:13])

  • “Work It” held at #2 for 10 weeks, kept from the top only by Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” but was named critics’ top song of the year and is now a recognized classic ([12:32]).

• Creative Partnership Falters:

  • By 2003, friction developed between Missy and Timbaland in the studio, influenced by their shared grief over Aaliyah’s loss. Their collaboration yielded diminishing returns, signaling the close of a prolific era ([13:51]).

3. Second Acts and Artistic Reinvention (2005–2008)

• Pharrell as Star, Producer & Songwriter:
  • Pharrell began releasing solo material (“Frontin’”), but continued to shape hits for others, notably Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful” and Kelis’s “Milkshake.”
  • The Neptunes’ production met controversy with Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” and the 2004 Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction,” yet their reputation remained intact ([19:13]).
• Timbaland’s Resurgence:
  • After a quiet spell, Timbaland returned to prominence producing Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous” and Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack,” both #1s in 2006 ([24:14]).

    “Promiscuous was a total 180 from Nelly Furtado’s previous output… Promiscuous presented Nelly as a reborn club diva. Slinky, sexy and sly.” ([24:14]) “The Justin single is a risk... When you hear it the second time, that’s when it starts to hit you. A record like that will stay around longer than a record that hits you right away.” (Timbaland, [28:40])

  • Timbaland’s “Shock Value” further cemented his producer-artist status, yielding hits with Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Keri Hilson, and OneRepublic (“Apologize”) ([34:23]).
• Madonna Collaborations as a Benchmark:
  • Timbaland and Pharrell separately produced tracks for Madonna's Hard Candy (2008), with “4 Minutes” being Madonna’s biggest hit in years, an indicator of Timbaland’s then-superior chart presence ([35:10], [37:37]).

4. The 2010s: Normcore and Global Cultural Influence

• Pharrell’s Persistent Hits and Pop Culture Victories:
  • Pharrell’s forays into film with the Despicable Me soundtrack lead to “Happy,” which topped the Hot 100 for 10 weeks and scored an Oscar nomination, demonstrating his mainstream, cross-generational appeal ([42:12]).
• Chart Domination & Legal Controversy:
  • In 2013, Pharrell was the common theme in both Robin Thicke’s "Blurred Lines" and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” simultaneously occupying #1 and #2 spots on the Hot 100 ([44:00]).
  • Pharrell’s songwriting on "Blurred Lines" triggered a headline-generating lawsuit over its similarities to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up."
• Timbaland’s Continued Relevance:
  • Timbaland’s role in Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience” (2013) and collaborations with Jay-Z ("Holy Grail") kept him in the upper echelons of pop hit-making ([48:00]).
• Behind-the-scenes Mentor:
  • Missy Elliott, after battling health issues (Graves’ disease), focused on writing for and boosting other women artists, helping shape the careers of Ciara, Keyshia Cole, Monica, and others ([51:50]).

    “By 2005, Elliott was shifting her focus from her own material toward these collaborations. For Ciara, Missy co-wrote the number two hit ‘One, Two Step’ and made a guest rap appearance.” ([51:50])

5. Missy Elliott’s Enduring Presence and Influence

• Missy’s Accident and Comeback:
  • Missy’s absence from recordings in the late 2000s was because of illness, but she returned as a guest artist and was celebrated at the 2015 Super Bowl and with the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 2019 ([53:41], [59:13]).

    “Since her successful treatment for Graves disease, she seems to enjoy being an elder stateswoman of hip-hop. In 2019, MTV finally acknowledged her singular influence by presenting her with their Video Vanguard Award…” ([59:13])

• Her Influence on Newer Artists:
  • Lizzo, among others, directly credits Missy’s impact on her own work and career ([60:08]).

    “For me, being young and weird and chubby and a black girl and wanting to do music, I was like, wow, anything is possible.” (Lizzo, [60:08])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Pharrell's influence on Britney’s R&B pivot:

  “It could be argued that sonically, Britney adapted to them more than they did to her.” (Chris Molanphy, [01:47])

• On the iconic “Work It” reversal:

  “That’s just ‘I put my thang down, flip it and reverse it’ played backwards right after Missy has rapped that line forwards.” (Chris Molanphy, [11:13])

• Timbaland on innovation:

  “To me, making music is about taking risks.” (Timbaland, [23:28])

• On Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack”:

  “When you hear it the second time, that’s when it starts to hit you. A record like that will stay around longer…” (Timbaland, [28:40])

• Missy Elliott’s criteria for a hit:

  “If I can't see the visual of what the video is gonna be, then that’s a record that I just gotta throw away.” (Missy Elliott, [59:13])

• Lizzo on Missy Elliott’s influence:

  “For me, being young and weird and chubby and a black girl and wanting to do music, I was like, wow, anything is possible.” (Lizzo, [60:08])

Important Timestamps

• Britney's R&B reinvention with The Neptunes: [01:35]–[04:16]
• Nelly's "Hot in Herre" and The Neptunes’ first #1: [04:27]–[06:52]
• Missy Elliott’s “Work It” and its legacy: [11:13]–[13:48]
• Missy and Timbaland’s creative breakup: [13:51]–[15:00]
• Timbaland’s comeback with Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake: [24:14]–[32:00]
• Shock Value era and Madonna’s “4 Minutes”: [34:23]–[36:00]
• Pharrell's "Happy" and the hit parade of 2013–2014: [42:12]–[45:30]
• Missy Elliott's career as a mentor-capstone and 2019 Video Vanguard: [51:34]–[60:18]
• Lizzo on Missy’s impact and cultural legacy: [60:08]–[60:18]

Episode Takeaways

• Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Timbaland, and Missy Elliott permanently altered the contours of pop and urban music, blending bold experimentation with unprecedented mainstream success.
• Their evolving collaborations—sometimes harmonious, sometimes competitive—propelled each other to new creative heights.
• Even as their hit-making ebbed and flowed, their innovations and cultural leadership paved the way for the next wave of artists, especially women and Black artists redefining the genre.
• Missy Elliott, in particular, is celebrated as a pioneer of both musical and visual creativity, whose influence now echoes throughout contemporary music.

Summary crafted in the spirit and tone of Chris Molanphy’s passionate, scholarly storytelling.