Missy Elliott Explains Why Her Next Album Has Been Years in the Making—and Who She's Working With Now!

Rapper hasn't released a full LP since 2006's compilation album Respect M.E.

Missy Elliott hasn't gotten her freak on in the public eye in quite some time—and obviously the music industry and her fans have taken notice.

Talking to Yahoo's The Yo Show, the hip-hop artist explained why her years-in-the-making seventh sudio album continues to be years-in-the-making.

"When I create something it's gotta be special and, you know, it can't just be to throw something out there because I feel like," Elliott said. "I'm Missy, I gotta feel like what I'm giving the fans is 100 percent and it's game-changing.

"I don't just throw out microwave records." 

Elliott's last studio album was 2005's The Cookbook, and she released the compilation album Respect M.E. in 2006.

While teasing the upcoming Block Party, she's released a few singles in more recent years, including "Triple Threat" and "9th Inning," both with Timbaland, in 2012—but the album itself remains unreleased.

Asked if she was experiencing any writer's block, Elliott replied, "I think when you are creating to the magnitude that I try to create...Your brain is like a computer sometimes and you need to refresh...It didn't used to be like that. It used to be where your record, your album was such a classic that it could go on for two years and then you drop another joint.

"But it's now like this. Your brain needs time to refresh because things happen in your life, you know, where you can then write something else instead of the same three topics. Like how many times we gonna talk about the club?"

"I think everybody gets writer's block," she added, laughing, "but I don't think that's the situation. Just being inspired by things is what I'm grabbing for...I'm just trying to make sure that what I give is 100 percent because I know the expecation is high for my fans—and it's high for myself."

And her next album will happen, Elliott promised.

"It's coming! I just ain't telling nobody when!" she said.

Meanwhile, she's been working with her former landlady Faith Evans on her new album. So Elliott has continued to "Work It" all this time, just on her own terms.

"Faith is one of those people who allowed me to stay in her house, eat up her food, when I had no money...She let me stay there, so yeah, we're gonna do something on this album."