Hip-Hop

The latest CD released

MISSY ELLIOTT
Respect ME Gold Mind/Atlantic

Respect ME could well be renamed the Missy and Timbaland show. The best bits from Elliott's six albums to date are another reminder of just how potent this Virginia tag team were when producer and MC were in synch and firing on all cylinders. From the still-ingenious rush of the Get Ur Freak On soundclash to the futuristic funk buzz of Hit 'Em Wit Da Hee, Timbaland and Elliott were a match made in sonic heaven and a pairing who did more to flip freaky hip-hop sounds into the mainstream than anyone else. But since Elliott brought some other people into the studio - see last year's good-but-not-that-good album The Cookbook, for instance - quality control issues have emerged. While Timbaland is off re-inventing Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, Elliott's new crew are bluntly rehashing the wizened Apache break for We Run This, an inferior add-on to this collection. Time for Elliott to get out her Blackberry and hook up with an old friend. www.missy-elliott.com  Jim Carroll