"Gossip Folks" is a song by American rapper

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

featuring

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

. The song appears on Elliott's fourth studio album, '' Under Construction'' (2002), and was released as the album's second single on December 9, 2002. It peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number nine in the United Kingdom. "Gossip Folks" also went to number one on the dance charts.

Background

The song is Missy's response to different rumors about her (e.g., her sexual orientation, her weight), and essentially tells those who spread these rumors to mind their own business. The refrain of "Gossip Folks" samples the 1981 song "

Double Dutch Bus "Double Dutch Bus" is a hit 1981 funk song by Frankie Smith, made famous for its extensive use of the "izz" infix form of slang. It was first released as a 12" promotional single in 1980, and released under the album "Children of Tomorrow" in ...

" by

Frankie Smith Franklyn Leon Smith (January 29, 1940 – March 8, 2019) was an American funk musician and R&B/soul songwriter. He was best known for his 1981 hit single "Double Dutch Bus". Career Smith went to college in Tennessee for elementary education ...

Music video

The music video for "Gossip Folks" was directed by Dave Meyers. In the beginning Elliott is walking through the hallway when students start announcing her entrance and begin to start rumors about her. As Missy's verse starts, Missy and the students begin dancing through the chorus. The second verse starts in the cafeteria where Missy has her group of students have a

food fight A food fight is a form of chaotic collective behavior, in which foodstuffs are thrown at others in the manner of projectiles. These projectiles are not made nor meant to harm others, but to simply ignite a fight filled with spontaneous food ...

with another group. Also in the cafeteria are Tweet,

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

, and

Trina Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga". Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the most ...

impressing while sitting on a cafeteria table. In the middle of the video a clip of "Funky Fresh Dressed" featuring

Ms. Jade Chevon Young (born 1979), better known by the stage name Ms. Jade is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2002 she released her only album to date, ''Girl Interrupted (album), Girl Interrupted'', which featured the single (mus ...

was played. The "Funky Fresh Dressed" segment of the video features Elliott and Ms. Jade with their green shades in a classroom. Missy begins to aggravate the teacher

Faizon Love Faizon Andre Love (born Langston Faizon Santisima; June 14, 1968) is a Cuban-born American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles in the comedy films '' The Meteor Man'', ''Don't Be a Menace'', ''Friday'', ''B*A*P*S'', ''Elf'', '' Th ...

while Ms. Jade takes over the class with a

yardstick A meterstick, metrestick, or yardstick is either a straightedge or foldable ruler used to measure length, and is especially common in the construction industry. They are often made of wood or plastic, and often have metal or plastic joints so ...

as a symbol of power. Ludacris's verse begins directly after the "Funky Fresh Dressed" segment. He appears to be the principal. The bus driver who appears in the last 10 seconds is

Darryl McDaniels Darryl Matthews McDaniels (born May 31, 1964), better known by his stage name DMC, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Run-DMC, and is considered one of the pioneers of hip hop culture. Early life McDaniels grew ...

(DMC of Run-DMC). Toward the end of the video a mural dedicated to the late R&B/hip hop stars

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

(1979–2001),

Lisa Lopes Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besides ...

(1971–2002), and

Jam Master Jay Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the big ...

(1965–2002) is shown. The video features several young dancers, including Monica Parales of former girl group

School Gyrls The School Gyrls (briefly known as Forever) were an American girl group formed in 2008. They were signed to Nick Cannon's NCredible Entertainment. The group starred in an eponymous movie that premiered on Nickelodeon on February 21, 2010. The g ...

and

Alyson Stoner Alyson Rae Stoner (born August 11, 1993) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her film roles include ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' (2003), '' Cheaper by the Dozen 2'' (2005), and the ''Step Up'' franchise (2006–2014). Her television roles i ...

of The JammX Kids. Monica Parales auditioned for the role of Lead Kid Dancer in

Work It (Missy Elliott song) "Work It" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Missy Elliott and her producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley for Elliott's fourth studio album '' Under Construction'' (2002). The song's musical style, and production by Timbaland, were heavily ...

, but lost the role to Alyson Stoner. Monica eventually co-starred with Alyson in "Gossip Folks" and

I'm Really Hot "I'm Really Hot" is a song by American recording artist Missy Elliott. It was written and produced by Timbaland and Elliott for her fifth studio album ''This Is Not a Test!'' (2003). Released as the second and final single from the album, it reac ...

. The music video also stars dancer and actress

Jenna Dewan Jenna Lee Dewan (; born December 3, 1980) is an American actress and dancer. She started her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, and later worked with artists including Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Missy Elliott. She is known for her ...

from '' Step Up''.Whatever Happened to the Little Girls From Missy Elliott's Music Videos?
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Tributes in the end of the video

Aaliyah Dana Haughton Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Q ...

(born January 16, 1979 – died August 25, 2001) – plane accident * Lisa Nicole Lopes (born May 27, 1971 – died April 25, 2002) – car accident * Jason William Mizell (born January 21, 1965 – died October 30, 2002) – murdered

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2002 singles 2002 songs Ludacris songs Missy Elliott songs Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director) Song recordings produced by Timbaland Songs written by Ludacris Songs written by Missy Elliott Songs written by Timbaland