Flashback Friday

Album: Make It Hot (Goldmind/ Elektra; 1998)
Songwriters: Missy Elliott and Tim Mosley
R&B Peak Position: #2

"I got what you want/ Got what you ne-eed..."

The first signing to Missy Elliott's Goldmind imprint, seventeen-year old Nicole Wray became another beneficiary of Elliott and Timbaland’s incredible musical chemistry as the two planted their revolutionary nu-urban sound over much of her '98 debut, Make It Hot. Yeah, their presence overshadowed Nicole's considerable teenaged chops, but she wasn't complaining, not when the disc's lead single and title track quickly earned ranking as one of the duo's sickest collaborations yet.

Most of "Hot"'s appeal lied in it's "goth & b"-styled production, which centered on a chiming, doomsday-like thump thrown askew by bits of tribal percussion and what could best be described as an audio snippet of a thousand mini-Martians being burned alive. While the beat was forward-thinking, it's lyrical scenario was certainly planted in the typical "daytime TV" topic of the day: an unfaithful boyfriend.

Stuck in love with a beau that doesn't phone like he used to or even kiss her anymore, Nicole quickly begins to deduce that he's not being on the up-and-up. "Am I his fool?" she painfully wonders, thoughts of him bedding another woman creeping into her brain when he abbreviates another one of her calls ("Said to call him back") than cuts his cell off shortly after. While it's never affirmed if he's really cheating or if she's just being paranoid, Nicole is desperate to get back in his good graces regardless, pitifully requesting another shot to really win him over. Her sorrows are bookended by some slick raps from Missy and fellow protogee Mocha, neither of which adhere much to the subject at hand, while Kelly Price is brought in to contribute a few big-voiced ad-libs in the mid-section.

Thanks to it's powerhouse support, the Gold-certified "Make It Hot" was a major radio hit in both pop and urban formats, providing much initial promise for the newcomer. Since then, though, a steady stream of behind-the-scenes politics (label switches, shelved projects, etc.) has put her career in a lull, save for the occasional hook cameo or lone single/ mixtape release.

Best Moment: "I can fly like Kelly/ I glide like skates/ Me with no Timbaland/ Is like Puff with no Mase"