React Like You Know is back and this week, we’ve got a new panel and an inescapable, game-changing classic for them to watch and respond to. When Missy Elliott‘s Hype Williams-directed video for her debut single “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” dropped in 1997, it blew minds with its eye-popping, surreal imagery, avant-garde fashion choices (the air-filled “trash bag” jumpsuit!), and Williams’ signature fish-eye lens technique. It’s safe to say, hip-hop wouldn’t look anything like it does today without Missy’s adventurous debut video.
So, how does it measure up for our gen-Z panelists? Well, the episode opens with a few “Oh my God!” exclamations from Erica Banks and Fousheé, and even NLE Choppa can’t help but gush, “Missy was beautiful!” BRS Kash notes the fish-eye look “makes the video so much more dramatic,” while Blac Chyna, Cozz, and DaniLeigh all shout out the “trash bag” style — even though Missy revealed long ago it was a patent-leather jumpsuit. The Hummer also gets a lot of attention from the panel, while our studio team gets some interesting responses about the producer-artist relationship between Timbaland and Missy, as well as whether Puff Daddy can be “all in their videos — dancin.’” (The answer’s a resounding yes.)
Missy, meanwhile, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her third album, Miss E… So Addictive, with the release of her equally groundbreaking 2001 MTV VMAs performance on YouTube coming later today.
Watch the latest React Like You video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.