It's no surprise that Gossip Folks - a piece of mystical retro hip-hop - was chosen as the second release from Missy's Under Construction, since it stands out with Work It as one of the two top tracks on that album.
This new single has some of the middle-eastern edge of Get Ur Freak On, with Tim "Timbaland" Mosely providing another cracking loop by hypnotically combining two bass hits and a chromatic echoing-horns riff. Missy rips into these dark beats with a skipping rhythm and a punishing twisting tone of voice, her lyrics hitting back at the two perennial problems of celebrity - envy and gossip. And Southern rapper Ludacris, who comes online solo for the last third of the track, provides a contrasting rhythm and tone that adds a shiny cherry to the Misdemeanour cake.
As with past releases Timbaland and Missy create the illusion of chaos, and Timbaland's gibberish samples from Frankie Smith's Double Dutch Bus add to this feeling in Gossip Folk's chorus. But don't be fooled - this single is a skillfully constructed piece of hip-hop, and although a slower grower than Get Ur Freak On and Work It, Gossip Folks will have you doing the Missy-shoulder-shuffle within a couple of plays.
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