Send the kids to bed early: Missy Elliott drops the leather-clad music video for "DripDemeanor"

Switching gears ever so slightly from her recent bass-thumper “Throw It Back,” Missy Elliott has released the official music video for her slow tempo, unabashedly sultry track, “DripDemeanor.” Linking up with R&B crooner Sum1, Missy breaks out the leather and chains while making her needs very plain for any potential suitor. With verses like, “If I am your girl or your chick/Don’t treat me like I’m just a bitch/Boy you don’t try to play stick/‘Cause Missy not chasin’ your d-,” the Video Vanguard honoree demands unwavering respect while continuing her legacy of sex positivity. Between sleek, dominatrix-inspired shots are neon-piped scenes of Missy’s canonically skilled dancers in front of cars, like the world’s sexiest reboot of Tron.

All the other Misdemeanor-esque video elements are here, as well. Nerdy references, like a quick shot of Pac-Man? Check. Wondrous, mind-bending imagery featuring Missy’s head? Absolutely, but think “braids fashioned into an apartment building” rather than a floating skull. A video that marries futurism and modern culture? Of course, this is Missy we’re talking about. But the video’s most interesting element is arguably the stinger at the end, which returns to the art gallery scene at the beginning of “Throw It Back.” Teyana Taylor returns as the ornate museum tour guide, confirming that “DripDemeanor” is part of the same story arc. The video fades to a darkened screen that promises a continuation of the tale, which heavily suggests that Elliott is already planning to release another video in the (hopefully) near future.

Both “DripDemeanor” and “Throw It Back” are featured on Elliott’s most recent EP Iconology, a 5-track tease of new music that was released in August, prior to her Video Vanguard performance at the 2019 MTV VMAs. Considering that there are really only two songs left to explore (two of the five tracks where differing versions of the same tune, “Why I Still Love You”), we hope that the innovative icon’s next video is for the explosive dance track “Cool Off.” Unless, of course, she happens to have some more music to share, which is fine by us.