Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971 in Portsmouth, Virginia), bette… Read Full Bio ↴Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971 in Portsmouth, Virginia), better known by her stage name Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, is an American Grammy Award winning rapper, singer, producer, actress and former member of the R&B group Sista. With sales of over seven million in the United States alone she is the only female rapper to have six albums certified platinum by the RIAA and has worked extensively as a producer for many other artists along with her childhood friend Timbaland. She released her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly in 1997 and has since released 1999's Da Real World, 2001's Miss E… So Addictive, 2002's Under Construction, 2003's This is Not a Test! and 2005's The Cookbook. She has been working on her seventh studio album, Block Party, since 2007.

Elliott is one of the first female hip hop superstars, known for a long series of hits including "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", "Hit 'Em Wit Da Hee", "Get Ur Freak On", "One Minute Man", "Work It", and "Lose Control". In addition she has received recognition as one of the most successful songwriters of the modern music era, having crafted a number of hit records for artists such as Aaliyah, 702, Total, Ciara, Nicole Wray and Tweet, often with production-partner and childhood friend Timbaland. She was the third female rapper to ever go Platinum, behind Lil' Kim and Da Brat.

Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, she began her career in the all-girl R&B group, Sista in 1993. Eventually, the band folded and Elliott began her career as a solo rapper. Since the early 1990's, Elliott has won six Grammys, recently scoring one for her video of "Lose Control."

Other releases are 'Teary Eyed' and 'We Run This', and the last of these two songs will be the main single of the new greatest hits album titled 'Respect M.E.: Best Of' featuring 17 tracks from her six albums.

Pump It Up feat Nelly
Missy Elliott Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey yo, Nelly! This is fire
(What you talkin' about, girl?)
Let's make it hot for the clubs
(Missy!)

[Verse 1: Missy Elliott]
Down South girls got them real big butts!
Real big butts make ya man want to look (Oh!)

Back it up, flip it up, skinny girls
Love my guts, so fuck a tummy tuck
(Oh yeah?) Yeah! I shakes my butt
I shakes my gut like "yeah, bitch what?"
Yeah I likes it rough, tough
Ask your man how I'm good in handcuffs
Me and Nelly came to rock the club
Pack the place, don't push or shove
Out of the club, straight to the crib
I'll let you know if the sex was good

[Chorus: Missy Elliott (Timbaland)]
Pump it up! {Show me love, G}
Pump it up! {Let me see what you working wit'}
Pump it up! {Let me see those big-ass hips}
Pump it up! {Pump it up}
This is how me and Nelly pump it up
Pump it up! {Show me love, G}
Pump it up! {Let me see what you workin wit'}
Pump it up! {Let me see those big-ass hips}
Pump it up! {Pump it up}

[Verse 2: Missy Elliott]
Down south players! We got that fire!
Get up on my booty, tutti-fruiti on the rooty
I'm a thick chick, skinny girls act snooty
No matter what your size, my big thighs'll do my duty
Look at the way my rump shake like a movie (say what?)
See my tight jeans and the coochie
Spend a little looty, you gotta WORK for the booty (Yup)
Me and Nelly hot on the track (Track!)
Nelly, can't no-one ever top that (Top that!)
Niggas we came to rock the club (C'mon!)
DJs better Pump It Up
Motherfuckers need to back it up
Cause we gon' tear the roof off the club

[Chorus]

[Missy]
You know, Down South chicks got big asses
And we a little heavy sometime, but when
You're from the South, we don't call that
"fat". We call that "big-boned". Fo' sho

[Verse 3: Nelly]
Yeah, ma! I heard you like the magic stick
Me? I got the gadget stick, it's like "Go, go, gadget dick"
You know, make you climb the walls and shit
I make her want to press pause and shit
Walk up in the party, girls swingin' they panties
They was doing that before I had them brandy's
I get a little freaky when I'm in my yammy
I may act a little freaky but I still got manners
It's Nelly, felony, and Missy Misdemeanor
Both going down, there's just to many heaters
Check the records, we got records that broke records in record time
I ain't talkin' about the records that they buyin'
Lyin', can a nigga keep up with me?
You see I, still standin' VI stackin' the "Ride Wit Me"
You struggle to recoup
I struggle on which Coup' to ride in

[Missy]
See how we be stylin'?

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The song Pump It Up by Missy Elliott is a high-energy track about hitting the club and shaking what you’ve got. The song starts with Missy and Nelly hyping each other up before diving into a description of the power of the female form. Missy praises women with real big butts, skinny girls, whatever you’ve got, just work it. She makes it clear that she’s into rough sex and isn’t afraid to ask for what she wants.

Throughout the song, there’s a definite sense of celebration and pride in individual bodies and their abilities to move. While the song is undeniably catchy and high-energy, it’s also a call to embrace yourself wholeheartedly, whatever your size or shape. The chorus of the song repeats “Pump it up” as a call to both the DJ and the listener, urging them to crank the energy up even higher and get lost in the moment.

Overall, Pump It Up is a celebration of individuality, specifically in regards to body size and shape. It encourages listeners to embrace themselves fully and dance like nobody’s watching.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey yo, Nelly! This is fire
Missy is excited to collaborate with Nelly and create a hit song.

(What you talkin' about, girl?)
Nelly is confused and asks Missy what she's talking about.

Let's make it hot for the clubs
Missy wants to create a song that will be a hit in the clubs.

Down South girls got them real big butts!
Missy is praising the bodies of women from the southern US.

Real big butts make ya man want to look (Oh!)
Men are attracted to women with big butts.

Back it up, flip it up, skinny girls
Missy is also attracted to skinny girls, not just those with big butts.

Love my guts, so fuck a tummy tuck
Missy is confident about her body and doesn't need surgery to change it.

(Oh yeah?) Yeah! I shakes my butt
Missy is proud of her butt and likes to shake it.

I shakes my gut like "yeah, bitch what?"
Missy is also confident about her stomach.

Yeah I likes it rough, tough
Missy enjoys rough sex.

Ask your man how I'm good in handcuffs
Missy is good at kinky sex involving handcuffs.

Me and Nelly came to rock the club
Missy and Nelly are ready to perform a great show in the club.

Pack the place, don't push or shove
Missy wants a big crowd at the show and asks people to not push or shove to get in.

Out of the club, straight to the crib
Missy wants to leave the club and go straight home.

I'll let you know if the sex was good
Missy is confident that she'll have good sex and will let others know.

Pump it up! {Show me love, G}
Missy wants people to pump up the volume and show her love.

Pump it up! {Let me see what you working wit'}
Missy wants to see what people are working with on the dance floor.

Pump it up! {Let me see those big-ass hips}
Missy wants to see people with big hips dance.

Pump it up! {Pump it up}
Missy repeats the chorus and asks people to pump it up.

This is how me and Nelly pump it up
Missy and Nelly are showing people how to have a good time.

Down south players! We got that fire!
Missy is proud of her southern US roots and music.

Get up on my booty, tutti-fruiti on the rooty
Missy encourages people to dance close to her.

I'm a thick chick, skinny girls act snooty
Missy thinks skinny girls sometimes act superior.

No matter what your size, my big thighs'll do my duty
Missy is confident that her body size can still do what it needs to do.

Look at the way my rump shake like a movie (say what?)
Missy wants people to admire the way she dances.

See my tight jeans and the coochie
Missy is wearing tight jeans that accentuate her body.

Spend a little looty, you gotta WORK for the booty (Yup)
Missy wants people to earn her attention and affection.

Niggas we came to rock the club (C'mon!)
Missy emphasizes again that they are there to perform and put on a show.

DJs better Pump It Up
Missy wants DJs to play their music loud and with energy.

Motherfuckers need to back it up
Missy is warning people to back off and give them space.

Cause we gon' tear the roof off the club
Missy is confident that their performance will be so good that it will be very exciting.

You know, Down South chicks got big asses
Missy repeats her praise for the bodies of southern US women.

And we a little heavy sometime, but when
Missy addresses the issue of sometimes being considered overweight, but it doesn't matter.

You're from the South, we don't call that "fat". We call that "big-boned". Fo' sho
Missy explains that in the South they don't call it being fat, but rather just having a bigger bone structure.

Yeah, ma! I heard you like the magic stick
Nelly is referencing his famous song "Magic Stick" with Lil' Kim and playing off of Missy's collaboration with him.

Me? I got the gadget stick, it's like "Go, go, gadget dick"
Nelly is saying he has a great penis.

You know, make you climb the walls and shit
Sex with Nelly will be so good that it will make women go crazy.

I make her want to press pause and shit
Nelly is so good in bed that women will want to pause and savor the moment.

Walk up in the party, girls swingin' they panties
Nelly is popular with women and they are excited to see him.

They was doing that before I had them brandy's
Women were already dancing provocatively before Nelly even arrived.

I get a little freaky when I'm in my yammy
Nelly gets kinky when he's in his car and listening to music.

I may act a little freaky but I still got manners
Even though Nelly is kinky, he still has good manners.

It's Nelly, felony, and Missy Misdemeanor
Nelly and Missy are teaming up and their names reference their attitude and rap style.

Both going down, there's just to many heaters
Their music is so good that it has created a lot of excitement and hype.

Check the records, we got records that broke records in record time
Missy is highlighting their great success and breaking records in a short amount of time.

I ain't talkin' about the records that they buyin'
Missy is saying that their records are not just being bought, but they are also incredibly popular.

Lyin', can a nigga keep up with me?
Missy is challenging other rappers to keep up with her rap skill.

You see I, still standin' VI stackin' the "Ride Wit Me"
Nelly is proud of his success and fame.

You struggle to recoup
Other rappers struggle to attain what Nelly has achieved.

I struggle on which Coup' to ride in
Nelly is trying to decide which fancy car to drive.

See how we be stylin'?
Missy is proud of their style and fashion choices.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TIMOTHY MOSLEY, CORNELL HAYNES, MISSY ELLIOTT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS