On Tuesday (June 20), Missy Elliott appeared as the latest cover girl for ESSENCE. In the corresponding feature, the Supa Dupa Fly rapper spoke about her legendary career and opened up about her battle with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder, which led her to realize that it’s okay not to be strong and self-assured all the time.
“I think that a lot of things were brushed up under the rug for me growing up, and probably also for a lot of people,” Missy Elliott said. “I had so much time to just think of childhood stuff and all kinds of stuff… But that’s what makes me human.”
The Virginia native continued, “Now, I’m fine with being like, ‘Hey, I got anxiety’ or ‘I went through depression.’ Even the biggest artist, or just the regular everyday working person, we all go through s**t. We all do. And it’s okay to say, ‘Hey, I’m not okay today.’ Probably, we would keep a lot of people around if we were that open, because we would be able to uplift each other. We’d know that I’m not going to look at you crazy if you say, ‘Hey, I’m having a rough day.’ Maybe you’re thinking things that you shouldn’t think, or whatever the case may be.”