My dad hates hip-hop. And when I say hate, I mean that his version of Dante’s ninth and final circle of Hell is Kanye West being played on repeat. This is why I was absolutely shocked when my dad asked me if I had heard Missy Elliott’s new track, “WTF (Where They From).” I told him I had not yet heard it and was curious why he asked. To this, he responded that he could not stop listening to it. I was absolutely shocked and I knew at this point I had to listen to the one hip-hop track that my dad not only does not deplore, but actually likes.

As I played the song I was initially impressed with Missy Elliott who, at 44, is still able to bring the same attitude and energy that initially put her on the map with songs like “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” and “Sock It 2 Me.” The drum beat in the background also makes it almost impossible not to move your body while listening to the song. The climax of the song has to be when Pharell Williams, another veteran, comes in and spits his fiery verse.

I am impressed that two hip-hop veterans were able to come together and create an old-school, authentic sound that people of all ages are able to love. This is why I think my dad loves the song so much; it reincarnates a sense of youthfulness in him that Kanye West simply cannot. So if you know someone who feels the need to get cosmetic surgery or alter their body in anyway in order to feel younger, play them this song, it’s a lot cheaper and there is no rat poison.

Get ur freak on.

– Abe Weiner