2001 Hit Became the ‘Greatest Song of the 21st Century'-But Almost Didn't Happen

With so many incredible hits released since 2000, it seems nearly impossible to narrow down the best songs from the 21st century. However, in 2025, Rolling Stone did just that and released a definitive ranking of the best 250 songs from the 21st century. The list featured classics like "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" by Broken Social Scene, OutKast's "Hey Ya!," Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," "All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem, "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, and "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé feat. Jay Z.

Rolling Stone ranked Missy Elliott's 2001 hit, "Get Ur Freak On," as the number one greatest song of the 21st century. The song was the fifth track off Missy Elliott's 2001 record, Miss E... So Addictive, which was her third studio album.

While "Get Ur Freak On" became a massive success, Missy Elliott revealed that the song nearly didn't make the album in a 2016 interview on The Strombo Show. According to the rapper, she told the album's producer Timbaland that she felt Miss E... So Addictive needed one more song after it was completed.

"The story that I have behind that is the record was actually finished. I kept telling Tim that I felt like I needed one more song. He was like, 'You're crazy. This album is solid and hot.' And I was like, 'No, I need one more [song].' And we went back and forth for so long," recalled Missy Elliott.

She said that she and Timbaland ended up making "a skeleton of the track" that turned into "Get Ur Freak On."

"He was in the studio. And he just hit the keyboard, and that sound came up. And I was like 'That's it! That's it!' He was like, 'What are you talking about?'" recalled Missy Elliott.

She also said that while she was immediately impressed with the finished recording, she wasn't sure if the song would be a hit.

"This sounded like some next-level type stuff. It felt like that but we still didn't know because at the time nothing sounded like it. So, you know, it's kind of you know but you don't know because it could go over people's heads but thank God that it's registered with the people," said Missy Elliott, now 54.

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 11:43 AM.