Missy Elliott Looks Back at Her Career on the Cover of Marie Claire

Missy Elliot graces the July cover of Marie Claire and she opens up about her life, her struggles, and her career.

It's not surprising that Marie Claire picked Missy Eliot for their July cover.

Elliot is only the most influential female rapper of all time, and did we say stylish? Elliot opens up about her life, and yes...it's just like her songs.

MISSY ELLIOT'S LONG JOURNEY TO STARDOM

Elliot attributes her success to her will power and her fierce belief in herself.

Elliot reveals that she affirms her desires by stating them - and they come true.

“It’s funny because I was just telling somebody that everything I spoke, I’ve done,” she said.

MAKING THAT FANTASY COME TRUE

Elliot reveals that she would imagine conversations with her idols Michael and Janet Jackson, and Madonna

“I then would go and say my thank yous for award shows that I hadn’t made it to yet. I had speeches, and I would be in the mirror thanking my mama,” she revealed.

POOR BUT NEVER HOPELESS

Elliot's childhood in Virginia was harsh, marred by domestic abuse, and her family lived in extreme poverty. It seemed as if her dreams were out of reach, but she never gave up.

“Trust me, I was broke. And my family would be like, ‘You better find something to do.’ They told me to go in the Army. I’m like, ‘I’m too fat to go in the Army. Where I am running to?'” she said.

MISSY ELLIOT WANTS HER STORY TO INSPIRE THE YOUNG

Elliot, who outsold Lauryn Hill and Eve combined, wants the young hopefuls out there to know that the dream is achievable, and that hse is living proof of it.

“I do want to make the generation behind feel like, don’t be afraid, because we are in a time where so many people can be artists. Now you can just post up, and if it gets to the right person, then it’s just viral. I want to be able to encourage those who don’t go viral,” she said.

Elliot encourages new artists never to give up, no matter how much competition is out there, because somewhere, someday, the right person will hear their voices, just like they did hers.

Missy Elliot, who is the first female rapper to be inducted into the Musicwriters Hall of Fame, is a living example of the power of will and talent to succeed in a harsh and forbidding world.

MISSY ELLIOT'S HEALTH ISSUES

At the height of her career, Missy Elliott found herself facing an unforgiving autoimmune disease.

The rapper revealed that she was diagnosed with Graves' Disease in 2008. Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid, and can be incapacitating.

Elliot admitted that her physical condition deteriorated to the point in which she could hardly walk or work. Initially, she took medication, but later she decided to control the disorder with diet and exercise.

Missy Elliott believes that her unconditional faith in God pulled her through the dark days of her illness, and led her back into the light, and health.