I'm Better

"I'm Better"
Single by Missy Elliott featuring Lamb
ReleasedJanuary 27, 2017 (2017-01-27)
GenreHip hop
Length3:40
Label
Songwriters
  • Melissa Elliott
  • Cainon Lamb
ProducerLamb x Yonni
Missy Elliott singles chronology
"Ghostbusters (I'm Not Afraid)"
(2016)		 "I'm Better"
(2017)		 "Throw It Back"
(2019)
Music video
"I'm Better" on YouTube

"I'm Better" is a song by American recording artist Missy Elliott, featuring accompanying vocals by frequent production partner Lamb.

Critical reception

In a retrospective review of the song, Steven J. Horowitz from Vulture found that with "I'm Better" Elliott "reemerged with what could have been a triumphant single, but it didn’t feel entirely natural to her style. Flush with sirens and tip-toeing synths, "I’m Better" loses its footing with its trap-inspired meter – more Migos than Missy."

Music video

The video was co-directed by Elliott and Dave Meyers. Elliot noted that she had the video in mind upon listening to the track. The video took a month to rehearse owing to Elliott's wish to make it "look like art instead of just a video" and for the choreography to be "challenging". Rolling Stone noted the video "builds on Elliott's future-forward off-kilter aesthetic", also stating that it "nods as much to sci-fi as classic, Hype Williams-era hip-hop videos". Further praise from Billboard, stating the music video is a "stylized, can’t-look-away clip", and noted the "aquatic sequence is an unexpected trip".

Remix

An official remix of "I'm Better" was released in May 2017. The remix featured Eve, Lil' Kim, and Trina.

Track listings

  1. "I'm Better" (featuring Lamb) – 3:33
  2. "I'm Better" (Remix) (featuring Eve, Lil Kim and Trina) – 4:29

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)74
France (SNEP)120
US Billboard Hot 10071
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)28

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, formats, label, and reference
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
United States January 27, 2017 Digital download
March 14, 2017 Urban radio Atlantic

References

  1. ↑ Bundy, Will (January 27, 2017). "Missy Elliott Debuts New Single and Video 'I'm Better'". The FADER. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  2. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (September 4, 2019). "Every Missy Elliott Song, Ranked Missy has not just redefined pop music — she's consistently reinvented it". Vulture.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Legaspi, Althea. "See Missy Elliott's Colorful Video for Slow-Burning New Song 'I'm Better'". Rolling Ston.
  4. 1 2 3 Lobenfeld, Claire (27 January 2017). "Missy Elliott on 'I'm Better', FKA twigs and the "five or six albums" she'll never release". Fact Magazine. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Missy Elliott Debuts Electric New Song and Video 'I'm Better': Watch". Billboard. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  6. ↑ Lamarre, Carl (May 24, 2017). "Missy Elliott Delivers Ladies' Anthem 'I'm Better (Remix)' With Lil' Kim, Eve & Trina". Billboard. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Missy Elliott Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Missy Elliott feat. Lamb – I'm Better" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Missy Elliott Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Missy Elliott Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Missy Elliott – I'm Better (feat. Lamb)". iTunes. 27 January 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Urban/UAC > Future Releases". AllAccess Music Group. March 14, 2017. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2017.