Add another entry to Missy Elliott’s already lengthy list of credits. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee and Grammy-winning artist will guest star on Cartoon Network’s hit series Craig of the Creek. The episode will premiere Monday, April 3 (5 p.m. ET/PT).
Titled “The Jump Off,” the episode finds series characters Craig, Cannonball, Sparkle Cadet and Diane gearing up for a Double Dutch tournament. When the group asks Craig’s mom Nicole for a few pointers, she tells them a story about her own Double Dutch rivalry with a girl named Carla Frazier, voiced by Elliott, at the regionals (pictured holding the trophy in the art above).
“I’m so excited to be part of this Craig of the Creek episode,” Elliott tells Billboard exclusively via email. “Voicing the Carla character was perfect for me as I am a huge Double Dutch fan. I hope the fans enjoy the episode!”
According to Jeff Trammell, one of the writers of “The Jump Off” episode, the idea of Elliott voicing a guest role on the series took shape while the team was working on the show’s Halloween episode, “Trick or Creek.” Supervising director Tiffany Ford had pitched the notion of having Craig’s mom, Nicole, dress up as Elliott’s iconic image from the rapper’s video for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).”
“The second the [costume] idea came up,” Trammell tells Billboard, “we knew we had to pay homage to one of the greatest musicians of our lifetime and thought it would be cool if Missy somehow saw it. The fact that she not only saw it but was a fan of our shoutout meant the world. So we were hopeful she’d agree to do an episode of ‘Craig of the Creek.’ Needless to say, once Missy agreed, we were thrilled and thought a fun twist on Nicole’s costume would be to have Missy voice Nicole’s (extremely one-sided) rival Carla Frazier, jump-rope extraordinaire. As with everything, Missy knocked it out of the park. We couldn’t have been more excited to work with her; a dream come true for the entire crew.”
See a clip from “The Jump Off” below:
