Missy Elliott covers the November 28 issue of Billboard.

In the cover story, the emcee explains why she needed a break from music. In 2008, she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Graves disease and, after a decade of releasing hits, Missy Elliott sidelined herself.

“People hadn’t realized that I haven’t just been an artist,” Missy Elliott says. “I’ve been a writer and a producer for other artists. When you’re writing that much, your brain is like a computer. You have refresh it.”

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The 44-year-old says that even though she hasn’t released much music other than her recent single, “WTF (Where They From)” featuring Pharrell, she has been recording.

“If I wanted to do The Missing Files of Missy Elliott, I have probably six albums just sitting there,” she says.

Elsewhere in the interview, Missy Elliott says that a lot of today’s music sounds the same to her and even though she is credited by many as an influence for modern artists, she maintains her sense of dominance.

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“Unfortunately, breaking news, there is only one Missy,” she says.

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