This Is Not A Test!
by Missy Elliott
  • Record Label: Elektra
  • Release Date: Nov 25, 2003
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. E! Online
    100
    If last year's Under Construction was a little weird, then This Is Not a Test! is barking mad--in the greatest way.
  2. Spin
    91
    Playfully sleazy, creatively reckless, and ridiculously, abstrusely, hyper-generously funky. [Jan 2004, p.95]
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  3. Launch.com
    90
    This Is Not A Test isn't perfect.... But it's plenty close enough.
  5. Rolling Stone
    90
    Why anybody would choose to spend their life without a copy of This Is Not a Test! is a mystery.
  6. Q Magazine
    90
    Missy and Timbaland give us what we've come to expect--the sexiest, most ear-popping, jaw-dropping fusion of old-school rap tribute, sparse R&B, mutant bhangra, and beat innovation on Planet Pop. [Feb 2004, p.100]
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  7. Stylus Magazine
    88
    Review 1: She’s done it again, and the fact that we’re not surprised shows just how valuable and talented she is. [Score=91] Review 2: The new Missy album is terrific! Maybe even more terrific than her last one, and almost certainly better than the one before that. [Score=84]
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  8. Pitchfork
    85
    It's the album's end-to-end strength that speaks the most-- against hip-hop artists who fail to make solid albums and those rock idiots who say it can't be done.
  9. PopMatters
    80
    There's not any new groundbreaking here for the consummate groundbreaker, but when the music is this good, there's no way in hell that should matter.
  10. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    There's less space to breathe in 'This Is Not A Test!' than ever before - the beats are so relentless that just like the fiercest of the nu-prog bands it leaves you physically exhausted afterwards.
  11. Village Voice
    80
    There's no great leap forward--or backward, depending on your theory of pop--of any sort here.
  12. Dot Music
    80
    This is what she does, really: talk clever, talk dirty, talk funny and, with Timbaland's dedicated assistance, annually expand the possibilities of what pop music can sound like.
  13. AllMusic
    80
    Although she remains by far the most interesting figure in hip-hop, This Is Not a Test! has more filler than Elliott's allowed on a record since 1999's Da Real World.
  14. ShakingThrough.net
    80
    More than anything else, This is Not a Test! is a fun listen: Missy obviously enjoys poking fun at herself, and doesn't shy away from promoting a sexually empowered female persona.
  15. The A.V. Club
    80
    Equal parts 'round-the-way girl, futuristic dance diva, sonically progressive critical darling, and super-freak, Elliott has earned the right to tread a little water artistically, especially when the results are this fun.
  16. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    It's true that Timbaland's signature style... doesn't seem quite as amazing as it did five years ago. Still, it gets the job done. [28 Nov 2003, p.124]
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  17. The Guardian
    70
    Although [Test!] is predictably better than 90% of the year's hip-hop, it stands up less well against her own remarkable back-catalogue.
  18. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    70
    Like the market-minded collaborations that run rampant on hip-hop records, Elliott’s range here feels like base-covering.

Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Most Discussed Album of 2003
90
#90 Most Shared Album of 2003

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 43
  3. Negative: 5 out of 43
  1. brashadcarr23
    Nov 10, 2018
    7
    this a worst album which is not a bad thing. her worst album is better than most of these chicks best album
  2. Felipecritic
    Oct 24, 2017
    7
    Esse álbum é revolucionário. Missy Elliott junta forças com Timbaland e cria algo inovador. Pra ser rainha de algo no mínimo você tem queEsse álbum é revolucionário. Missy Elliott junta forças com Timbaland e cria algo inovador. Pra ser rainha de algo no mínimo você tem que revolucionar algo e Missy fez isso.… Full Review »
  3. isthatbrandon
    Jan 28, 2017
    10
    Criminally underrated! She deserves so much more credit for this album than she received. It has great upbeat songs that she's known for butCriminally underrated! She deserves so much more credit for this album than she received. It has great upbeat songs that she's known for but was unfairly overlooked.… Full Review »
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