As Hampton Roads prepares to celebrate the unveiling of Missy Elliott Boulevard in the music icon’s hometown of Portsmouth Monday, a former member of Elliott’s 757-based R&B girl group from the early 1990s is reflecting on their time together.
“I love her dearly,” said Radiah Covington, a former member of the group Fayze, later renamed Sista. “It is really exciting to see that [Missy Elliott] has gotten all of these accolades. She is definitely deserving of being the icon that she is.”
Covington, who said “you couldn’t miss” Missy Elliott’s iconic talent, was just a teenager when she joined Missy Elliott’s group in the early 1990s, around the time the “Work It” star graduated from Manor High School in Portsmouth.
READ: Portsmouth City Council unanimously approves partial street name change to 'Missy Elliott Blvd.'
“I would go over to her house, and we would ride out somewhere in Norfolk to somebody else’s house, some studio,” explained Covington. “[When] I say studio, people think of something big. Really, it was somebody’s bedroom with an old microphone and probably like a four track from back in the day. We used to put the little cassette in it and record your tracks over and over.”
The group’s hard work paid off when their song, “First Move” was played on the radio.
“I remember my first time hearing it on the radio,” said Covington. “We were all jumping up and down, screaming and yelling.”
Eventually, Fayze got a record deal in the early 1990s, and the group’s name changed to Sista. While their ride to the top together was short-lived, Covington said she has always celebrated her friend’s success.
“It is long overdue […] that she having such an honor given to her from where she grew up,” said Covington, referring to the new Missy Elliott Boulevard in Portsmouth. “I think it’s awesome.”
READ: Norfolk State band to perform at Missy Elliott renaming ceremony
